By Special to the Town Crier
Dushan “Dude” Angius, vice-president of Lawson-Hawks Insurance, Mountain View, and former president of the Rotary Club of Los Altos, has been honored as the first recipient of a special award from the Center For Disease Control and Prevention’s National Business and Labor Responds to AIDS Program for his “exemplary leadership in HIV/AIDS workplace programs.”
Presented at the National Business and Labor Conference on HIV/AIDS in Washington, D.C., the first-time award recognizes Angius’ efforts during the past decade to promote AIDS education and awareness. The award, designated the Dude Angius Award, will become an annual award to honor other individuals who are dedicated to a high level of leadership and support for HIV/AIDS programs in the community, the workplace and/or among peers.
“We decided to honor Dude by naming the award after him in addition to choosing him as the first recipient. As one of our pioneer members, he has served as an example of how others in business can make a difference in HIV/AIDS awareness,” said Barbara Benson, project manager, National Business and Labor Responds to AIDS.
In addition to his nine-year involvement as a board member for National Business and Labor Responds to AIDS, Angius was recognized for his leadership in Rotary and commitment to address HIV and AIDS as a community issue that includes business. He is well known for his efforts to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS through the worldwide distribution of “The Los Altos Story,” a 30-minute film that shares his family’s devastating experience with AIDS.
The idea for the film originated in 1989 when Angius, then president of the Rotary Club of Los Altos, issued a call to action after his son, Steve, was afflicted and later died of the disease. Rotary members responded to establish the Rotary AIDS Project to raise funds, produce and distribute the film, a compassionate documentary which tells the story of how the lives of three Rotary Club members - and an entire community - were changed by AIDS.
Translated into six languages, the film has been distributed world-wide with a goal of reaching more than 1.3 million Rotary Club members to promote awareness of the AIDS pandemic and help change attitudes and behaviors about the disease. As a result, Rotary clubs from around the world have initiated public information campaigns and community projects focused on AIDS education and awareness.
“Everyone who meets Dude and hears him can see the dedication, commitment and respect. He is a wonderful leader in HIV education. He has been able to reach mainstream Middle America community leaders who did not have much contact with the epidemic. By sharing his own story and making it personal and relevant, he really brings home the message that AIDS affects all people. We were very pleased to give the first Dude Angius Award to Dude,” said Stan Karson, founding board member, American Business and Labor Responds to AIDS.
As current president of the Rotary AIDS Project, Angius is still actively involved in promoting awareness of the HIV/AIDS issue.
“I’ve never had an honor like this before and I am amazed by it,” said Angius upon acceptance of the award. “It is important to me to carry on the work that we’ve started. I’m very excited about the direction of the Rotary AIDS Project as we explore additional ways to make a difference in the fight against AIDS.”
The Rotary AIDS Project, based in Los Altos, serves as a clearing house for support of HIV/AIDS projects in communities throughout the world. For more information, contact Rotary AIDS Project at P.O. Box 794, Los Altos 94023 or call 688-6164.
