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ARK Listing?

This letter is in response to Scott Bishop's comments concerning David McNabb and AIDS Response Knoxville (ARK). Mr. Bishop's letter to the editor in the Feb. 18-25 issue seems to try to take the focus away from the people who are actually responsible for the problems occurring during Ms. Nickoloff's tenure. First, Ms. Nickoloff was responsible in part for the lack of unrestricted funds coming into ARK. As executive director, she was the most visible person to show the Knoxville community that ARK was utilizing the moneys received. That trust was breached long ago. Want proof that client services were not met? Ask a broad range of ARK's clients, other agencies that serve the HIV/AIDS community, former employees, and interns (unpaid volunteers or masters/doctoral candidates). When you do not meet clients' needs, then the word gets out. The good folks of Knoxville should be quite offended by Mr. Bishop's statement concerning "McNabb's...consistent negative attitude toward ARK...partially responsible for a decrease in general donations..." The Knoxville community cannot be led blindly by one man (McNabb) on how we choose to spend our moneys to charity. Thank God for people like David McNabb. He saw that ARK's client base was not being served and he spoke out. We should all follow his example.

Second, the board is where the buck actually stops. Not only are they fiscally responsible for the poor decisions made by Ms. Nickoloff and others, they are also morally and ethically responsible for many actions and inactions that occurred at ARK. Was the ARK board of directors just not paying attention? Mr. Bishop does serve on that board. Is this an attempt to take the heat from the real issues of client services and force focus on a dead former attorney, author, and advocate?

Third, I would say that the "letting go" of the executive director was a "massive shakeup." This incident only occurred after the entire board was sent copies of a financial statement submitted with a poorly written grant for moneys set aside for HIV/AIDS patients through a famous foundation named for a young boy now dead from AIDS complications. Will ARK get moneys from the city and/or the county general fund? I have heard that will not happen. How did that slide by the esteemed board of directors? I guess Ms. Nickoloff failed to mention those funds were going away. Wonder why? Want proof? I now call for a full investigation of ARK's client services, management/mismanagement. Some responsible news organization (like Metro Pulse) will fill in many blanks. I shall be glad to point any one in the proper direction.

Finally, many would ask, who am I? I was a friend and caregiver of Fred Horowitz, one of the founders of ARK. I have seen many executive directors come and go for various reasons over the years. I was David McNabb's principal caregiver, along with my husband, and David's friend for more than 20 years. I have cared for many people with HIV/AIDS over the last 15 or so years. I am still very involved with folks plagued by this horrible condition. One would say that I have a vested interest in any organization that offers assistance to people with this plague.

I say to the Board of ARK, "'FESS UP." Alas, a community based organization like ARK (unlike the Department of Health or a hospital), only has to answer to their board of directors. The only way we can hold any community based service organization accountable is with our checkbooks and our voices. Can ARK survive this "period of transition"? Will the board be able to bail them out of a massive public relations hydrogen bomb? Just say we made errors, mistakes or we were asleep at the wheel. People love public apologies (remember President Clinton). So far the damage control you have allowed the public to see reeks of cover-ups.

Will ARK survive? Let's hope so—IF it can return to its original mission: to serve the needs of HIV/AIDS clients through a clearinghouse of information, a "buddy" program, and to respond to the changing needs of a changing client base. David McNabb is no longer with us, but those of us who are the inheritors of his sense of activism will be watching closely.

Susie P. Waters Davis
Knoxville