Coming GBAPP Events

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FEBRUARY, 2008

February 28, 2008:  PRESS CONFERENCE

 For more information, click here to print a flyer or contact Sara Nichols at (203) 384-3629.

MARCH, 2008

March 2-8 2008 - Black Church Week of Prayer for The Healing of AIDS

For the seventh consecutive year, GBAPP will be the local certified partner for The Balm In Gilead's Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS. Events will be planned beginning March 2, 2008. This will be the 19th year The Balm In Gilead, Inc.™ and the African American Faith Community will sponsor the Week of Prayer. It is the largest AIDS awareness campaign targeting the Black faith community. For more information, contact GBAPP at (203) 366-8255 or visit the Balm's website at http://www.balmingilead.org,  .

March 15, 2008 - Black Church Week of Prayer for The Healing of AIDS

"Praise Break 2008"

 APRIL, 2008

April 5, 2008 - "Celebration of Life" Gospel Festival

MAY, 2008
 

May 8, 2008 - Annual Health and Resource Fair

 JUNE, 2008

JULY, 2008

 AUGUST, 2008

SEPTEMBER, 2008

OCTOBER, 2008

October 4, 2008 - The 19th Annual AIDS Walk

NOVEMBER, 2008

DECEMBER,  2008

JANUARY, 2009

Previous Events

(Events go back one year and are listed

in reverse order of occurrence)
 

World AIDS Day Candlelight Service: GBAPP sponsored a candlelight service at St. John Church in collaboration with the Bridgeport Health Department on November 30, 2007. The service helped commemorate World AIDS Day.  The keynote speaker was Dr. David Burgess, pastor of the Mt. Moriah Tabernacle of Praise in New Haven.  World AIDS Sunday was sponsored in collaboration with East End Baptist Tabernacle Church on December 2, 2007.  The keynote speaker was Dr. C.L. Stallworth.  It was funded by a subcontract from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (SAMHSA-CSAP)through a contract with McFarland & Associates, Silver Spring, Maryland. 

18th Annual AIDS Walk: The Greater Bridgeport HIV/AIDS Care Consortium (GBHCC) held its 18th annual AIDS Walk on October 6, 2007 in Bridgeport. All proceeds go into the Client Emergency Fund, overseen by GBHCC. Funds are distributed to people infected/affected by HIV/AIDS in the greater Bridgeport area who have financial emergencies. Community members supported the event by donating financially or contributing items for a silent auction. If you would still like to make a cash donation, please send it to the Client Emergency Fund, c/o FSW, 475 Clinton Avenue, Bridgeport, CT  06605, Attention Sylvia Mitchell. Cash donations are tax deductible and receipts can be furnished upon request. For more information, call co-chair, Victoria Fenwick-Dicks (330-0406 or 366-8255).

6th Annual Connecticut AIDS Bike Tour (CABT): The sixth annual Connecticut AIDS Bike Tour, "One Goal + Many Miles = Life for All," was held September 13-17, 2007. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Connecticut and raise funds for 14 agencies, including GBAPP, that serve people with AIDS. This year's tour began and ended in Hartford. It also stopped or passed through Bristol, Litchfield, New Milford, New Fairfield, Danbury, Stamford, Bridgeport, Milford, New Haven, Madison, Old Lyme, New London, Groton and Hebron. Bike shops across the state were invited to participate in the tour by (1) posting flyers at their shops, (2) providing discount tune-ups prior to the event or (3) providing emergency repair service during it. In Bridgeport, we thank Spoke and Wheel for their participation. If you want more information, visit the Bike Tour website at www.ctaidsbiketour.org. You can also contact Beth Crocco at GBAPP at (203) 384-3629/ecrocco@sbcglobal.net.

National HIV Testing Month: June, 2007 was National HIV Testing Month, and for the seventh year, the Balm in Gilead conducted a campaign to ask leaders of Black churches to encourage African Americans to get tested for HIV and know their status. This campaign, “Our Church Lights the Way,” was a partnership between the Balm, a non-profit organization whose mission is to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS by enlisting the support of Black churches, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The campaign culminated with National HIV Testing Day. GBAPP led local efforts for the campaign. This expanded the collaboration GBAPP has had with the Balm over the past six years, including being the local partner for the Balm’s Black Church Week of Prayer each March. GBAPP held events throughout the month to support the campaign, including a health fair at Seaside Park. For more information about national efforts, visit the Balm at balmingilead.org. For more information about local efforts, contact Nancy Kingwood at (203) 384-3629 or nkingwood@gbapp.org.

National Counseling and Testing Day - GBAPP Open House: An estimated 300,000 people in the United States are HIV/AIDS positive and don’t know it. As a part of on-going efforts to rectify this situation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) set June 27 as National HIV Testing Day. In observance of the event, GBAPP held an Open House at its office in Bridgeport. Free HIV testing was provided to those who wanted it. According to DHHS, National HIV Testing Day "is critical to the fight against HIV/AIDS because it presents an opportunity for people across this country to learn their HIV status and to gain the knowledge they need to take control of their health and their lives. It is also an invaluable opportunity to dispel the myths and dismantle the fear and stigma associated with HIV testing, and to reach those who have never been tested or who have engaged in high-risk behavior since their last test." DHHS lists three reasons to get tested: First, too many Americans with HIV are diagnosed late in the course of their infection, when they may not be able to fully benefit from life-prolonging treatments. Second, HIV testing can reduce new infections when HIV-positive persons become aware of their status and take the necessary precautions to stop spreading the disease. And third, HIV testing is easier, more accessible and less invasive (blood-free) than ever. For more information about national efforts, visit DHHS's National HIV Testing Day webpage. For information on the open house, contact Nancy Kingwood at (203) 384-3629 or nkingwood@gbapp.org.

National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Awareness Month: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy named May "National Teen Pregnancy Awareness Month" and May 2, 2007 the "National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy." The purpose of the national month and day was to focus the attention of teens on the importance of avoiding too-early pregnancy and parenthood and other serious consequences of sex. On the National Day, teens across the country were asked to go to the Campaign's website and take a short, scenario-based quiz asking them what they would do in specific sexual situations. Hundreds of Bridgeport youth participated in the quiz on May 2^nd  and continued to participate throughout the month. GBAPP participated in a health fair at Central High School and surveys were also completed by students. For more details about the National Campaign, visit its website at www.teenpregnancy.org.

City Kidz Got Skillz – Bridgeport Showcase: Over 150 kids, 18 and under, from the greater Bridgeport area were in the spotlight on May 5, 2007, when GBAPP sponsored the 2^nd  annual "City Kidz Got Skillz - Bridgeport Showcase" talent show. The event was held at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport. Main events included logo art design and talent show.  Cash prizes were awarded to competition winners. The talent show was hosted by WICC's Brian Smith of the Afternoon News & Variety Show. There were also raffle prizes and food concession. Profits went to support Bridgeport youth services and the Mi Casa home for homeless pregnant and parenting teenage girls. Event attendees, corporate sponsors, judges and volunteers made the day a rousing success. All agreed the showcase should be held annually. For details, contact Sara Nichols at (203) 368-0780 or sara_nichols@gbapp.org.

Black Church Week of Prayer for The Healing of AIDS: For the sixth consecutive year, GBAPP was the local certified partner for The Balm In Gilead's Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS. Over 60 local events were held from March 5 to March 11, 2007. This was the 18^th year The Balm In Gilead, Inc.™ and the African American Faith Community has sponsored the Week of Prayer. It is the largest AIDS awareness campaign targeting the Black faith community. For more information, contact GBAPP at (203) 366-8255 or visit the Balm's website at http://www.balmingilead.org,

Sing for Change: Sing for Change is a grass-roots initiative of Cece Jones Ministries, Inc. The mission of Sing for Change is twofold: To promote HIV/AIDS awareness within the Christian communities in Connecticut; To raise funds for local HIV/AIDS programs by mobilizing Christian musicians and artists in the fight against the disease.  The Sing for Change Advisory Committee chose to financially support GBAPP. Sing for Change was held on May 11, 2007 at Mt. Aery Baptist Church.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (N.B.H.A.A.D.):  GBAPP commemorated the sixth annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on February 7, 2007 by conducting presentations at local high schools and by hosting an open house at its 158 Mill Hill Avenue location. Counseling and testing services were offered at the open house and refreshments were served. The goal of the N.B.H.A.A.D. is to motivate African Americans at risk for HIV to get educated and tested, and to get community groups involved in prevention education programs, HIV testing, press conferences, community forums and other activities to raise HIV awareness and prevention. For details on national efforts, go to www.blackaidsday.org.

Last Updated:  04/07/08