The AmFAR Newsletter Vol. 1, no. 4

Joe Miloscia
Co-Chair, Boathouse Rock 5
Joe Miloscia is often
described as "the driving
force" behind Y.E.S. these
days. Mr. Miloscia learned
about the group when he
received an invitation to
MASKFORAIDS in 1993. For
the second year running, he is
co-chairing the Boathouse
event, having helped increase
attendance in 1995 by twentyfive percent and having nearly
doubled the event's income
over that of 1994. "Joe has
really picked up the baton and
kept everybody focused on the
goals," says Glenn Isaacson, the
founder of Y.E.S.
A 35-year-old native New
Yorker, Mr. Miloscia has been
at Philip Morris Companies for
13 years and currently manages
several contributions programs
there, including environmental
grants, theatre grants, and
matching gifts. Joe also spends
a lot of time in the theatre.
An active member of the
board of the Stage Directors
and Choreographers Foundation, and a member of Actors
Equity, Joe has appeared in
"I derive the most
pleasure from
helping, however
I can, on AIDS
several off-Broadway premieres
and revivals, and has appeared
on stage and in radio, television
and film productions nationwide. He has been a featured
speaker at theatrical seminars,
and has spent time as the
resident director at two NYC
theatre companies.
Mr. Miloscia is the
founder and artistic/producing
director of New Stages Musical
Arts, a distinctive theatre
company devoted to the
development and presentation
of new musical works by
emerging artists. His newest
production, Short AttentionSpan Musical Theater, consists
of seven complete musicals,
none longer than 20 minutes,
that are scheduled to appear
off-Brbadway in the fall. An
active lyricist and librettist, Joe
is also the creator and producer
of the New American Musical
Writers Festival, a nationwide
competition that has become
an important showcase for
gifted new artists.
In addition to his interest
in the theatre, Joe enjoys
working with the New York
Restoration Project, a group
founded by Bette Midler that
is dedicated to restoring and
preserving the City's parks and
open spaces. His work for
AIDS charities extends beyond
AmFAR. For example, he
supports the nation's first camp
exclusively for children with
HIV/AIDS, Camp Heartland,
as well as his own "Operation
Santa," which, for six years, has
brightened the holidays for
HIV-infected children and their
families in NYC. "Of all these
extracurricular activities," says
Joe, "I derive the most pleasure
from helping, however I can,
on AIDS-related causes."
Asked what he does in his
spare time, Joe responds, "I try
to eat some, sleep a little..."

How do you raise money for AIDS research,
increase AIDS awareness, and provide an opportunity for
young professionals to meet each other and have fun, all at
the same time? The answer is "Y.E.S."
Founded in late 1991, Young Executive Support (Y.E.S.) is a volunteer committee of AmFAR
comprised of approximately thirty young professionals who have committed themselves to raising
funds for AIDS research. A diverse group of people from a variety of fields, including law, real
estate, marketing, entertainment and public relations, contributes to the success of each event.
The group's leadership structure is distinctive in that each event is chaired by a different person or
persons.
"I was immediately impressed by the commitment and camaraderie of the organization's
members," says Liz Fallon, a former AmFAR staff member who joined the group in 1995 shortly
before Boathouse Rock 4. Ms. Fallon is currently a project manager at LIFEbeat/The Music Industry Fights AIDS.
The group's first fund raising event, Kiss AIDS Goodbye, featured a silent auction of "kisses"
from a variety of celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor, Naomi Campbell, Madeline Kahn, Nikki
Taylor, Claudia Schiffer, and Sylvester Stallone. Held at the newly-inaugurated Planet Hollywood
in New York City, it raised $50,000. The first Boathouse Rock party followed in June that same
year. Boathouse Rock has since become the trademark event of Y.E.S., taking place each June at the
(continued at right)

Derval Whelan
Co-Chair
Boathouse Rock 5

ment," she says, "because all
the money we raise goes
directly to research. We are
making a difference in people's
lives."
A native New Yorker,
Derval has been in the film
distribution and marketing
industry for over a decade. She
is currently the Executive
Director of Marketing at Sony
Pictures Classics, Large Format,
and has had previous executive
assignments at several wellknown film companies,
including Miramax Films and
Orion Classics. Ms. Whelan
graduated from Muhlenberg
College in Allentown, PA in
1982 and has an M.A. in
cinema from NYU. She spends
her "free" time visiting
museums and, of course, at the
movies.

"'... because all the
money we
raise goes
directly to
research. "
In addition to her volunteer work on behalf of AmFAR,
Ms. Whelan is a member of the
Lifeskills for Women Inmates
committee of the New York
Junior League, where she helps
prepare women in a medium
security prison for life "on the
outside." She is also on the
board of the Motion Picture
Club, a group of film industry
individuals who coordinate
fund raising events for charity
throughout the year.

D erval Whelan has been a
member of Y.E.S. since
1993. Like most of her
colleagues, she heard about the
group from a friend.
Being a member of Y.E.S.
gives Derval, whose name
comes from Gaelic mythology,
a sense of "direct accomplish
related causes."

James Hammett came to Y.E.S. two years ago because
he wanted to use his connections in the business
world to try to make a difference. "I really wanted to
do this," says the 28-year-old Hammett, "because it's
AIDS, and it is destroying the basis of creative energy
in the world."
As the Casting Director for Clairol Creative
Worldwide, James is responsible for hiring all of the

creative talent behind the
Clairol advertisements.
He has watched over the
years as HIV/AIDS has
destroyed the lives of
many close friends and
associates. "I wanted to
take part in a group that
was effective," he says,
"and composed of young
people like myself."
A graduate of The
American College in
London, Mr. Hammett
has been involved in
the strategic planning
behind the group's public
relations effort since his
arrival. He was instrumental in obtaining the

"... because
it's AIDS,
and it is
destroying
the basis of
creative energy
in the world."
James Hammett
Co-Chair
Boathouse Rock 5

participation of supermodel Linda Evangelista and
photographer Steven Meisel for this year's event, as
well as the services of Sotheby's auction house, which
he feels will elevate the Boathouse Rock party to a new
level of fund raising achievement.
Mr. Hammett was brought up in Europe and
moved to New York seven years ago.