A.N.G.E.L.S. promotes AIDS awareness and acceptance

On Wednesday, Sept.14, the campus A.N.G.E.L.S. organization conducted their first meeting of the year in a unique way by hosting a spaghetti dinner.

“We were looking for a way to draw people,” Co-President Paul Grigsby said. “What better way to attract people than food in a nice, comfy setting that makes you feel like you’re at home.”

A.N.G.E.L.S., which stands for AIDS Now Grasps Every Living Soul, was first started when Dr. Robin Harris’ son died of AIDS related complications. The organization is a non-profit agency with the goal of providing nutritional support for people in the Middle Georgia area who are living with AIDS and are unable to meet their own nutritional needs.

“We had friends and family wanting to do something,” Harris said. “We wanted to do something that would make a difference, and so we started an organization called A.N.G.E.L.S.”

The campus A.N.G.E.L.S. organization was started in 2000 with the purpose of educating the university community and the community-at-large on issues related to HIV and AIDS and sexual health education. The group does this by hosting forums, creating programs and organizing events for AIDS Awareness Week and World AIDS Day.

“We want to have a more holistic approach to AIDS awareness on campus,” Harris said. “(We are) trying to get more courses that deal with (HIV and AIDS) in our curriculum. Our goal is that in Spring 2007, we have five courses offered that deal with HIV and AIDS.”

Ghost-Out and a silent auction were of two of the major events put on by A.N.G.E.L.S. last year. Ghost-Out, which was Grigsby’s idea, involved designating a percentage of the student body as symbolically infected with AIDS. These students wore t-shirts to represent the percentage of people in sub-Saharan Africa that have AIDS.

The silent auction, planned largely by A.N.G.E.L.S. President Ashley Dieterich, was an event where people came by and placed bids on particular items donated by stores and restaurants around the area.

Some of their plans for the upcoming year include bringing in a slam poet whose concentration is AIDS awareness. A.N.G.E.L.S. will continue doing the silent auction and Ghost-Out during AIDS Awareness Week as well.

In addition, Grigsby plans to film a documentary that expresses the level of general awareness that the GC&SU student body has of HIV and AIDS prevention.

“I want to do this in order to show that AIDS awareness programming is necessary on this campus,” Grigsby said.

Other events for the year will be decided among A.N.G.E.L.S. members at meetings throughout the year, which are open to everyone.

“There’s always respect in the group,” said Dieterich, “If we don’t (respect each other), we can’t unify.”

A.N.G.E.L.S. have formal meetings every first and third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at Dr. Harris’ house. For more information E-mail Paul Grigsby at paul_grigsby@bobcat.gcsu.edu.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 23 2005. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry