The Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life is Canada’s most important HIV/AIDS fundraising and awareness event. Cities and communities from across the country host Walks every year to raise funds for local services and programming and to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Don’t just stand there!
HIV/AIDS affects us all. There is no cure and no vaccine. With all the advancements that have been made to extend and improve the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS, we feel a sense of urgency amidst growing apathy. HIV/AIDS is still with us, still takes lives here in Nova Scotia, and still has a devastating impact on people who are living with the virus. Members of our community need our help, and we can’t sit this one out.

Join the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life
Join the fight against HIV/AIDS in our community and Walk. When you Walk and collect pledges for the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life, you are making a difference in the lives of those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS right here in Nova Scotia.

Proceeds from the Halifax 2010 Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life go to the AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia. To learn more about the Walk visit AIDS Walk for Life Halifax.

To register or for more information, contact Chantelle McDonald at (902) 425-4882, ext. 228 or email walk@acns.ns.ca.

By combining physical and mental challenges along with some tight competition, teams of five will face off to win. We are looking for the bravest, strongest and smartest organizations and groups to participate in an adrenaline-pumping, mind-boggling, nerve-wracking day!!

This event is an amazing opportunity for team building, organizational development and a fun way for friends to challenge one another. There is a registration fee of $50.00 per team. All teams will have the ‘challenge’ of raising $3,000 (which is only $600 per team member) to support the programs and services of the ACNS. It is a small price to pay for the experience of a lifetime!

Charitable tax receipts will be provided to all who donate. We are committed to assist team members, organizations and corporations in developing fundraising tips and to prepare for the day. We will have media following our teams on race day, and our first place team will get a full-page, color ad picture in the The Coast…and full bragging rights, of course!

The challenge starts today by registering at the Running Room. Please join us to make difference in the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS!

You will be bidding on items such as first-class trips, tickets to must-see events and unique artwork from all genres. This fantastic evening continues to be supported by the broader artist community and various business groups including MAC Cosmetics, McInnes Cooper, Empire Life, O’Regan’s, Life Quest Financial and Manulife, to name a few.

We sold out last year and we are anticipating 2010 to be our largest and most successful year. Purchase your tables or tickets early. Help us make a difference in the quality of life of others by supporting our programs and services.

Call Laura Toole: (902) 425-4882, ext. 228 or email fund@acns.ns.ca.

Where: Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
When: Thursday, May 27th to Sunday, May 30th, 2010

The Ceilidh agenda will include a day of workshops for people living with HIV/AIDS and two days of concurrent workshop streams highlighting emerging issues in HIV/AIDS community-based work. There will also be networking opportunities, great food, massages for PHAs, and time for all of us to have fun!

The Skills Building Ceilidh is for you if you are a person living with HIV/AIDS, a health care service provider, a community worker, a staff member or volunteer in the community-based AIDS movement.

Register Early – Space is Limited!
How to register: Complete a Registration/Scholarship Form and submit before March 26th, 2010!
A limited number of scholarships are available to qualified applicants. Apply early!

The Ceilidh is organized by the AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia in partnership with Healing Our Nations, AIDS Coalition of Cape Breton, the Northern AIDS Connection Society, and the Canadian Treatment Action Council.

To obtain a Registration/Scholarship Form or for more information, contact:
AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia
Attention: Tammy Barbour
Phone: (902) 425-4882, ext. 226
Fax: (902) 422-6200
Email: pc@acns.ns.ca

AIDS Awareness Week takes place in the last week of November. Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week starts on World AIDS Day and concludes on December 5th. The theme for World AIDS Day 2009 was Universal Access and Human Rights, to highlight and underscore the importance of understanding HIV and AIDS from a human rights perspective.

The first World AIDS Day was held in 1988 after the World’s health ministers met and agreed on the concept of the day as an opportunity for everyone to demonstrate the importance of AIDS and show solidarity for the cause. World AIDS Day is now internationally recognized as a day when individuals and organizations from around the world come together to bring attention to the global HIV and AIDS epidemic. World AIDS Day is an opportunity to take action on calling for universal treatment, care and support for people living with HIV and AIDS.

Make your voice heard on World AIDS Day 2009 to raise further awareness in your community and across the world about the state of the pandemic and the critical next steps that must be taken to halt its spread.

For more information on local AIDS Awareness Week events, please visit our FaceBook site.