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603-926-4557 Vol. 35, No 18 I MAY 15, 2009 I Anfidtmc NEWS I PAGE 13A
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Candlelight memorial reminds world, 'Never give up, never forget'
BY MARK CHAG JR.
ATLANTK NEWS STAf F WRIT11
SEACOAST 1 In the
wake of two of their most
promising fundraisers, and
in the shadow of possibly
losing crucial state funding,
AIDS Response Seacoast
(ARS) will soon join
members of the community
for a tranquil moment of
remembrance during the
International AIDS Candlelight
Memorial.
A program of the Global
Health Council, the International
AIDS Candlelight
Memorial is one of the oldest
and largest grassroots
mobilization campaigns for
HIV/AIDS awareness in
the world. Started in 1983,
the Candlelight Memorial
takes place every third Sunday
in May and is led by
a coalition of some 1,200
community organizations
in 115 countries hosting
local memorials that honor
the lost and raise social
consciousness about the
disease.
The theme for 2009 is
"Together, We Are the Solution."
Locally, ARS will host
a service on Sunday, May
17 at the North Church Parish
House Chapel located
on Spinney Road in Portsmouth.
The service begins
at 7 p.m. and will feature
music by The Bow Tie Guys
and Gina Connolly. The Rev.
Robert Stiefel, Ph.D. will be
the featured speaker, and
all are welcome to attend.
The -memorial service
comes only two weeks after
two of the most promising
fundraisers the organization
held — in a time when
funds are tighter than ever
due to a weak economy and
looming questions about
support from the state.
"We will absolutely
have Dining Out for Life
again next year," says ARS
Director Richard Wagner.
Dining Out for Life, which
was held on Thursday,
April 30, is an inte.i.lnational
event that was extended to
the Seacoast of New Hampshire
for the first time this
year. It included a dozen
participating restaurants
that donated a percentage
of their day's earnings to
ARS.
"There were a lot of
great people involved
and the restaurants were
exceptional. Already every
restaurant that took part
has signed aboard for next
year," Wagner says.
Brazo, the Green Monkey,
Blue Mermaid, Bob's
Broiled Chicken, Colby's
Breakfast & Lunch, Harbor's
Edge at Sheraton Harborside,
Radici, Taipei and
Tokyo, Anneke Jans, Tasty
Thai, Dairy Delight, and
the Cape Neddick Inn all
participated in the region's
inaugural Dining Out for
tot
Phenom Labs is a premier provider
of quality sports nutrition producM
Life program, and ARS is
already welcoming restaurant
owners who would
like to take part in next
year's event.
"In a perfect world,
everyone in the community
would join in," says Wagner.
Following the Dining
Out for Life event, more
than 100 residents turned
out on Sunday, May 3 for
the 13th annual Seacoast
AIDS Walk, a scenic stroll
through downtown Ports-
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mouth to raise awareness
— and much needed funds
— for ARS.
In July, lawmakers
will vote on a bill (SB-67)
which could essentially
strip the state's five nonprofit
HIV/AIDS support
groups of essential funding,.Which,
combined with
lagging donations from a
weak economy, could be
the death rattle for one or
more of the organizations.
Initially, SB-67 called for
continued allocation of $1
million for the five organizations
for the upcoming
fiscal year which begins in
July. However, the recent
amendment to the bill axed
the dollar amount in lieu
of term "available AIDS
appropriations," of which,
essentially, there are none.
Even if the bill is passed,
if there are no "available
funds" in the Department
of Health and Human
Services to distribute, the
five organizations will be
instead scrambling for
other funding in order to
stay afloat.
The next planned fundraiser
on the ARS calendar
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is not until autumn, when
the annual Twilight Auction
will take place. Organizers
are currently shopping
around to determine where
the event will be held, and
are hoping that a company
with the appropriate space
may consider donating a
room for the function.
In the meantime, they
will host the annual candlelight
vigil. Not an evening
for fundraising, but
for remembering those
lost, and reminding people
to "never give up," and
"never forget," at the North
Church Parish House Chapel,
Sunday, May 17.
Founded in 1987, AIDS
Response Seacoast is a nonprofit
community-based
AIDS Service Organization
dedicated to providing education,
direct assistance and
advocacy for persons and
communities affected by
HIV/AIDS. ARS is based in
Portsmouth and serves the
communities of Rockingham
and Strafford counties
in New Hampshire as well
as southern York county in
Maine. All services are provided
free of charge.
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