Sixth Annual AIDS Compassion and Awareness Week at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Bishop Healy Multicultural Society has planned a week of events dedicated to educating the community on the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to building compassion for victims and their loved ones. This is the sixth consecutive year of AIDS Compassion and Awareness Week, the largest and most important event the Society sponsors. The events, free and open to the public unless otherwise noted, run from Nov. 26 – 30.

From Nov. 19 – 20 and Nov. 26 – 30 in the Hogan Lobby the Bishop Healy Multicultural Society will be selling tickets to the banquet, t-shirts, and jewelry and crafts made by children in Malawi and sent to the College by The Pendulum Project.

Nov. 26 A commemorative photo mosaic (12 feet wide and 12 feet long) will be on display in Kimball Dining Hall throughout the week. Ken Wong, director of the Face-to-Face AIDS Project, will give a presentation on the photo mosaic at 7 p.m. in Hogan 401.

Nov. 27 7:30 p.m., Rehm Library Panel Discussion The discussion titled "Living with HIV/AIDS: Personal Stories and Medical Realities on the Home-front" will include AIDS Project Worcester members. Mary M. Doyle Roche, professor of religious studies and Edward Bennett Williams Fellow, will be the moderator.

Nov. 28 8 – 10 p.m., Field House 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament Fundraiser $5 per person, prizes included! All proceeds will be donated to AIDS Project Worcester, Inc. and the Pendulum Project. Teams can sign up at the lobby table in Hogan.

Nov. 29 5 p.m., McCooey Chapel AIDS Awareness Vigil In keeping with tradition, there will be a prayer vigil in the McCooey Chapel to call to mind all those affected by the disease. The service will include special readings and music designed to support the respect for those dealing with HIV/AIDS.

Nov. 30 Hogan Campus Center Ballroom Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Seating begins at 5:30 p.m., dinner served at 6 p.m. AIDS Compassion & Awareness Week Charity Banquet Admission: $15 for Holy Cross students, $130 per table of ten, $20 for the general public The banquet will serve as an educational event and fundraiser open to the Holy Cross and Worcester communities. All proceeds will be donated to AIDS Project Worcester and the Pendulum Project. The attire for the banquet is semi-formal. Dinner will be provided by Hogan Dining Services. The evening will include student performances, a slide show, speakers from AIDS Project Worcester and The Pendulum Project, and a raffle.

John Alberts, former director of operations at the Pendulum Project, activist, filmmaker and winner of the Best Short Audience Award at the 29th Annual New England Film and Video Festival in 2004, will give the keynote address titled “Humanity in Waiting.”

Preceding dinner, a poster session will be presented by students enrolled in assistant biology Professor Ann Sheehy’s HIV/AIDS course.