LITUFC Open Door Drop-In Center Collaborates for World AIDS Day
NEWARK, N.J., Dec. 3, 2009 – Capitalizing on a day-long calendar of local WORLD AIDS DAY events on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009, the Open Door Drop-In Center (DIC) of Liberation in Truth Unity Fellowship Church successfully collaborated with three organizations to increase local visibility and recruit potential new clients and volunteers. In its primary collaboration with the Urban Issues Institute of Essex County College, the DIC used a multimedia approach to attract students to its table in a busy corridor of the college. Video projections of “Greater Than AIDS” and “Test 1 Million” public service announcements, featuring recognizable celebrities including President and Mrs. Obama, attracted dozens of junior college students to the table over the course of four hours. Many students signed up for information on DIC services, including HIV counseling and testing, Ryan White Intensive Case Management, and programming for women, including SISTA, an HIV prevention program.
World AIDS Day Photo Gallery – http://tinyurl.com/yjxa4jd
“Liberation in Truth Unity Fellowship Church is an urban ministry, located in the heart of Newark, where the campuses and the rest of the community meet,” said Reverend Janyce L. Jackson, Pastor of Liberation In Truth, Executive Director of the Drop-In Center, and Vice Chair of the LGBTQ Commission in the City of Newark . “It’s exciting to continue expanding our role in service to our community and as a liaison within it.”
The Urban Issues Institute sponsored a multi-disciplinary College Hour program on local HIV/AIDS issues, for which DIC Program Manager Al Cunningham led a discussion of local statistics and their implications. Institute Director Dr. Margaret Stevens, and Professors Karen Thompson, Jennifer Wager, and Rebecca Williams, engaged their classes in curriculum-related aspects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In addition to the services offered by the DIC, students were reminded of volunteer and internship opportunities at the DIC that will complement their academic training and enhance their future employability.
The DIC also collaborated as a member of the NJ Stop AIDS Coalition, led by North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCRI) on the World AIDS Day Extravaganza at Newark’s Symphony Hall Terrace from 4 to 8pm. This annual “infotainment” event attracts a cross-section of Newark residents to a major downtown venue. Finally, the DIC participated in an evening Concert For Change, at Rutgers University Newark’s Robeson Campus Center, organized by RU PRIDE and Our Youth.
Contact: Al Cunningham, Program Manager, LITUFC Open Door Drop-In Center, 973 424 9555, x22
Source: LITUFC Open Door Drop-In Center
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Tags: LITUFC Open Door Drop-In Center, Newark, NJ Stop AIDS Coalition, World AIDS Day, Youth
