To bring renewed awareness to HIV/AIDS and other health issues, Sarasota and Manatee County organizations are sponsoring the 2008 Manasota World AIDS Day Health/Wellness Expo and AIDS Walk. The events will take place on Saturday, Nov. 22 at the Sudakoff Center on the east side of the New College of Florida campus – vicinity of U.S. 41 (N. Tamami Trail), just north of University Parkway. The AIDS Walk begins at 9 a.m. Walkers should register between 8 and 8:45 a.m. that day.
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Following the AIDS Walk, people can receive a variety of free health screenings, HIV testing, and information about community services. The event, which continues through 3 p.m., will include discussions led by local experts to empower parents in talking with their teens about a range of challenging issues. Topics include teen sexuality, rape prevention, HIV prevention, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) prevention, teen sexuality, substance abuse, tobacco and kids, and depression/suicide.
There will be local entertainment, door prize drawings, the AIDS quilt display, and activities for families with young children. Students from New College of Florida, and area colleges and universities will offer free activities for youth. The creative work of the bi-county poster contest winners will also be on display. All World AIDS Day activities are free and open to the public, with the exception of the food venues.
The day’s events incorporate the theme, Respect and Protect: Together We Can Stop the Spread of HIV and end HIV Prejudice. “Everyone has a role to play in reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS in our community. Since HIV/AIDS is on the rise among young people, we are committed to empowering parents to help their teenage children make informed decisions about their health,” said John Acevedo, of Community AIDS Network who also serves as the HIV/AIDS Network of Sarasota (HANS) chair.
This event is sponsored by the HIV/AIDS Network of Sarasota (HANS) in conjunction with the World AIDS Day 2008 Planning Committee, a collaboration, chaired by nationally syndicated Health Beat of America radio host Rochelle Herman, that includes New College of Florida, Community AIDS Network, the Sarasota and Manatee County Health Departments, Manatee County Rural Health Services, Trinity Charities, and Southwest Florida Community AIDS Quilts.
For more information, visit www.manasotaworldaidsday.org or call 941-366-0461, extension 1042. For specific information about the AIDS Walk, call Hope Wulliman at 941-224-4999. For information about New College of Florida, call Aimee Chouinard at 941-487-4152 or visit www.ncf.edu.
More information about HIV/AIDS can be found here.
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Now that an estimated 40 million people are living with HIV worldwide, the AIDS epidemic has exceeded even the most dire predictions that experts made when it first surfaced 25 years ago. Other numbers are just as grim as the globe prepares to mark World AIDS Day this Friday, Dec. 1. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people, and the United Nations reports that somebody in the world is infected with HIV every 8 seconds.
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Bobwilliams
Non-traditional
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