A Carbondale pastor recently received a Family AIDS Network 1995 Award of Merit for her work in revitalizing a local AIDS organization.

The Rev. Judith Clausen was chosen as one of 63 Americans to receive the second annual award because of her work with the Southern Illinois Regional Effort for AIDS (SIREA). She is the president of the organization.

Clausen said SIREA was about to go out of existence when she became involved in revitalizing the organization about a year-and-a-half ago.

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There was a tremendous lack of attendance by the Board members, she said. I didn’t want the people we serve to be without resources – a lot of clients are dependent on us. So I volunteered to be president.

SIREA provides services to people with AIDS in Southern Illinois. Some of the services include case management, a support group for clients and caregivers and a buddy program that provides one-on-one care and funeral planning. The SIREA has about 40 volunteers working with people who have AIDS. The organization also does fundraising, has educational sessions for the public and sponsors speakers on the topic of the disease.

Clausen said many times people who find out they have AIDS decide to turn their lives around.

It gives them (the clients) an opportunity to re-evaluate their lives, she said. They want to live until they die, and they do.

Clausen referred to the story of 23-year-old man who found out he had contracted the AIDS virus through IV drug use.

He lived on the streets, Clausen said. When he was diagnosed he was devastated. After, he began to look at the rest of his life and decided to devote the rest of his life to becoming and advocate for those with AIDS.

Clausen said the man’s work helped establish the Southern Illinois HIV consortium. The consortium is a federally funded program that provides services through the Illinois Department of Public Health, located at the Jackson County Health Department.

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If it hadn’t been for his efforts, the consortium wouldn’t have happened, she said.

Clausen is also the pastor of the Church of the Good Shepherd United Church of Christ in Carbondale. She said working at SIREA and being a pastor keeps her busy.

I work a lot, she said. I think each one gives me a different perspective on life. I give to one through the other. Both are very rewarding.

SIREA was established in 1991 by four men with AIDS. The men wanted to provide support for each other while they coped with the disease and dying. They eventually become an AIDS service provider. The four men have since died.

Clausen said she did not expect to receive an award for her work with AIDS patients.

I was surprised, she said. Of all the people in the country who are doing this work, they choose me. It was not anything special I did.