LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
World AIDS Day 2001 - I Care...Do You? |
The fourteenth annual World AIDS Day will be observed in Rehoboth Beach on Saturday, December 1, 2001. In the past 20 years, more than 800,000 Americans have been diagnosed with AIDS. Around the world, AIDS has claimed the lives of more than 22 million people. The theme of this year's observance is "I Care...Do You?" World AIDS Day activities in Rehoboth start at 6 p.m. as the community gathers at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand. There will be a short program at the Bandstand, leading into a Candlelight Walk through the downtown area. The walk will conclude with a "Service of Remembrance and Hope," to be held at Epworth United Methodist Church located at 20 Baltimore Avenue. This service will include the "Reading of the Names" of persons who have died of HIV disease, the display of six panels of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, and special music and other presentations. Names may be submitted for the "Reading of the Names" by calling the Sussex County AIDS Committee (SCAC) office at 644-1090. This year's World AIDS Day theme remembers all infected and effected by HIV and AIDS with a special focus on young people. Half of the new HIV infections in the U.S. occur in people under the age of 25. Every hour, two young Americans are infected with HIV. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 123,000 young Americans have developed AIDS in their twenties, and most of those were infected with HIV as teenagers. While the number of AIDS cases among some populations has decreased, these declines have not been seen among our nation's youth. "What is most alarming when looking at these statistics," says SCAC executive director Steve Twilley, "is that nearly 90 percent of young people don't even think they are at risk and an estimated 250,000 young Americans are unaware that they are infected with HIV." As World AIDS Day is observed in Sussex County, people will join together to reaffirm their commitment and their many ways of caring in the battle to protect youth and others at-risk for HIV. For more information about World AIDS Day activities, call the SCAC office at 302-644-1090. I Care...Do You? This year's World AIDS Day theme of "I Care...Do You?" has inspired the producers of the Rehoboth Candlelight Walk and Service of Remembrance and Hope to create a collage as a part of the service. The collage will be constructed by participants in the service and is called the "I Care" Board. Participants in the service will add a name, photograph, or memento to the "I Care" board as they complete their part of the service. Each name or photo will represent someone who gave care or received care as it relates to HIV and AIDS. At the end of the service, anyone in the audience who wishes to add a name or photograph will be invited to do so. "We will actually be creating something during the service," says event chair, Murray Archibald. "It will involve people on a different level and provide a focus for the service. I hope everyone comes with a name in mind, or a photograph." For more information on World AIDS Day, call SCAC at 302-644-1090, or CAMP Rehoboth at 302-227-5620. World AIDS Day 2001 Listing of Local Events RINGING OF THE BELLS 2 p.m. (EST) Church bells across the nation will ring 21 times, remembering the 21 years of the epidemic. THE GATHERING 6 p.m. Gather at the Rehoboth Bandstand for a short program prior to the Candlelight Walk. CANDLELIGHT WALK 6:30 p.m. With candles bearing the names of those who have died, the walk goes up Rehoboth Avenue to Second Street then right onto Baltimore Avenue, ending at Epworth United Methodist Church. SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE & HOPE 7 p.m. Epworth United Methodist Church, 20 Baltimore Avenue. Includes THE READING OF THE NAMES RECEPTION Immediately following the service, a light supper will be provided by the Blue Moon Restaurant in the Fellowship Hall at Epworth. For more information, please contact SCAC at 302-644-1090, or CAMP Rehoboth at 302-227-5620. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 15, November 21, 2001. |