Alyssa Johnson has been the program director of Steppin' Out since May 2008. The 35-year-old Royal Oak-resident works to bring events to the community, from small social gatherings to one of the area's biggest HIV/AIDS fundraisers of the year, AIDS Walk Detroit.
Why is HIV/AIDS an important issue to you personally?
I think that my age group kind of grew up with HIV/AIDS. I was really fortunate that I had parents who educated me and encouraged me to be open to what going on in the world, outside of just our family. I also was involved in fundraising, and I worked for a few different non-profits. One summer I took a contract to work for the AIDS Walk in Traverse City, where I lived. The agency that I worked for was also a service provider, so they had a food bank and outreach services. I was able to meet clients and talk to people, and see what people with HIV/AIDS experienced. Up until that point, I had never known anyone with HIV/AIDS, and it really opened my eyes.
How did you get involved with Steppin' Out?
I moved to Royal Oak after I got married, and I was working at a job that I wasn't enjoying. My husband was out of town for a few days, and I sent him a text that said, "I am going to quit my job." I think that he thought I meant in the next few weeks, or when I find another job, but what I meant was really, "as soon as I am done sending you this text." He wasn't thrilled. I told him that something really good would come out of this, and a few weeks later, I saw an ad for Steppin' Out. I knew that already having experience with AIDS Walk in Traverse City that it would probably be a good fit. I met with Bill Thomas, the board president, and Kim Tabor, the past board president, and everything fell into place.
AIDS Walk Detroit is only once a year. How do you get people to volunteer and donate year round?
Originally, Steppin' Out had a variety of events, from AIDS Walk to a shoe auction, New Year's Eve events, and celebrities like Isiah Thomas and Madonna as chairpersons. Over the years, everything was pared down to focus on the walk. At our annual planning meeting in January, we decided to refocus on bringing some smaller, more frequent events to the community. We've begun a bingo with Five15 in Royal Oak that's very fun, and a series of private dinner parties that we will be rolling out in the next few months. We do a bowling event and a boat cruise. So, that's how we can get people to donate all year round – but how we keep volunteers involved is a little different. Some of the ways we have been working on keeping volunteers involved through out the year are smaller community service projects, like the Royal Oak holiday wrapping project that we did this year.
What do you love most about your job?
I actually love everything about my job. I can say that because there is a reason for everything we do. However, if I did have to pick one thing, it's probably asking for money from our corporate sponsors – because I know exactly where the money goes, and I know how important it is. Working with the walkers and volunteers is also a really a joyful experience. People are so passionate about why they get involved, and being able to kind of stand back and see that happening is really a fortunate position to be in.
If you could do one thing to help the cause of HIV/AIDS in Michigan, what would it be?
I think that the answer to that question when it comes to HIV/AIDS is always going to be education and outreach. I have a 12-year-old daughter, and she's so much more educated than I was at her age, but it's still not enough. I think that until we come so much further to ending discrimination against those who have HIV/AIDS, people won't get tested, disclose their status and seek treatment early enough. I don't know exactly how to bring people to stop discriminating against people with HIV/AIDS, but I do know that I want to engage people in that conversation – or conversion whenever I can.
