j-notes.com

World AIDS Day 2003

The battle is not over. We’re all in this together and each of us can make a difference.
How will you make a difference today?
When I lived in Chicago, I volunteered for Open Hand Chicago for a couple of years. Every Monday, I delivered hot meals to people living with HIV/AIDS. It is the most rewarding volunteer experience I ever had because I was making a difference and our efforts were appreciated. After a while, I got to know the clients even though I only saw them briefly and when I lost a client, it was painful. It is too easy just to attend the fancy benefits and write a check but it is a rewarding experience when you are out there making a difference.
I remember once visiting a friend in the hospital around Christmas and they had carolers singing in the hallways. That has been something that I have always wanted to do so if you know of any opportunities to do that here in the Oakland area, please let me know.
I carry on
When the valleys deep
I’ll be strong
With a mighty love
To carry on, carry on
I won’t sleep
Til the new day dawns
-Martha Wash
One of the unexpected surprises of my visit to Chicago was attending Celebration of Life 2003, a benefit to support people living with HIV/AIDS and Multiple Sclerosis in the African-American community. Their special guest was vocal diva Martha Wash. She sangs her hits “Everybody Dance Know”, “Give It To You”, “Carry On”, “Everybody, Everybody” and she closed with “It’s Raining Men.” The crowd loved her and everyone sang along with her word for word. A shout-out to Darrell and Craig for putting together this great event.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 1st, 2003 at 8:28 am. It is filed under Special Feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.