When it started six years ago, Durango’s annual Black Tie AIDS Benefit was the only local fund-raiser for HIV victims and education in the area, said event coordinator, Lisa Sauer.

And although it was joined a few years later by the annual Southwest Colorado AIDS Walk, HIV education programs and victims still need more financial assistance – particularly now in the face of government cuts, she said.

According to Charisse Tuma-Meiers, health center manager of Planned Parenthood in Durango, state funding for her center was cut in 1998, when Gov. Owens took office. Funding for other Planned Parenthoods in the state was cut Jan. 1 this year when the State Department of Health pulled its funding. The result, Tuma-Meiers said, has been a reduction of $300,000 a year for programs and health care services statewide.

Among the casualties is the center’s 10-year-old free AIDS testing program

“We no longer have money for free testing,” she said.

The cuts also have meant less funding for AIDS prevention and education programs, Tuma-Meiers said.

As a result, proceeds from the annual Four Corners AIDS benefit will be split between Planned Parenthood and Western Colorado AIDS Project, which helps AIDS victims. Last year, the event raised $3,000 for WestCAP, Sauer said.

“We just wanted to do more for people in Southwest Colorado, so we included Planned Parenthood this year,” said Sauer.

Tuma-Meiers said the money raised will help fund teen services and education, as well as presentations for schools, youth groups and community groups.

“The big focus is on prevention for teens and at-risk teens,” she said.