Jonathan Livingston

In 2001, on his way to a BA in sociology at the UO, Jonathan Livingston started as a volunteer with HIV Alliance, in the gay-bi outreach program. "We would go to places where gay men gather," he says. "I'd give a talk about safer sex practices." As a high-school student in Tualatin, Livingston had come out at age 15. "I stopped being harrassed," he notes. At 17 he started a gay-straight alliance at the school. After six months as a volunteer with HIV Alliance, Livingston was hired as a staff outreach worker. "I also did HIV counseling and testing," he says. "The work was more satifying than school." Still, he did graduate, and since 2002, Livingston has served the alliance as a case manager for people living with AIDS. "I like the idea of an ongoing conversation, getting to know people better," he says. "Our mission is to help people stabilize and maintain their health." Three full-time case managers attend to 190 clients for the alliance. "Jonathan is so caring and generous," says co-worker Erin Ehly. "For some clients he's the only person they've got. I don't know if he knows that."