Organisers of the World AIDS Day street appeal on 29 November need volunteers to hit the streets with collection buckets in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The New Zealand AIDS Foundation, Body Positive, Positive Women and INA are once again working together to raise money and HIV awareness. The theme remains UNAIDS’ Getting to Zero, which is all about aiming for zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero discrimination. NZAF Executive Director Shaun Robinson says the success of World AIDS Day in raising awareness and money is completely dependent on support from people in the community. “Last year we raised just over $38,000 towards essential services for people living with or affected by HIV. The reality is we simply couldn’t have done that without the help of volunteers.” Robinson 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.” He urges people worried about getting time off work to check whether their company has a commitment to supporting charities, as many now offer special paid leave for staff who want to volunteer. “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?” To sign up as a World AIDS Day volunteer collector on Friday 29 November, call the numbers below: Auckland – 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: Monday, 18th November 2013 - 9:17am