David Ernesto Munar, president of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), was filled with emotion at his latest honor, courtesy of the White Housealthough he is not even certain how his name got in the mix for the award.
This month, the White House announced Munar as one of nine Champions of Change in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The other honorees are Jury Candelairo, Christian F. Castro, Dee Dee Ngozi Chamblee, Hadiya Charles, Dena Fontno-Gray, Beri Hull, Cleve Jones and Ron Simmons.
"It's a tremendous honor and I'm thrilled the White House chose to commemorate this emotional milestone in the company of openly HIV-positive advocates from across the country," said Munar, 41, who lives in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood.
"For me, this honor represents a new outlet to promote all the incredible hard work and accomplishments we are making collectively in Chicago to respond to the burgeoning epidemic. We should all be proud of the united and collaborative response by local agencies and governments to the HIV/AIDS crisis. While we have tremendous unmet need and hard work ahead, we can be proud of the systems we've put in place in these last three decades."
Munar assumed the title of AFC's president in January, replacing friend Mark Ishaug.
"This honor is a very nice addition to my resume and my agency's homepage," Munar said. "I hope it generates renewed enthusiasm for AFC's important work, events, and services."
So how and why was Munar considered for the aware?
That's a mystery, even to Munar.
"I've enjoyed a great working relationship with Jeff Crowley, Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, and his staff on issues pertaining to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, so this may have contributed to my nomination, but I'm not entirely sure who initiated this recognition or why I was selected over many other hard-working, dedicated advocates," Munar said.
"[This award] is very special. My sister thought I was presented with some sort of presidential metal of honor, so I had to explain to her that this was more of a professional commendation and [a] chance to brief high-ranking federal decision-makers about my views on 30 years of the pandemic and the important lessons to keep in mind as we chart the next phase of the fight against HIV/AIDS.
"I certainly never imagined any [honor] like this. It's great to be recognized, but the work itself, on an issue so near and dear to my heart, is by itself enormously rewarding. This is icing on the cake."
Hopefully Munar's honor will shine further on AFC, he said.
"AFC and our partners in Chicago have pioneered creative system-level approaches to address needs in our large metro area," Munar said. "I hope this [honor] shines a light on our great accomplishments and results in more communities and causes, beyond HIV, adopting the best lessons we've learned in creating integrated, collaborative approaches. Our system is by no means perfect or adequately funded, but I think we have demonstrated a strong commitment to do all we can, in a collective manner, with the scarce resources at our disposal."