COMMUNITY GROUPS

AIDS isn't going away

by Jan Cline

Is AIDS still a big deal? Well, it probably depends on whom you talk to. If you ask the average uninformed Jane or John, they may tell you that AIDS never was a big deal. If you speak with someone living with AIDS or HIV, you are sure to get a more urgent an-

swer.

If y

f you ask any staff person

at the AIDS Taskforce of Cleveland, you'll hear that AIDS and HIV infection are still a growing concern. Our education staff has recently been expanded to five people; two gay education coordinators, an African American education coordinator, a women's education coordinator, and an Hispanic services coordinator.

munity: "Just make AIDS go away!" ACT UP lasted just over two years in Cleveland; apathy and dislike made them “go away.” News flash, kids: apathy and dislike will make AIDS stronger and spread faster. Denying how we really feel and what it really means to you, me, and our community will not make it go away.

AIDS

TASKFORCE

If you ask some politicians if AIDS is still a big deal, you probably wouldn't get a direct answer (surprise!) and you would probably not get much support for additional funding for prevention, education, and services. I can tell you that any increases in funding haven't come easy, nor do they come close to balancing with the increases in need. There are people we will never educate, there are people we will never be able to care for, there are people we will never be able to help. Why? Because there is never enough time, enough money, or enough volunteers. This is the reality of AIDS in the U.S.

OF GREATER CLEVELAND

We are also expanding our use of volunteers, and expanding some case management services. We have a commitment to care for those infected and affected in greater Cleveland. Yes, AIDS is still a big deal!

More than 450,000 American citizens are living with, or have died from complications of AIDS. AIDS is the number six killer of all people in the U.S., and the number one killer in the 25-44 age group. Almost 2,000 of those people living with AIDS are in the Cleveland area. Cuyahoga County has one fourth of Ohio's AIDS cases. And beyond this, no expert is confident in estimating how many people are HIV infected. All they will say confidently is that the problem of HIV and AIDS is here, getting larger, and not likely to be over soon.

The feeling that it will never go away is not a new feeling for many of us. Since the early eighties we have been survivors in a war zone; casualty after casualty.

I've been distributing condoms and facilitating workshops in Cleveland for more than a year now, and I keep getting the same eerie vibes from many segments of our com-

Who are these people living with HIV and AIDS? They are my friends, they are your friends, they are your neighbors, they are people you work with, and sit next to on the bus; they are people you love, and people you make love to, and some are people you will never know.

We need your help. Your friends, neighbors, and loved ones need your help. Other AIDS service organizations need your help. If you are helping out, either working or volunteering, thanks. If you are not helping out, just ignoring AIDS until it goes away, pull your head out of the sand, get informed, protect and care for yourself, and get involved to help others in your community. Our survival depends on our taking pride in ourselves, and taking care of each other. Call today: 216-621-0766.

JULY 21, 1995 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

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Monday Saturday Lunch #180-2 pan Monday-Saturday Vimer 5.30–10 pan

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL LISA AT 391-0029

23875 COMMERCE PARK ROAD BEACHWOOD, OH 44122 216-831-5440

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1710 W. Market St. Akron, OH 44313 216/864-8877

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Alternatives Nite Club

138 W. Third St. Mansfield, Ohio 44903 (419) 522-0044

8pm Friday, July 28, 1995

Our 2nd Annual AIDS Benefit

Show off your Talent:

Dancing Singing

Male and Female Impersonating

Stripping. Comedy

What ever your talent is show it off and help raise money for the people in your surrounding area that need your help. All proceeds will remain here in Richland County and surrounding area

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