AIDS Walk
MATC helps raise awareness and funds
Meghan Carpenter
Issue date: 10/28/09 Section: News
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Madison Area Technical College's Pride Alliance, a group to raise awareness of LGBT issues, was at the forefront of MATC's involvement. "To MATC Pride, the AIDS walk was a step toward increasing community involvement through the school," said Charlene Hansen, President of MATC Pride Alliance, "We all knew about the AIDS walk, and we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to shed some positive light on MATC while contributing to an important cause." Overall, MATC raised $1100 through donations, providing someone's housing, food and medications for one month.
ARCW is currently the largest organization in Wisconsin providing various forms of health care, including medical and mental, for HIV and AIDS patients. According to the ARCW Web site, they have currently provided treatment for more than 1200 HIV and AIDS patients.
"AIDS and HIV victims are still put under such a negative social stigma because there are so many people who do not really understand the disease," said Hansen. Fortunately, with programs like ARCW and the AIDS Network, there are many options for people in Wisconsin who have been affected by the AIDS virus. Which is exactly the message that AIDS Walk Wisconsin is trying to promote.
MATC's Pride Alliance has already established a name within the Madison community fighting for these messages. "The AIDS Walk to me personally was so incredible because I really felt like I was helping someone. However someone contracts the AIDS virus is not what matters, it's the simple fact that they need help. Because of equality rights within our system, they are not given a lot of protection," Hansen said, who is a key player in the fight for equal rights for the LGBT community in Madison.
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DK
posted 11/06/09 @ 9:41 AM CST
I think it's great that MATC students raised so much money to help.
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