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PARTNERS | HEALTHY CITY | HOW HEALTHY | VISION | SUMMIT | PRIORITIES | FUNCTIONS | CITY OF FALL RIVER |
World AIDS Day was celebrated in Fall River on November 30, 2007,
with a candlelight vigil at Gromada Plaza in front of Government Center.
Dozens of people showed up on the cold night to recognize the toll that
the disease has taken
and to renew
efforts to prevent the spread of both HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C.
There
have been 357 people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Fall River, and there
are currently 226 persons living with AIDS in the City.
Eleven local organizations, including
Stanley Street Treatment and Resources,
Citizens for Citizens
Family Planning, the
STEP Outreach Center
and Steppingstone
Inc., assisted in planning the two-day event which included a
flag-raising and balloon launch at noon pm Wednesday, a red ribbon event
in Kennedy Park on Thursday, an AIDS educational conference and HIV
counseling and testing on Friday morning, and the candlelight vigil and
dinner Friday evening. Following remarks by
Project
Aware Director Robert Hitt, participants marched down South Main
Street to
the headquarters for the
Sociedade Cultural Acoriana, where a celebration included and awards
ceremony and a free buffet.
Click here
to read the Herald News article about the event. For more information,
contact the STEP Outreach Center at 508-235-1012 or
Robert Hitt at 508-324-7766, Ext.
3253. |
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(Top row, left) Steppingstone outreach worker Tiffany Cordeiro gets help lighting her candle from AIDS activist Tobey Shea. (Top row, center) The flagpoles at Gromada Plaza display the world AIDS ribbon. (Top row, right) Project Aware Director Robert Hitt asks for a moment of silence to remember 131 persons lost to AIDS-related causes since it’s first diagnosis in the early 80’s. (Middle row, left) CFC Family Planning peer leaders Sarah Jeffries, Anne Medeiros, Jessica Pereira and Leidyelly Gonsolves chat before the awards banquet. (Middle row, right) Kelly Turner, April Humphreys and Jennifer Shedd look over some of the printed materials on display. (Bottom row, left) Community Liaison for Mayor William Whitty Jason Silva and Connie Rocha-Mimoso, the assistant program coordinator for HIV/AIDS programs for Seven Hills Behavioral Health, presents Jezuino Mendes, TWIST educator with a recognition award. (Bottom row, center) Joao Santos, Vice-President of the Sociedade Cultural Acoriana was presented with a special recognition award for the Society's support. (Bottom row, right) TWIST staff member David Woods and Joseph Frias joke with fellow staff member Maria Mendes prior to helping serve the evening meal to over 200 participants. |
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