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Thursday, April 19, 200?
SGAC, HOLA throw down for the Big Day
Student organizations come together for HIV/AIDS benefit
By Neal Brown
Sta^f Writer
Student Global AIDS Campaign
and Hispanic Outreach for
Learning and Awareness launched
the Big Day on Saturday, provid
ing a variety of activities, enter
tainment and education for stu
dents and the Asheville communi
ty-
“We had big success on the Big
Day,” said John Stephens, senior
literature student and part of the
leadership team of SGAC.
SGAC opened the Big Day at 1
p.m. and featured music by local
bands, games for both adults and
kids, free AIDS testing by the
Buncombe County Health
Department, jewelry and rum
mage sales and massage chairs.
SGAC donated all proceeds to
the Amani Children’s
Foundation, an organization
based in Winston-Salem, which
donates all proceeds to the New
Life Home Trust in Kenya for
children orphaned by AIDS and
abandoned by poverty.
The event was well-attended
by students and members of the
community, according to
Stephens.
“We had more than 1,000 people
over the course of the day,”
Stephens said. “We also raised
over $2,000.”
Ben Cox, senior literature stu
dent and part of the SGAC leader
ship team, said he was also pleased
with the attendance.
“We definitely had more stu
dents than community, but I had a
number of community members
approach me and express their
gratitude and amazement at what
we were able to achieve,” Cox
said.
All proceeds from the event go
to the Amani Children’s
Foundation, according to
Stephens.
“The foundation supports chil
dren orphaned by AIDS and aban
doned by poverty in Kenya,”
Stephens said. “It’s been around
for about five years and has done a
lot of good work. It provides
healthcare, food, shelter and care
givers for children.”
Two-thousand dollars is a signif
icant amount of money and can
really make a difference in a
child’s life, according to Stephens.
It takes about $ 1,000 a year to pro
vide food, healthcare and shelter
for a child in Kenya.
“Essentially, $1,000 is what it
costs to save a child’s life, so we
have saved two,” Stephens said.
Cox agreed that the amount of
money that was raised from the
jewelry and rummage sale, the
silent auction and donations was
amazing and that HIV/AIDS is a
lot
IM
lei
ua
Clint Lathinghou.se - Staff PhotcxjRaphfr
Phcobe Hubbs, an Appalachian State student, puts her handprint onto
the Student Global AIDS Campaign’s banner during the Big Day.
Students and Asheville community members participated in the day’s
events, which included a rummage sale and different bands all day.
cause worth giving to
had more than 1,000
people throughout the course
of the day.
John Stephens
SCjAC Ixadership ream
It is so beautiful to know that
what little we do here in WNC
goes to saving lives and infants
across the globe,” Cox said. “We
donate to the Amani Children’s
Foundation because a number of
us have personally seen the
fruits of our labor, the children,
their eyes and their smiles. We
know that 100 percent of the
money we donate goes directly
to them and that is worth giving
to.”
Paul Pendergraft, a Big Day vol
unteer and senior literature and
physics student, said UNC
Asheville students should realize
how lucky they are and try to make
a difference in somebody else’s
life.
“We are really in a privileged
position here at UNCA,”
Pendergraft said. “It is important
to remember how good we have it,
and it is important to give some
thing back. Everyone needs to play
their role in limiting AIDS destruc
tive power as much as possible.”
Overall, the Big Day was a suc
cess, according to Megan
Westbrook, sociology student and
SGAC member who sold jewelry
at the event.
‘The main purpose of today was
to gather everyone together for
AIDS awareness,” Westbrook
said. “We wanted to let the student
body know more of who we are
and what we do and today was an
We definitely had more stu
dents than community mem
bers, but I had a number of
community members approach
me and express their gratitude
and amazement at what we
were able to achieve.
Ben Cox
SGAC leadership Team
absolute success.”
Cox also agreed that the Big Day
was a success.
“We made enough money to
support two more kids,” Cox said.
“That makes a total of six kids in
the past year and a half that SGAC
has been able to directly support.
I’d call that a success.”
It is important for college stu
dents to know about HIV and
AIDS so they are able to take nec
essary steps to prevent it, accord
ing to Michael Harney, prevention
educator at Western North
Carolina AIDS Project. Harney
has worked in the field since about
1992.
The infection rate of people who
get tested between the ages of 20
and 29 is among the highest in the
United States, according to
Harney.
Adam Hillberry - Entertainment Eh
Gary Lodato, senior psychology student and Peers Advocating WeUness Strategies member, hands outco)
dom roses with Michael Harney with the Western North Carolina AIDS Project dnring the Big Day.
Members of PAWS and WNCAP sat at their tables all day, handing out condoms and information and
teaching visitors how to make condom roses to raise awareness and to spread education.
“College students are right in Harney is concerned about the Harney said,
that age group of being most vul- alarmingly high number of new The Big Day is on SGAC’s
infections in the state. There are
nerable,” Harney said.
HIV/AIDS was first recog
nized in 1981 and has since
infected around 65 million peo
ple and killed more than 25 mil
lion, according to the Joint
United Nations Program on
HIV/AIDS.
about 40,000 new HIV infections
each year, and North Carolina has
a high infection rate.
“We reported 2,022 new infec
tions just last year alone, so some
thing is disproportionate about
HIV infections in North Carolina,”
endar next year, according
Cox.
“Next spring we’ll have
same event,” Cox said,
may change as to the actual 1
ning of the day between now ij
then, but I guarantee the Big ^
will happen next year.’
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Calling
all students:
Do you care about
the decisious
Admiuistration makesP
UNC AsheviliB is in the middle of searching for a new
Provost/Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and they
need student input!
Meet with the university’s senior consultant. Dr. Tom Courtice
with Academic Search, Inc., during a Faculty/Staff/Student
Session to share and swap ideas on the characteristics and
talents desired for the next Provost of UNC Asheville.
The Meeting will be held
Tuesday, April 24 at 12:15 p.m. in
Highsmith’s Alumni Hall