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Western North Carolina AIDS Project

WNCAP World AIDS Day 2019

You're Invited to the World AIDS Day Community Luncheon

Mike Smith, Co-Founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, speaks at the 2018 World AIDS Day Community Luncheon.

World AIDS Day is on Sunday, December 1st, 2019. On that day, WNCAP will celebrate by hosting a free community luncheon, from 11am-2pm, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. WNCAP is co-presenting the event with Tranzmission, a local organization that provides education, advocacy, and support for trans women, trans men, nonbinary, genderqueer and gender fluid folks in Western NC.

Attendance is free but seating is extremely limited, so please RSVP to Michael Poandl at mpoandl@wncap.org or (828) 252-7489 ext. 313.

The theme of the 2019 World AIDS Day Community Luncheon is “HIV & The Trans Experience”. Our featured speaker will be Tori Cooper, an Atlanta-based transgender HIV activist who will discuss her personal story in the context of the broader intersection of HIV and the trans experience.

Ms. Cooper has received numerous awards for her work and is a published author most recently appearing in print and video for NBC News, HuffPost, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Advocate and other periodicals as well as on YouTube and other media platforms.

Ms. Cooper is also featured on the cover of the current issue of POZ Magazine as one of "The POZ 100" for 2019.

Her work is featured in two documentaries titled The Silent Epidemic and Hidden Epidemic about her work in the trans community to end HIV in the South. She is a staunch believer in health and financial equity and vigorously fights for trans people and people living with HIV.

Catherine Ball tearfully accepts the Mark Doucet Volunteer of the Year Award in 2018.

The World AIDS Day Community Luncheon is a free event that will feature a moment of remembrance for those lost to HIV/AIDS, several additional speakers, and the presentation of the Mark Doucet Volunteer of the Year Award. A complimentary buffet lunch will be served.

Transgender individuals are at much higher risk of contracting HIV than the general population. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), around 14% of trans women are living with HIV, and about half of those women are African American. Around half of transgender people living with HIV live in the South.

World AIDS Day was founded in 1988 becoming the first ever global health day. It is celebrated around the world to remember those lost to AIDS-related causes, spread awareness about HIV prevention and care, and inspire action to end the epidemic once and for all. Worldwide, 37.9 million people are living with HIV. In Western North Carolina, approximately 2,000 people are living with HIV.

Prevention Educator Michael Harney and former Special Events Coordinator Randy Rodriguez at the 2018 World AIDS Day Community Luncheon.

The World AIDS Day Community Luncheon is free to attend but seating is extremely limited, so please RSVP to Michael Poandl at mpoandl@wncap.org or (828) 252-7489 ext. 313.

Season of Giving

Join The Merry & Bright Holiday Toy Drive

Now is the season of giving, and WNCAP believes that ALL children have a happy holiday, especially those most in need.

That's why WNCAP is launching out annual Merry & Bright Holiday Gift Drive. Your donation will help ensure that every child in our community has a happy holiday. Will you help make the season of giving really sparkle?

People living with HIV in WNC often face related challenges like poverty, homelessness, and high health care costs. As a result, our clients’ children and grandchildren frequently cannot participate in the holiday season in the same way as their friends and classmates. There is simply no household money available for that new bicycle or Easy Bake Oven. That’s where you come in. It’s your chance to be a little boy or girl’s personal Santa Claus.

To give to Merry & Bright, click here or on the links above. For more information about the Merry & Bright, please contact Michael at mpoandl@wncap.org or call (828) 252-7489 ext. 313.

Now Hiring

WNCAP Hiring For Full-Time Housing Case Manager

WNCAP is now hiring for a full time Housing Specialist Case Manager (HSCM).

The HSCM provides housing information to people living with HIV to help them locate, obtain, and retain affordable housing.

Why is housing for people living with HIV important? Because "the more stable your living situation, the better you do in care.” Stable housing helps people living with HIV access medical care and other services, be consistent with their HIV treatment, and visit their health care providers regularly.

WNCAP is an equal opportunity employer and a certified living wage organization. Apply today!

In Memoriam

Transgender Day of Remembrance is Wednesday, Nov. 20

Our local nonbinary and transgender community’s observance of the 21st International Transgender Day of Remembrance will be held in downtown Asheville, at Pritchard Park at 6:00 pm this evening, Wednesday, November 20th.

Volunteer attendees will take turns reading aloud the names of those lost to transphobic violence over the last year. This locally held event will be among many observances around the world.

The 21st annual Transgender Day of Remembrance will honor and memorialize transgender and gender variant victims of transphobic violence in the previous 12 months. The event was first held in 1999 to memorialize the death of Massachusetts transgender woman Rita Hester, whose murder remains unsolved.

It has since grown into an international event to draw attention to the issue of anti-transgender violence and its disproportionate effect on transgender women of color.

Check out the Facebook event here.

Join WNCAP, Tranzmission, and other local organizations at 5pm at the doors of the Civic Center and then join us in a march to Pritchard Park for the candle light vigil.

Warm beverages will be provided, with a support gathering offered after the event (location disclosed at event).

Western North Carolina AIDS Project | 554 Fairview Rd. | Asheville, NC 28803

http://wncap.org

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