Mason AIDS Quilt

World AIDS Day spotlights part of memorial quilt at WaPo

Commemoration and inspiration at GMU on World AIDS Day at WaPo

Virginia’s George Mason University Displays AIDS Memorial Quilt at POZ

AIDS Quilt Coming to Mason to Commemorate World AIDS Day at Virginia Living.

54-Ton Symbol of Hope at Fairfax Connection

Virginia; District of Columbia: World AIDS Day Spotlights Part of Memorial Quilt at The Body

AIDS Quilt Coming to Mason to Commemorate World AIDS Day at News Channel 8

Check back at this site throughout the day to see live video of today’s events.

The AIDS Quilt Initiative goes beyond just displaying the quilt here at Mason. To understand more about the goals of our group, here are some details.

AWARENESS Increasing awareness of HIV/AIDS at personal, societal and global levels

1. To increase awareness about the nature and scope of HIV/AIDS on campus, locally, nationally, and internationally, particularly because Washington, DC has one of the highest rates of HIV in the nation.
2. To promote greater understanding of needs, concerns, and issues associated with HIV/AIDS.
3. To increase understanding about the important role of prevention with HIV/AIDS.

ENGAGEMENT Promoting collaborative relationships within and beyond the campus community

1. To engage numerous groups, organizations, units with a sense of shared purpose with preparing, conducting and following up.
2. To encourage participation with the surrounding community, including business, government, education and other organizations and individuals.
3. To blend programmatic, academic and research initiatives.

REFLECTION Encouraging reflection about individual lives and societal responsibilities

1. To provide an opportunity for remembrance of lives lost to HIV/AIDS, both personally and more generally, including grieving and life celebration.
2. To encourage personal and group reflection about life choices.
3. To highlight the importance of prevention, treatment, research and support for people living with AIDS.
4. To foster organizational and societal review of current and past strategies and opportunities addressing HIV/AIDS.

COMMITMENT Demonstrating leadership and action at individual, group, institutional, and societal levels

1. To demonstrate the university’s commitment for addressing this societal issue.
2. To identify opportunities for involvement and action among individuals and groups.

Check out the newly updated schedule!

Meet our celebrity activist Hydeia Broadbent. The following introduction is from her website.

At birth, Hydeia Broadbent was abandoned at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas where Patricia and Loren Broadbent adopted her as an infant. Although her HIV condition was congenital, she was not diagnosed as HIV-positive with advancement to AIDS until age three. The prognosis was that she would not live past the age of five and as a result became the “test baby” for HIV/AIDS medications, which are currently on the market today. Needless to say, this “test baby” has defied the odds by more than16 years, which is valid proof that HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence.

Hydeia’s debut as an HIV/AIDS activist and public speaker began at the age of six during one of her many visits to the hospital. By age 12 she was appearing on national programs including Oprah, 20/20, Good Morning America and “A conversation with Magic Johnson”. Over the next 10 years Hydeia became a notable featured speaker and guest panelist at some of America’s most respected educational institutions: Duke University, Clark Atlanta University, UCLA, USC, and Howard University. Since1996, she has been featured in some of today’s most prominent publications and television programs that include but are not limited to: Essence Magazine, Ebony Magazine New York Times, POZ Magazine, Seventeen, Heart & Soul, Nickelodeon, MTV, and BET. To her credit, she has also been honored with an American Red Cross Spirit Award and a 1999 Essence Award. In 2006 Hydeia was the keynote speaker at the International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada, Essence Music Festival and Bishop TD Jakes Aids Rally. Ebony Magazine named Hydeia as one of the Most Influential African Americans in a list of a 150 in 2008. Hydeia has also been a part of some of America’s top talk radio programs include but not limited to Russ Parr Morning Show, Tom Joyner Morning Show also was part of One of the first Satellite Radio programs dealing with HIV/AIDS Today, Hydeia is a 25 year old consummate professional, international public speaker, and HIV/AIDS activist with distinguished communication and presentation skills. She has an innate ability to bond with any audience. When addressing the public about the issues of HIV/AIDS, her primary goal is to provide a clear understanding of how to avoid at-risk behaviors through self-examination and informed decision-making. She succinctly stated “…with all that we know about the virus, it is clear to me that no one has to contract HIV/AIDS today with the right education . We must help ourselves and the youth make wise choices.”

If you’re interested in signing up to volunteer for the event, or your student organization would like to sign up together, please contact Krista Muise, kmuise@gmu.edu. Student Government is responsible for signing up over 300 volunteers, and we need you! Please give of your time to help make this event a success!

We need student volunteers for the AIDS Quilt coming to campus on December 1, 2009. Washington, D.C. has one of the highest rates of HIV in the nation, and this reaches into our local communities and Mason Campus. We are bringing the Names Project AIDS Quilt to campus in order to increase awareness about the nature and scope of HIV/AIDS as well as the important role of prevention.

When signing up volunteers, here’s the important information to share:

Dates and Times they can sign up for: Monday, November 30 from 1-7pm and Tuesday, December 1^st from 9am-7pm (they don’t need to sign up for jobs, just times and we’ll assign them; they can sign up for more than one shift)

Quilt Unpackers: Monday, November 30 from 1-5pm

Quilt Display Set-Up: Monday, November 30 from 3-7pm

Quilt Monitors: Tuesday, December 1 from 10am-12pm

Quilt Monitors: Tuesday, December 1 from 12-2pm

Quilt Monitors: Tuesday, December 1 from 2-4pm

Opening Ceremony Support Team: Tuesday, December 1 from 9-11am

Quilt Support Team: Tuesday, December 1 from 1am-12pm

Quilt Support Team: Tuesday, December 1 from 12-2pm

Quilt Support Team: Tuesday, December 1 from 2-4pm

Quilt Display Clean Up: Tuesday, December 1 from 4-7pm

Quilt Packers: Tuesday December 1 from 4-7pm

There will be a Mandatory Orientation on Monday, November 23^rd at 7pm (if they can’t go, have them star their name). They will be contacted by a coordinator as a reminder about their times and the orientation.

We have until November 16^th to sign up 300+ people! We can do it thanks to your help!

For more information, check out the Office of Alcohol, Drug, and Health Education and the University Life page.

Note: NOVAM, Juniper, KI Services, & the Arlington Health Department will be providing free and confidential HIV testing from 10am until 5pm in several rooms throughout Student Union Building II (SUB II).

Keep an eye out we’re setting up online identities for the Mason AIDS Quilt Project all over the web. You’ll be able to see some links soon.