Shortly after moving to Pittsburgh in 1999, Jim Cassaro learned about the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, now Allies for Health + Wellbeing, and the work they were doing.
“I certainly believe in the mission and the goals of the organization,” Cassaro said. “It’s one that’s dear to my heart, having lived through the AIDS crisis.”
Cassaro began donating to PATF, attended events, and is now vice president of Allies’ board of directors and chair of the development committee.
For Cassaro, supporting organizations he believes in, like Allies, allows him to support future generations.
“One needs to ensure that organizations like Allies are going to be available for the next generation and the generation after that,” he said. “As much as people would like to think that HIV and AIDS have been solved, with new drugs that have come out and new ways of dealing with the virus, that doesn’t make it safe.”
To that end, Cassaro has become a champion of the Allies Legends Society, the legacy giving program Allies launched in summer 2025 with support from the National LGBTQ Legacy Giving Initiative (NLLGI).
“I’ve worked on planned giving campaigns for a lot of organizations, but this one is special,” Cassaro said. “Allies is just so close to my heart, and it’s such an uplifting feeling working beside people who feel exactly the same as you do, and that creates an incredibly powerful community. That’s what legacy is all about – it’s about building community.”
The Allies Legends Society is a community that is dedicated to the future of Allies for Health + Wellbeing, beyond an individual’s lifetime.
“I think about, what do we leave? How do we want to be remembered?” Cassaro said. “I would want to be remembered for supporting organizations with meaning and that have touched my own life. I can’t think of any better way than being part of a legacy giving program for an organization that you so believe in.”
Through his support of PATF and Allies and his work with the Allies Legends Society, Cassaro is building legacy.
“I’m all about legacy,” Cassaro said. “I like that idea, how we give back and what we leave on this earth. Once I’m dust, one of my proudest moments will have been to serve Allies and really work with the people at Allies to keep the organization alive and profitable.”
For more information about joining the Allies Legends Society, contact Alex Neal, senior director of development and marketing, at aneal@alliespgh.org(opens in a new tab) or 412-910-0077.
