THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 11, 1994 TAG: 9411110088
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC JOHNSON, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
RED RIBBONS ARE EVERYWHERE you look these days - tied on car antennas, pinned to people's lapels, on notebook stickers. Despite the simplicity, the twisted ribbons are an important tool in raising AIDS awareness.
Many people do not realize that the fight against AIDS is more than just a matter of science and technology, more than test tubes and medical laboratories. The fight is also about caring and involvement.
Statistics show that AIDS probably will soon touch everyone's life in some way. According to the Virginia Department of Health, 5,976 people in Virginia have AIDS or have died of AIDS since 1982. Today AIDS is the No. 1 killer of men ages 25 to 44 in Norfolk and Hampton. And 40 percent of Virginians with HIV live in Hampton Roads.
Many of us say that it's too hard to get involved or that we don't have the money for contributions.
But there are plenty of ways to show that you care. For example, last weekend dozens of teenagers participated in the '94 Hampton Roads AIDS Walk for Life in downtown Norfolk. Other students have started AIDS awareness clubs at their schools. And through the Tidewater AIDS Crisis Task Force, teens have organized educational projects and food drives.
``It is our job to make others aware, to be the leaders in the struggle,'' said Leslie Sperber, 17, a Churchland senior who walked for AIDS last weekend.
Dec. 1 is World AIDS Awareness Day, another opportunity to get involved, even if it means just wearing a red ribbon on your book bag.
Teacher Gary Johnston, AIDS Awareness Committee chairman at Churchland Middle School and board member of the Walk for Life, believes the red ribbon is vital to the cause. It ``advertises'' the AIDS crisis, he said.
Stephanie Pinchbeck, a Churchland High senior, recently lost her uncle to AIDS. She appreciates the efforts of her peers to help stop the disease.
``I did not like seeing him (sick),'' Stephanie said. ``I wanted to remember him the way he was before he had become sick. . . . Through their volunteer work, maybe other families won't have to go through what my family did.''
Maybe so, especially with the increasing opportunities for teenagers to get involved. Through education, we can erase the ignorance about this disease. We can take precautions to prevent the spread of AIDS.
And it wouldn't hurt to wear a red ribbon to remind us of those we have lost and those who are hoping to be saved. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Eric Johnson is a senior at Churchland High.
by CNB