Chattanooga Cares / Strides of March
Date: Sunday, March 25, 2007
Time: Registration begins at 1:00PM
Walk starts at 2PM
Location: Coolidge Park, Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga CARES 12th Annual Strides of March will be Sunday, March 25, 2007 in Coolidge Park. The Strides is a 3.1 mile walk through scenic downtown Chattanooga designed to promote awareness of HIV throughout the Tennessee Valley. The event offers an opportunity for the community to come together in a celebration of hope and remembrances of friends and family who are affected by HIV/AIDS.
Individuals, churches and any other community groups are encouraged to form teams and raise necessary funds for the clients and programs of Chattanooga CARES. Teams consist of 5 or more individuals. This is a great way to get friends and family involved!
Awards are given for the highest producing church, community based group and individual. This year’s grand prize is a trip to Orlando, Florida.
UUs and those otherwise unaffiliated who are UU friendly are welcomed to & encouraged to sign up as UU of Chattanooga & walk under our banner. Hope to see you there, under whatever banner.
I think it’s a great thing for people who have gone through the tragedies to have an outlet or maybe interaction with those who have suffered similarly. My wife is very active in the autism community (me, so-so…I’m usually busy watching the kids while she goes to meetings, not that I’m uninterested, but somebody’s gotta keep ‘em) so we get all sorts of data/feedback from others who have undergone what we’re going through (which I refuse to call anything negative, because it’s not in our case).
All that aside & removing emotion completely from the equation: is there really a need for a community to push “AIDS awareness” in 2007? Who - of a competent age, of course - isn’t aware of AIDS/HIV and what brings it about? It was surely needed in the 80s, to be sure, we were all ignorant. But, we don’t have influenza awareness outings even though some knowledge about the usage of hand sanitizer would REALLY keep a lot of people from getting sick & more than a few die.
I’m not being the heartless Christian conservative who hates “the fags”, I knew a gay guy who died of AIDS at age 27, I’m looking at this from a logical perspective. The get-together is laudable and, frankly, I think it should happen more. But, is the entire concept of “AIDS/HIV awareness” really something that is needed as much as a lot of folks really think it’s needed? (which is entirely different than simply “needed”, which of course it is).
I hope that made at least some sense.