LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
World AIDS Day Events in the Rehoboth Area |
The twelfth annual World AIDS Day will be observed around the world and in Rehoboth Beach on Wednesday, December 1, 1999. A community-based planning committee has been working to develop this year's events for the Rehoboth Beach/Lewes area. "We are planning our traditional activities to commemorate this important day," explains Murray Archibald, President of SCAC's Board of Directors. "It is an important time for us to remember our friends who are no longer with us and to focus attention on the continuing struggle to deal with the effects of AIDS on our culture and our world. "
The Rehoboth Beach World AIDS Day activities start at 6:00 p.m., as the community gathers at Rehoboth's Bandstand for a short program leading to a candlelight walk through the downtown area. The walk concludes with a "Service of Remembrance and Hope" at 7:00 p.m. at Epworth Methodist Church (20 Baltimore Ave.). The service will include the "Reading of the Names" of persons who have died of HIV disease, and the display of a few sections of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Special music will be performed by Red Letter Day, Wes Davis, Glen Pruitt and the Memorial Handbell Choir of Epworth. Following the service there will be a light supper provided by the Blue Moon and by Subway in the Church Fellowship Hall. As in previous years, anyone wishing to have the name of a friend or family member included in the reading of the names of persons who have died from AIDS may call SCAC at 644-1090. Names listed in previous years do not need to be resubmitted. The list is cumulative. Also on December 1 is the Delaware HIV Consortium's "Cup of Caring." In the Rehoboth area, The Coffee Mill, Donut Connection, and Milford's Second Cup will donate money for every cup of coffee purchased on World AIDS Day. The 1999 World AIDS Day theme is "AIDS: End the Silence, Listen, Learn, Live!" The purpose of this theme is to promote communication with those who are affecteddirectly and indirectlyby HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Day aims to increase awareness of the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS epidemic globally and in the U.S. despite new hope in treatment. Ending the silence about HIV/AIDS will stimulate the development of new programs for young people to minimize their vulnerability to HIV and reduce the stigma and discrimination surrounding the epidemic. All communities are affected by the continuing spread of AIDS. According to the Delaware Division of Public Health, Delaware currently is tied for fifth in the nation for its per capita rate of AIDS cases. Furthermore, Delaware's rate of AIDS cases is 53% higher than the overall U.S. rate. Since 1988, World AIDS Day has been a time for bringing messages of compassion, hope, solidarity and understanding about AIDS to countries around the world. The effort was expanded in 1998 as the first World AIDS Campaign took place to emphasize that AIDS is not just a cause for concern one day of each year. The World AIDS Campaign now starts early each year and culminates on World AIDS Day on December 1st. For more information about the World AIDS Day activities in our area, or to learn about HIV/AIDS and its effects on the community, call Sussex County AIDS at 302-644-1090. World Aids Day 1999 Listing of Local Events Ringing of the Bells at 2 p.m. (EST) Church bells across the nation will ring 19 times, remembering the 19 years of the epidemic. The Gathering 6 p.m. Gather on Rehoboth Ave. at the bandstand for a short program prior to the Candlelight Walk. Candlelight walk 6:30 p.m. With candles lit, we will walk up Rehoboth Ave., turning onto Second St., then right onto Baltimore Ave., ending at Epworth Church, 20 Baltimore. Service of Remembrance & Hope 7 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church (20 Baltimore Ave.) will include The Reading of the Names. Reception after the service, in Fellowship Hall at Epworth UMC, provided by the Blue Moon Restaurant and Subway-Downtown Rehoboth. All are welcome. For more information, please contact SCAC at 302-644-1090 orCAMP Rehoboth at 302-227-5620. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 15, Nov. 24, 1999 |