Acting on AIDS

My first blog ever. Give me time, they'll get better.

When I first transferred to UGA I was looking for service opportunities around Athens. They were really hard to find! It seemed like every volunteer opportunity was attached to an organization, with no real opportunity to do individual service. Although I wasn't looking for an organization to join, I found Alpha Phi Omega -- a national co-ed service fraternity. If this isn't what you're looking for, thats cool. I'll try to post random service opportunities on here as well as what we're doing around town.

If you're looking for something just starting up that needs a lot of help I've got something for you! (Link to the website below)


Did anyone make it to the "Africa in Athens" exhibit the Athens Church held earlier this year?

If not, you missed out. It was hosted by World Vision: Acting on AIDS. They gave out MP3 players that had the story of a child in Africa affected by AIDS. As you listened to their story you walked through their life -- rooms set up to be their house, school, and the clinic where they were tested. At the end a "chapel" is set up with pictures of children affected-- talk about moving! Also there was a place to write messages to the children that had been affected-- heartbreaking.Theres no way to not be affected by what you saw.

Anyways, after talking with the people hosting the exhibit, we learned there are chapters dedicated to raising money and awareness for this cause all over the country, except in the south. At UGA we have HEROs, which is a great organization, but Acting on Aids is dedicated to prevention, education, and awareness in Africa. Two of my friends decided to run with the idea and are now setting up a chapter of Acting on Aids here on campus. It's in the early stages now, but we're going to work hard on it this summer and hopefully start it up in the fall.

I've included the website below so you can do your own research about the group. They host fundraising activities, like Night of Nets that raises money to purchase bug nets for the children. Warning: Beware of the videos. They will make you cry.

If we can get this chapter off the ground it will be a huge success for Acting on AIDS and a personal success for Ashely, DJ, and I. Its totally unacceptable that there are no chapters located in the south. Our chapter at UGA would be a great start-up for more southern schools to pick up the trend. We'll be looking to Universities with established chapters for help, and would, of course, love any feedback from locals. Especially if you're interested in joining.

Here's the link:
http://site.actingonaids.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=58

This blog will (hopefully) track our development of the UGA chapter, as well as provide people with information about service opportunities in and around Athens.