World AIDS Day
My most inspirational job ever was being a librarian/treatment educator for a national HIV organization. I usually only hear about HIV in the news when the tragic stats in Africa are enumerated or when someone is being criminally charged with spreading HIV and is held up as a pariah. However, my experience with the HIV community was meeting the most open-minded, fun, and socially-aware individuals ever.
I started 2009 with the conviction to cycle to Montreal as part of a fundraiser for the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation, and with great effort, managed to complete that. I'm closing the year by hosting a series of dinner parties and encouraging people to in return donate to the PWA food bank. I'm beginning to form an idea of how to honour the community in 2010 - now with my depression under control, I can once again fight for the cause I most believe in.
4 comments:
It's a great cause.
Friends of mine have a holiday party every year and each guest is asked to bring non-perishable food which gets donated to a local charity that gives groceries to homebound AIDS patients. Very satisfying.
I'm so glad to hear about your passion for a great cause.
It's strange that when I wear a red ribbon at work, people ask me if I'm supporting heart disease research. I have to tell them that a red ribbon is meant to show support for AIDS awareness and research, and the red ribbon has been used to show support for AIDS patients and research for years before heart disease research started using the red ribbon.
I used to volunteer at a food bank for an AIDS charity--but they relocated and my job keeps me away now. Still, I like to drop off canned items anytime the food bank asks for them. If it helps just one person, then it's worth it.
I don't know why, but this post made me cry. I think it's the stuff about your depression no longer standing in the way. You're using your life to help others, there's no better gift you can give the world.
Susan: I like that!
Eros: You are the best. Mwah!
Rox: Sheesh! You're comment made me cry. Thanks - you made me feel very good there.
Post a Comment