World AIDS Day - Thursday, December 1

AIDS Committee of Windsor Marks World AIDS Day
Thursday, December 1, 2011

Windsor, Ontario: The AIDS Committee of Windsor will mark World AIDS Day, Thursday, December 1, 2011 with a commemorative evening at the Art Gallery of Windsor in Downtown Windsor. Since 1987, this important day has honoured those whom we have lost to AIDS and has become one of the most recognized international events attributed to this pandemic.

“This year we’re expecting more than double the number of people attending our candlelight ceremony, my sense is this due in part to the fact that Windsor is starting to recognize that HIV remains an issue for our community, and people wish to make a difference,” says Michele Sharp, Executive Director. “Over the past year, the work at the ACW has increased dramatically with more people are accessing our services and in response, I’m proud to say much more effective programming,” says Sharp. “We are seeing an expanding landscape of people being diagnosed with HIV, including women, first nations and newcomers to Canada – all of which stretch our resources and we struggle to meet demands.”

Recent statistics indicate that Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent (the catchment area served by ACW), has as many as 700 people living with HIV or AIDS and as many as 30% of people with HIV go undiagnosed. From 2003 to 2008, there was a 31% increase in HIV diagnosis in Ontario.

While it’s true that dramatic improvements in treatment have people living longer, many other issues continue to impact those who live with HIV (and especially those who are unable to work). This includes systemic marginalization, isolation and stigma– all which compound the health and well being of these community members.

Issues specific to Windsor also impact the work at ACW. For example; a higher than average unemployment rate, high incidence of people who use intravenous drugs and a large multicultural community where stigma is much more of an issue than in other at risk populations.

AIDS Committee of Windsor (ACW) is a registered charity that provides support, education and outreach services for people at risk of, or living with HIV/AIDS. Our services span the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent counties through two offices located in downtown Windsor and downtown Chatham respectively.

Since 1985, the ACW has grown, expanded and evolved to address the constantly changing needs of our community. Our committed volunteers, board and staff work very hard to offer direct services to over 500 people annually as well as community education programs to more than 6,000 youth and adults in our region each year.