MEDIA ADVISORY:
 November 25, 2009

MEDIA CONTACT: Molly Payne-Hardin
desk (850) 595-6410, cell (850) 791-1604

Candelight vigil, local memorial quilt
planned for Pensacola observance of 2009 World AIDS Day

(PENSACOLA, FL) – Pensacola and Escambia County residents are invited to honor those who have died from HIV/AIDS and help raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic by joining the Pensacola observance of World AIDS Day. This event is organized by the Pensacola World AIDS Day committee and will be held on:

Tuesday, December 1
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.*
*including a march up Garden St. to Solé Inn & Suites
beginning at Martin Luther King Plaza in downtown Pensacola
(located on Palafox Street between Gregory and Chase Streets)
**Free and open to the public**

In the event of inclement weather, the scheduled events will take place inside St. Joseph's Catholic Church, located on the corner of Government and Spring Streets.

The event begins at MLK Plaza with an invocation, welcome, quilt dedication, and lighting of candles. Individuals will then march down to Garden Street and up to the Solé Inn and Suites at 200 N. Palafox Street for two choir performances, the benediction, and refreshments.

The Pensacola memorial quilt is dedicated to residents of Escambia County who have died of AIDS-related complications. Each quilt panel is roughly the size of a human grave (3 feet by 6 feet).

“Escambia ranks between 10th and 15th out of Florida’s 67 counties in the number of HIV and AIDS cases,” said Health Department Director Dr. John Lanza. “These numbers are staggering. Thankfully, World AIDS Day is a meaningful way to support those living with this disease and to remember those that have died. ”

Since 1988, organizations around the world have celebrated December 1st as World AIDS Day. This event was designed to educate the public on the estimated 33 million people who are currently living with HIV or AIDS and the over 25 million people who have died of AIDS since 1981.

The World AIDS Day Committee is a diverse group of people who share a common desire to honor the memory of those who have died and to demonstrate our love and support for those living with HIV/AIDS by reminding the world that AIDS is not over.

For more information on this event, please contact Keelea LeJeune at (850) 202-0353 or Keelea.LeJeune@covenanthospice.org.

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