THE AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT June 3rd AT Phoenix Rising UCC

Haverhill MA– Sections of the internationally celebrated AIDS Memorial Quilt – the 54 ½ -ton, handmade tapestry that stands as a memorial to more than 96,000 individuals lost to AIDS – will be on view June 3^rd   3PM-8PM at the Phoenix Rising UCC 192 Merrimack Street in Haverhill MA . This free Quilt display is being presented as part of  2017 Haverhill Pride  and will be hosted by O+ and Phoenix Rising UCC.   5PM there will be a lecture with guest speaker Scott Jordan who has been HIV positive for over thirty years followed by a naming ceremony and reception with DJ and other entertainment. Established in 1987, The NAMES Project Foundation – the international caretaker of The Quilt — works to preserve, care for and use The AIDS Memorial Quilt to foster healing, advance social justice and inspire action.   The Quilt began in San Francisco 30 years ago with a single 3 x 6 foot panel and today this epic tapestry of hope and love includes more than 49,000 panels. These panels have come from every state in the nation and have been created by friends, lovers and family members in an attempt to transform loss and heartbreak into hope and healing. In a war against a disease that has no cure, The AIDS Memorial Quilt has evolved as our most potent tool in the effort to educate against the lethal threat of AIDS.  By revealing the humanity behind the statistics, The Quilt helps teach compassion, triumphs over taboo, stigma and phobia; and inspires individuals to take direct responsibility for their own well being and that of their family, friends and community. Julie Rhoad, Executive Director of The NAMES Project Foundation explains, “We are eager to share The AIDS Memorial Quilt with your community for it is unlike any memorial ever created.  With teddy bears and Boy Scout badges, love letters and photographs, this American treasure was created by the people for real people who were loved and lost to AIDS. We thank (your organization) for their visionary efforts in hosting this event and invite you to see what wonderful healing art we have created together as a nation.” Sections are continuously on display across the country in schools, places of worship, community centers, businesses, corporations and a variety of other institutional settings all in the hope of making the realities of HIV and AIDS real, human and immediate.  To date, more than18 million people have seen The AIDS Memorial Quilt at tens of thousands of display throughout the world. For more information or to make an appointment to view the quilt on display in Haverhill until ,  please call Phoenix Rising UCC at 978-891-5799 For more information on The NAMES Project and The AIDS Memorial Quilt, please visit aidsquilt.org or call the national headquarters at (404) 688-5500.]]>