SUNY Potsdam

Potsdam AIDS Education Group to Hold Candlelight Memorial

04.14.11

Through their work with the Global Health Council, the SUNY Potsdam AIDS Education Group (PAEG) will take part in the 28th Annual Candlelight Memorial Service to acknowledge the impact of the epidemic on the world on Wednesday, April 27, at 6 p.m. in the Academic Quad by the Crumb Library.

This annual International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is one of the largest and oldest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world, and marks the culmination of a successful academic year of PAEG awareness activities that began with the World AIDS Day presentation on December 1, 2010, given by Drs. John Youngblood (English and Communications) and Patricia Whelehan (Anthropology).

For 28 years, the Candlelight Memorial has brought people together in every region of the world to honor those lost to AIDS and demonstrate the importance of civil society, a movement in step with the spread of the disease itself. Locally, participants will light candles and walk around the perimeter of the SUNY Potsdam campus. 

This year, volunteer candlelight coordinators in 115 countries are expected to host vigils for their communities.

The event is an opportunity to educate about AIDS, advocate for policy change, foster partnerships and community dialogue and improve skills for community mobilization. With 33 million people estimated to be infected worldwide, the memorial serves as an important uniting intervention among civil society and their governments, breaking down social barriers and giving hope to future generations.

SUNY-PAEG was created in 1988 by faculty, staff and students interested in promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and education and developing interventions to reduce the risk of infection. Since then, their activities have included networking and working with local, regional, national and international groups to achieve this goal.

The event is free, and the public is welcome to attend.

For more information, please contact Patricia Whelehan at (315) 267-2048 or whelehpe@potsdam.edu.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts.