Thu 17 Nov 2011 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Many more volunteers are being sought to step up and help collect on World AIDS Day, and help share the "Getting to Zero" message. The New Zealand AIDS Foundation and the National Collective of People Living with HIV want to raise more than ever before for the Wellness Fund and the NZAF’s Health Services in the collection next Friday, 25 November. They will arm volunteers with giant bright red helium balloons as they follow UNAIDS' concept of Getting to Zero, which focuses on the three messages; zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS related deaths and zero discrimination. The street collection is the cornerstone of a variety of World AIDS Day events to be held around New Zealand and collections will take place in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Timaru and Invercargill. The volunteer collectors will exchange red ribbons, the international sign of solidarity with people living with HIV, for donations. The latest HIV figures from the AIDS Epidemiology Group at the University of Otago put last year as the worst year on record, with 95 new diagnoses of HIV among New Zealand’s gay and bisexual men. The previous peak for this group was 93 in 2008. Collection volunteers are warmly welcomed to sign up at www.nzaf.org.nz/volunteer or to call Akira Le Fevre in Christchurch on 03 379 1953, Don Barclay in Wellington on 04 381 6640 or Gavin Ring in Auckland on 09 300 6955. Volunteers will receive advice and support, lunch and refreshments, t-shirts and transport to and from collection areas. Proceeds from the World AIDS Day appeal will be shared 50/50 between the Wellness Fund and the NZAF’s Health Services. The National Collective has managed the Wellness Fund since June 2011.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 17th November 2011 - 10:07am