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Until There's a Cure (UTAC)
Foundation and the San Francisco Giants baseball team will mark the 20th annual
“Until There’s a Cure” game on Tuesday, May 21, when the Giants play the
Washington Nationals at AT&T Park. The UTAC event will feature a pregame home
plate ceremony titled “Together We Can,” honoring the Giants’ late pitcher, Rod
Beck, who was the inaugural celebration’s spokesperson. UTAC Executive Director
Nora Hanna declared, "The Giants were the first team of any major league
sport to recognize HIV and AIDS was a problem in our community. Twenty years
ago, they gave us an awareness game," and the events have taken place
every year since then.
UTAC, a Redwood City, Calif.-based
nonprofit, also is marking its 20th anniversary in 2013. The foundation helps
groups worldwide to end HIV/AIDS. Hanna noted that the UTAC event "reminds
people that HIV and AIDS is still strong in all communities, and that the best
way to stop it is to get tested, know your status, and really be part of the
solution.” The event will urge fans to collaborate on services, research, and
vaccine development. The foundation will sell T-shirts and bracelets throughout
the ballpark. UTAC hopes to raise $40,000 at the event. Each year, most of the
Giants players wear small red ribbons on their uniforms honoring “Until There’s
a Cure.”
In 2012, UTAC used money from the
Giants event to provide grants; however, the foundation is not issuing a call
for grant proposals this year. Rather, UTAC will use approximately $20,000 to
support its internship program. Hanna stressed that UTAC wants to “inspire the
next generation to get involved in the fight” against HIV/AIDS. Current
scientists, advocates, and others have been working at it for a long time.
Hanna explains, "We need someone to pick up the torch." The interns'
fields will range from public policy to molecular biology. The other half of
the money UTAC hopes to raise at the game will go toward buying bracelets and
supporting other awareness programs. To learn more about UTAC or to purchase
bracelets or other items in support of the foundation’s work, visit https://until.org.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
