Maui AIDS Foundation to host commemoration ceremony.The Maui AIDS Foundation will host a commemoration ceremony in honor of the 20th annual World AIDS Day on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Kalihi Golf Course located at 2500 Honoapi‘ilani Highway, Waikapu. Island residents are invited to gather on the lawn in front of the Nahele Ballroom at 5:30 p.m. for an intimate candlelight and rose ceremony accompanied by live music, light pupu and refreshments. The James Manness Memorial Dance, an annual event dedicated to the first Maui resident diagnosed with the AIDS virus, will follow the ceremony in the Nahele Ballroom from 7 to 1 a.m.
World AIDS Day originated in 1988 as a tribute to the courageous men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS. Governments, international organizations and charities observe Dec. 1 in remembrance of lives lost, and to support efforts to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and education around the globe. In the United States, World AIDS Day activities are coordinated by the American Association for World Health in conjunction with the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Pan American Health Organization and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
An enduring theme of World AIDS Day has been, “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise,” and this year, the theme has incorporated the concept of leadership, as an appeal to governments and policy makers to step up efforts to promote HIV/AIDS initiatives throughout the global community. Despite marked improvements in outreach, testing and antiviral treatments, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported in 2005 that the AIDS epidemic claimed more than three million lives, and an estimated 38 million people live with HIV around the globe.
Maui AIDS Foundation encourages residents to “keep the promise” by lighting a candle, dedicating a red rose and dancing the night away to commemorate World AIDS Day. There is no cost to attend the commemoration ceremony. Admission to the James Manness Memorial Dance is $5.
For additional information, contact Steve Hire at 242-4900.