Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life announces the launch of the first ever HIV Anonymous Campaign in anticipation of the annual AIDS Walk taking place this September
Media Release
Toronto, ON - July 14, 2015 - Members of the Canadian AIDS services community, which includes The Canadian AIDS Society, Positive Living Society of BC,
and the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT), today announced the launch of the first
ever HIV Anonymous campaign in anticipation of the annual 2015 Scotiabank AIDS
Walk for Life, a national fundraising and awareness movement that takes place in more than 30
communities across Canada each year. This year, the event will take place from Saturday,
September 12th to Sunday, September 20th.
The HIV Anonymous campaign captures the isolation, stigma, and manifold forms of
discrimination those living with HIV/AIDS face on a daily basis. This platform gives a voice to
Canadians who are living with HIV/AIDS, allowing them to share their stories while retaining
their confidentiality. Allies and supporters will also be encouraged to participate and talk
about their experiences. These stories will be available via a sharable audio library
on hivanonymous.ca and will be used to educate the public about the realities of living with HIV in 2015.
Participants are also being asked to show their support on social media by changing their profile
picture to the campaign icon, symbolizing anonymity.
"The intention of this year's HIV Anonymous campaign is to create an
educated and supportive society so those who are HIV positive don't have to fear coming
forward ," says David Stempowski, Vice-chair of the Board
of Directors of the Canadian AIDS Society. "It is by
raising public awareness, through events such as the AIDS Walk for Life, that
we can make a real difference for persons living with HIV/AIDS. That is what this
event - the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life - is meant to do."
"For us at ACT , the Walk is our most grassroots event - it takes place
within, is run by and serves the HIV community," says ACT Executive Director John Maxwell. "The
opportunity to bring together affected groups and their supporters in the same space amounts to what
we like to call a Group Hug. Politicians come to speak and to listen, entertainers arrive to share
their art, and community members come to see the proof that they're not alone, even if sometimes
they feel like it throughout the year." /p>
About the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life
The Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life is a project of the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS), in partnership with the Positive Living Society of British Columbia , the AIDS Committee of Toronto , and community-based AIDS organizations across Canada. During the national week-long event, cities and communities from across the country host Walks to raise funds for local services and programming and to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. As Canada's most important HIV/AIDS awareness and fundraising event, the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life has now raised over $42 million for community-based HIV/AIDS service organizations since 1996 and has attracted well over half a million participants. Scotiabank continues its multi-year commitment as title sponsor for the AIDS Walk, playing a key role in expanding its promotional and fundraising capacity.
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Available for Interviews:
John Maxwell, Executive Director ACT
David Steompowski, Vice Chair Board of Directors, CAS
Dena Ellery, Director of Development, Positive Living Society of British Columbia
For media inquiries please contact:
Pennant Media Group
Kevin Pennant kp@pennantmediagroup.com
Amira de Vera amira@pennantmediagroup.com
Toronto 416.596.2978
USA 855.596.2978
"Reproduced with permission - AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT)"
AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT)
The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) has been a respected leader in the HIV field for over thirty years and is currently the largest AIDS service organization in Canada. Visit actoronto.org for more information.
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