John Merz speaks about the latest news from the CT AIDS Resource Coalition and their Art Grab fundraiser.

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(Hartford) AIDS Awareness Day

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Hundreds of people with HIV/AIDS will be converging on the state capitol for a rally and to meet with their legislators on Wednesday, May 11th at 10 AM for the 11th Annual AIDS Awareness Day sponsored by the CT AIDS Resource Coalition (CARC). A number of public officials are expected to attend the rally including Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, Comptroller Kevin Lembo and Deputy Secretary of OPM, Mark Ojakian. Speakers will include Shawn M. Lang and Leif Mitchell, co-chairs of the AIDS LIFE Campaign, Connecticut’s statewide AIDS policy group, as well as people living with HIV/AIDS, and poet-activist-educator Fredrick Douglass Knowles who will inspire the crowd with his very personal experience with HIV and his energetic style with the spoken word. Participants will be wearing provocative red T-shirts asking “HIV+? Get tested!” in order to raise awareness about the epidemic in our state and to spark discussion on the importance of getting tested for HIV in order to know your own HIV status. “If you haven’t been tested for HIV, then you don’t know your status and you could unknowingly be infecting others with HIV,” said John P. Merz, Executive Director of CARC. Nationally, someone is infected with HIV every 9 ½ minutes, and it is estimated that 25% of all those living with HIV don’t know it. The CT Department of Public Health 2006 HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report estimates that there are nearly 19,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the state; yet only 10,574 people with HIV/AIDS have been reported and are in the state’s HIV/AIDS registry. Advocates are rallying to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in our state and urging legislators to hold the line on AIDS funding. “Over the past decade, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS has doubled, yet funding has never kept pace.” said Shawn M Lang, Director of Public Policy for CARC. Lang went on to say, “We are painfully aware of the realities of the budget and believe we can live with the cuts to AIDS lines. We are here to thank the Governor and legislators who voted for the negotiated budget.”

Fore more info, please visit: http://www.ctaidscoalition.org/

AIDS Walk To Be Held On Saturday, October 16, 2010

(Hartford) AIDS Walk 2010 will take place on Saturday, October 16, 2010 (11:00 a.m.), at the MDC Reservoir in West Hartford. This year’s event is a joint fundraiser of AIDS Project Hartford and the Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition. Our theme for this year’s event is: “Nobody With HIV/AIDS Walks Alone” and we encourage walkers to bring friends, furry or otherwise. Walkers will enjoy massage, beverages, a silent auction, snacks (for people and pets) T-shirts and prizes. For more information or to register go to: http://aidswalk2010.dojiggy.com/

Contact:
Wendy Shea Graveley, Development Director
Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition
(860) 761-6699

AIDS Project Hartford has been providing direct care and education prevention services to those affected by HIV/AIDS for twenty-five years. The Connecticut AIDS Resources Coalition has been the main advocacy voice for people living with HIV/AIDS in Connecticut for twenty years. Both agencies are recognized 501(c)(3) organizations.

John Merz, Executive Director of CARC, discusses their mission, history and current program.  We also discuss the upcoming Art for AIDS fundraiser and how you can get involved.

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(Hartford) People with HIV/AIDS, AIDS advocates and activists around the state attended events on December 1, 2008, commemorating the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Hartford’s World AIDS Day event will take place on December 1st, 11 AM – 12, at the Connections Drop-in Center, located at the Institute for Community Research, 146 Wyllys St, Hartford. Read the full story

*Press Release from Ct Aids Resource Coalition

(Hartford) Governor M Jodi Rell released her executive order on the state’s budget late afternoon on July 30, 2009 which will allow certain services to continue for the month of July until a budget agreement can be achieved. Read the full story