Photo of the second AIDS
awareness billboard from our
youth
HIV/AIDS poster contest, "What
if it Were You?"
Located at South Park Street in Madison, Wisconsin
HIVictorious
is extremely grateful for the privilege to have collaborated with the Springfield
Urban League to bring "What if it Were You?" to the communities of
Illinois. We are grateful for their support of our
youth
HIV/AIDS poster contest, "What if it Were You?.
Congratulations to
Rachel Pasko for her winning entry for our poster
contest! She did a terrific job of capturing the essence
of our mission, as well as creating a truly powerful
poster and message! There were many wonderful posters submitted
for the contest!
THANK YOU to everyone who participated, as well as to
Ann and the Urban League!
HIV/AIDS
awareness poster by Collin Burke
Memorial High School 2nd round winning poster
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
AIDS 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.”
Above photos from
the awards ceremony for our HIV/AIDS awareness poster contest at
Edgewood High School in Madison, Wisconsin. Thank you to the
Edgewood students and staff for doing an amazing job with your
posters and for your incredibly generous donation to HIVictorious!
It was such an honor and pleasure to have you participate!
"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
Round three of
"What if it Were You?" is made possible through the
generosity of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation's Johnson and Pabst LGBT Humanity Fund:
Please take the time to visit our generous sponsors!
