Lifelong has always been an organization that stands up for communities facing discrimination and marginalization.

In the 1980’s, elected officials and other local and national leaders displayed unspeakable cruelty and bigotry when they refused to support the services and research needed to combat the early surge of the HIV epidemic. A handful of volunteers witnessed their friends, partners, and neighbors neglected and left to die.

They were compelled to fight back, and mobilized the community to unite against injustice. They made a lifesaving difference in the lives of thousands through assembly of chore wheels, hospital visitation calendars, and the establishment of new non-profit organizations. They helped create us, Northwest AIDS Foundation, Chicken Soup Brigade and Evergreen Wellness Advocates, which became Lifelong.