Volunteers are being sought for the World AIDS Day appeal, the success of which the New Zealand AIDS Foundation says is completely dependent on community support. The annual street appeal is taking place on Friday 30 November and people are needed to shake collection buckets in Auckland, Hamilton, Gisborne, Wellington and Christchurch. “Last year we raised just over $32,000 towards essential services for people living with or affected by HIV,” says NZAF Executive Director Shaun Robinson. “The reality is we simply couldn’t have done that without the help of volunteers.” He says even just one collector makes all the difference. “One more bucket on the street could mean another several hundred dollars – that makes a big difference to the work that the NZAF and HIV peer support organisations are able to do.” While getting time off work to volunteer might deter some people from signing up, the NZAF points out many companies these days have a commitment to supporting charitable community events and may offer special paid leave for staff who want to volunteer for charity. “Collecting for charity can be a lot of fun, with the added bonus of giving something back to your community,” Robinson says. “Why not get a group together and join us on the streets?” This year’s World AIDS Day appeal is a collaboration between the NZAF, Body Positive, Positive Women and INA, in a joint campaign to raise money and awareness for the on-going issues surrounding HIV in New Zealand. This year sees the continuation of the global World AIDS Day campaign Getting to Zero. Spearheaded by UNAIDS, the movement focuses on three aspirational messages; zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS related deaths and zero discrimination. To sign up as a World AIDS Day volunteer collector on Friday 30 November, call the numbers below; Auckland, Hamilton and Gisborne – call Steve Martin at the NZAF on 09 303 3124 Wellington – call Don Barclay at the NZAF on 04 381 6640 Christchurch – call Akira Le Fevre at the NZAF on 03 379 1953
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 1st November 2012 - 2:10pm