Photos by Lay la Fanner
Beverly Cook shares her struggle as a person living with HIV.
Health department seeks
churches' help to curb AIDS
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Church leaders and com
munity members came together
Monday to discuss the
HIV/AIDS epidemic ^during a
luncheon at the Piedmont Club
sponsored by the Forsyth
County Department of Public
Health. u
Patrice Toney, the .newly
appointed HIV/ STD supervi
sor for the department, led the
discussion. Part of her respon
sibilities is to push the depart
ment's anti-STD initiative,
"Prevent Ongoing Spread of
STDs Everywhere," or POSSE.
"We can plan all day, but if
we don't have the input and
support of the community, then
we're not going to be very
effective," Toney told the over
flow audience. "While these -
meetings are great, action is
really the ultimate response."
Nearly 20 ministers and
pastors were in attendance to
discu?s the theme of the event,
"The Role of the Church and
Community in Addressing HIV
/ AIDS."
"That really says something
about our community," Toney
remarked when the clergy were
recognized. "We really love
the whole community but the
pastors are something special."
Regional DIS (Disease
Intervention Specialist)
Supervisor Lavida Joseph
Brown schooled the audience
on statistics on the spread of
HIV/AIDS and other STDs in
the community.
"At this point, we cannot
continue to be blinded by our
beliefs - it's way beyond that,"
she told the group. "There is
most definitely a need for us to
come together as one and dis
cuss what's happening in our
community."
The Rev. Herb Miller, of
First Baptist Church in
Lexington, said HIV would
have never been an epidemic if
more people followed the word
of God.
"If everyone followed the
teachings that the church gives,
the spread of the AIDS would
be slow or not at all," he assert
ed, but he quickly added that
that was not a realistic goal.
"The truth that the religious
community has to deal with is
that most unmarried adults
within our ... community are
not adhering to the laws," he
said.
Patrice Toney
Despite the moral misgiv
ings some may have about the
manner in which some contract
HIV/AIDS, religious leaders
must reach out to those who
suffer from the disease, Miller
says.
"Our theological underpin
nings are keeping us from
helping those who need our
help, our care, our love, our
compassion," he declared.
"The faith community has a
responsibility to treat infected
persons with compassion with
out stigmatizing them. The
religious community must
begin to address the issue."
Union Baptist Church
Deacon Sammy Gray knows
firsthand the horrors fraught by
the disease. He has lost one
son to AIDS and has another
who is living with it.
"To see your own son die of
AIDS will change the whole
situation," said Gray, who was
instrumental in the formation
of Union's AIDS ministry.
He urged those present to
volunteer in AIDS ministries
and to reach out to those who
are infected.
"All they want is love and
understanding," he said. "You
can't catch it by hugging or
holding onto a person, talking
to them no kind of way (and)
it's a rewarding thing."
Beverly Cook, also a mem
ber of Union Baptist, was diag
nosed with HIV in 1996.
"I wanted to die at some
point because I was so
ashamed," revealed Cook, a
devout Christian and a Sunday
School teacher.
"God has gave me a new
body, a new spirit, a new heart
over time," she remarked.
Deacon Gray
"I'm going to live and not die
and declare the work of the
Lord.",,
For more information on
POSSE, call Toney at 336-703
3269 or email her at,
toney py@ forsyth .cc
Warren Dental
Center
" Thank You For 20 Years of Community Service "
William R. Warren DBS.
2606 New Walkertown Rd.
Winston Salem, N.C. 27101
Mon-Thurs. 9-4 pm
Frl 9-lpm
724-5055
. General Dentistry
? Preventive Care
. Crowns/bridges
? Dentures
? Teeth Whitening
? Cerec Crowns (in Only One Visit)
Major Credit Cards / Insurance Accepted
i I I ?
l ' i.
News
Clips
Congregational nursing
and health ministries
workshops offered
The Congregational
Nursing and Health
Ministries Council of Forsyth
County is offering a free
training opportunity on begin
ning a health ministry or
parish (congregational) nurs
ing program in a faith com
munity setting. The workshop
is for clergy, lay leaders and
health professionals from a
congregation. ? ? ?
The workshop will pro
vide a "getting started" out
line, information on success
ful models already in place,
how to start a health ministry
program, and information on
what a congregational nurse
and/or health ministry pro
gram can offer the congrega
tion and the community.
Those interested can
attend the free workshop on
either Thursday, May 29,
from 7 - 8:30 p.m. or on
Friday, May 30, from 11:30
a.m. - 1 p.m. (lunch includ
ed). The sessions will be held
at Salemtowne Moravian
Retirement Community.
Registration cis required.
Please respond to Joan
Vanhoy at 767-8130 or at
j vanhoy @ salemtowne .org .
Youth bike rodeo on May 17
0 C
The Winston-Salem Police
Department will hold a Bike
Rodeo on May 17 from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking
lot of the Gateway YWCA on
South Main Street.
A bike course will be set
up for children to ride and
learn the basics of bike safety.
Children are encouraged to
bring their own bicycles and
helmets to participate in the
bike course. The Winston
Salem Police Department
Bike Patrol and Crime
Prevention Units will provide
bicycle safety training.
Experts will also provide
bicycle helmet sizing and a
demonstration of outdoor
bicycle safety activities A
drawing for a free bicycle will
be held.
"Many children are
injured each year unnecessari
ly," said Donna Joyner, RN,
and Safe Kids Coordinator at
Brenner Children's Hospital.
"By promoting bike safety,
children can learn to enjoy a
healthy activity safety"
Other community agencies
planning to attend include:
MADD, Work Family
Resource Center, Imprints for
Families, Forsyth County
Public Library, Safe Kids of
Forsyth County, Behind the
Blue Line, the Children's
Museum of Winston-Salem,
and the Winston-Salem Fire
Department.
Free bike helmets will be
given away. For more infor
mation, call Donna Joyner at
336-716-0649.
Calvary Baptist graduate
completes basic training
A i r
Force
Airman
James
M
Lewis
has grad
u a t e d
from
basic
military
training Lewis
a t
Lackland Air Force Base, San
Antonio, Texas.
During the six weeks of
training, the airman studied
the Air Force mission, organi
zation, and military customs
and courtesies; performed
drill and ceremony marches,
and received physical train
ing, rifle marksmanship, field
training exercises, and special
training in human relations.
In addition, airmen who
complete basic training earn
credits toward an associate
degree through the
Community College of the Air
Force.
He is the son of Michael
Lewis and Melanie Nachlas of
Winston-Salem. Lewis is a
2006 graduate of Calvary
Baptist Day School in
Winston-Salem.
Old Salem's Larson amon
Heritage Award wiaMTf
John Larson, the Vice
President for Restoration at Old
Salem Museums & Gardens,
received the 2008 Heritage
Award in the "Individual " cat
egory, from the Forsyth County
Historic Resources
Commission at an invitation
only ceremony Wednesday,
May 7. at Salem Fine Arts
Center, Salem College . The cer
emony coincided with the com
mission's observance of May as
"Historic Preservation Month."
The Heritage Awards xt
presented bianaually to honor
individuals, groups, organiza
tions or businesses active in the
preservation, restoration, reha
bilitation or interpretation -of
the county's architectural, cul
tural, or natunri heritage ,|l
Larson, who- has fctifcn
employed at Old Salem for
nearly 30 years, was nominated
in the "Individual" category,
which recognizes significant or
lifetime achievement by an
individual, by members of the
Historic Resources
Commission and Education
Committee, and by his peers in
the historic preservation com
munity. A jury panel selected
Larson for the Individual
award, said Michelle
McCullough, the historic
resources coordinator for the
Historic Resources
Commission.
Alumni Reunion Cookout
and Festival in DC area
The Washington, DC
Metropolitan Alumni Chapter
is inviting the public to attend
its annual Saint Augustine's
College Family Reunion
Cookout and Festival on
Saturday, June 7.
It will begin at 12 noon at
the Rock Creek Park, Grove
#6 in the Washington, D.C.
area. 1
The cookout and festival
are open to all St. Aug fami
lies.
If you plan to attend or
would like more information,
contact the Washington DC
Metropolitan Alumni chapter
by calling 202-421-4119 or on
line at|
http://www.dcmetrostaugalum
ni.com/.
May 20, 2008
Dear Community Members:
As your local Board of Health, we would like to invite and encourage you to participate
in an important community activity which will take only an hour of your time per week ,
for four weeks, in the comfort of your own home. Beginning on the evening of Tuesday,
May 20, UNC-TV (Cable Channel 4, UHF or Direct TV Channel 26) will begin airing a
series titled Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? This broadcast is part of a
nationwide public impact campaign with the objective of changing the way we view and
seek to improve the health of our communities. As an individual who cares about the
health and welfare of all residents of our community, we believe that you will find this
series to be revealing and compelling.
Each airing is at 10:00 p.m. The complete schedule with episode titles is as follows:
May 20: In Sickness and in Wealth - 1 hour
When the Bough Breaks - 30 Minutes
Becoming American -30 minutes
Bad Sugar - 30 minutes
Place Matters - 30 minutes
Collateral Damage - 30 minutes
Not Just a Paycheck - 30 minutes
May 27: 1
June 3:
June 10:
Not Just a PaycnecK ? ?/V mu..
The Board of Health is interested in learning your thoughts and reactions to the Unnatural
Causes documentary series. To comment on the series, go to www.healthycommunity.ws
Also, should you miss any of the episodes or if the timing is not convenient for you, the
Health Department has obtained 8 copies of the documentary series on DVD, and it is 1
available to interested groups who may wish to have group viewings, related discussion
sessions, etc. For information about the documentary series or the availability Of the
DVD's, please go to www.healthycommunity.ws
Thank you for considering this request. We are certain that you will find the time
investment to be worthwhile.
Sincerely,
J?
Vera S. Robinson
Chair
Dr. Ricky Sides
Vice-Chair
www.healthycommunity.ws