World AIDS day was celebrated in Fall River on November 30, 2009 with a ceremony at Gromada Plaza in front of Government Center. Dozens of people gathered at noon to mark the 21st anniversary of the worldwide event, the fifteenth time it was celebrated in Fall River. According to Fall River Health and Human Services Director Henry Vaillancourt, M.D., 235 people are living with AIDS in the city, two-thirds of whom are male. Vaillancourt noted that the largest group in Fall River is represented by intravenous drug users, which accounts for 38 percent of the total. Connie Rocha-Mimoso of Seven Hills Behavioral Health noted that more people die of AIDS than H1N1 even though that disease gets more attention. The event continued on December 1st with a candlelight vigil from Government Center to Sociedade Cultural Acoriana where local organizations were recognized for their service over the past year. Click here read the Herald News article about the event. Click here to see photos from last year's event. For more information, contact the STEP Outreach Center at 508-235-1012.
 

(Top row, left) Chuck Williams and Natasha Pereira of Seven Hills Behavioral Health ready balloons for the launch to symbolize people lost to AIDS. (Top row, center) Connie Rocha-Mimoso opens the ceremony as Hope House director David Ramos, Fall River City Councilor Cathy Ann Viveiros, and Mayor Correia listen. (Top row, right) Natasha Vra, Jessica Rodriquez and Isaiah Darby hold a World AIDS day banner at Gromada Plaza. (Middle row, left) Mayor Robert Correia talks about the importance of each person's voice in the fight against AIDS. (Middle row, right) City Health and Human Services Director Dr. Henry Vaillancourt gives some of the statistics describing the toll of HIV/AIDS nationally and in Fall River. (Bottom row, center and right) SSTAR Project Aware director Robert Hitt stands in front of the agency tables in the atrium of Government Center as Paris Barboza looks over literature from Seven Hills.