Billboards
and bus ads displaying
Collin and Kevin's winning artwork are now up around Dane County.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the "What
if it Were You? HIV/AIDS awareness campaign!
"What if it Were You?"
is made possible due
to the immense generosity
and support of the Greater
Milwaukee Foundation's
Johnson and Pabst
LGBT Humanity Fund
and the Wisconsin
AIDS Fund.
Welcome
and thank you
for visiting
our site! "What
if it Were You?"
is an
HIV/AIDS poster contest dedicated
to promoting
everyday
awareness, compassion,
education and
support for
HIV/AIDS in
Madison, Wisconsin.
We strive diligently
to reduce the
social stigmas
of HIV/AIDS,
while addressing
some core issues
in the fight
against AIDS. Some of the issues we address are,
racism,
homophobia, poverty,
mental health
and
addiction.
We hope that
you will take
the time to
visit our
resources
page and learn
about the various
AIDS organizations
throughout Wisconsin and in the city of Madison.
By visiting
their sites,
you can get
an
HIV test,
find
clean needle
exchanges,
get facts about
HIV/AIDS and
STD's,
volunteer in
the
fight against
AIDS,
donate and
so much more.
We've even included
a few fun
National organizations
where you can
purchase cool
products that
generate money
in the fight
against HIV/AIDS
throughout the United
States and Internationally.
Thank you for
your time, support
and compassion!
"What if it Were You?" is supported solely by
volunteers. Your generous donations will help us to continue this heartfelt
mission of keeping everyday awareness about HIV/AIDS in our communities.
It is not necessary
to have a PayPal
account to donate.
Type the word
donation in
the 'payment
for' field
Teresa Reed from HIVictorious®
at our first billboard to go up in Madison,
Wisconsin
Please watch for this and other billboards, as well as our bus ads in Madison
February
26, 2008
"What if
it Were You?"
As seen in POZ Magazine
Power Surge
by Bob Ickes
Collin
Burke, a high school senior from Madison, Wisconsin, says he
took art class “by accident.” The teacher soon had Burke and his
classmates entering the “What If It Were You?” AIDS-poster
contest. “We had to demonstrate ‘What would you
do if you found you had AIDS,’ ” says Burke, 18. “My poster
expresses that I would try to make the world understand the
facts. You know, like a lightbulb going on.” He took first place
out of 100 competitors; the poster (left) will decorate buses,
hair salons and diners throughout Madison. Says activist Bob
Bowers, who sponsors the program through
HIVictorious.org, “We picked Collin’s poster and thought we
knew everything about him—until he was interviewed by the media
and we found out that his uncle died of AIDS before he was
born.” Says Burke: “I wish I had known him.”
On January 9, 2008 contest winners,
Collin Burke and Kevin Julka, presented
United States Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin with a framed copy of their winning
entry from
"What if it Were You?" Thank you to Ms. Baldwin, Steve, Teri, Sandi
and the amazing parents for your support!
Dear
Friends,
Bob Bowers' work in Madison high schools to raise awareness about
HIV has been very important to our community. Bob puts a human face
on the issue and he inspires all of us to think about how this
challenge can be overcome, not how it might overcome us. And I have
no doubt that by raising awareness he has saved lives. I'm so
impressed with this work that I proudly hang the winners of his
annual What if it were you? poster contest in my office to remind me
of this issue every day.
Thank you
Mayor Dave for supporting
the
fight against
HIV/AIDS in Madison!
Mayor Dave invited the 2nd round
winners and their families to his
office on December 17, 2007.
Collin and Kevin presented their
framed winning posters to the Mayor.
"On
9-11 four jets crashed with
no survivors. Our nation
declared a full out war.
In 2006 alone, roughly 3
million people lost their
lives to AIDS. That is the
equivalent of 20 fully loaded
jumbo jets crashing daily
for a year, with no
survivors
and no war! In our 27th
year with over 25 MILLION
deaths, I ask why we globally
have not declared a full
out war on AIDS? Obviously
saving human lives is not
top priority for our great
Nation and others. It is
unthinkable to refer to
such utter carnage and disregard
as a cause!"
~Bob
Bowers
“What
If It Were You” asks a simple and direct question. This worthy
campaign, spearheaded by the compassionate advocates at HIVictorious
and generously supported by many local businesses, asks an honest
question to every individual. What would you do if you found out you
were living with HIV? What will you do when confronted with the risk
of contracting HIV through unprotected sex or drug
use? HIV/AIDS
affects everyone. Reminding all of Wisconsin that they may be at
risk for this horrible virus, especially youth, tackles the
ignorance and apathy that is much too pervasive within Wisconsin and
its younger residents. The poster campaign involves young people,
inspiring them to foster awareness and fight the indifference and
stigma that cripples our fight against AIDS. “What if it Were You?”
takes the battle to our schools, where prevention education and the
struggle against ignorance should be more prevalent. AIDS Network is
excited about this thoughtful and important
awareness campaign. As
more and more people throughout Wisconsin test positive for HIV
every year, “What If It Were You?” asks the candid and critical
question.
~Dan Guinn
Interim Executive Director
AIDS Network
HIVictorious® is is a registered
trademark of HIVictorious, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible
nonprofit charity. All
donations
and contributions are tax-deductible
to the amount allowed by law.
Your generosity will help further our
tireless efforts in
HIV/AIDS prevention,
education,
advocacy
and
awareness for
youth and young adults in Wisconsin and throughout the United States.
We are pleased to announce that
Kevin Julka's and Collin Burke's autographed winning posters for "What if it
Were You?" were sold in the silent auction at AIDS Network's 2008 Red Ribbon
Affair. We are proud to support
AIDS
Network and their efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS in South
Central Wisconsin
"What if it Were You?" is
made possible through the
generosity of the Greater
Milwaukee Foundation's
Wisconsin
AIDS Fund and
Johnson and Pabst LGBT Humanity
Fund:
Please take the time to
visit our generous sponsors!
All artwork, photos and content are sole property of
"What if it Were You?" and
HIVictorious, Inc. If you would like to use any of the materials, please contact our webmaster
by:
CLICKING HERE
