Optimist Club Donates To Local HIV/AIDS Fund

The Optimist Club of Anguilla has donated EC$5,000 to the Anguilla Aids Foundation to assist with its work on the island.

Speaking at a brief presentation ceremony on Tuesday, March 31, Chairman of the Optimist Club Race Against Committee, Curtis Richardson, made reference to the devastation that HIV/AIDS was having on communities and families across the world. “It attacks our greatest resource – our people and diminishes our capacity to be productive and to effectively plan for the future. It also threatens good governance and human security,” he observed.

Mr. Richardson made the point that education was at the core of the fight against AIDS. It was, in his view, an important element in the development of attitudes and skills that could prevent the spread and impact of the epidemic. He called for the elimination of the stigma and discrimination associated with the disease and for greater openness and understanding.

Immediate Past President and Lieutenant Governor for Zone 13, Fritz Smith, said the $5,000 donation was part of some $20,000 raised during the Race Against AIDS Marathon last November. He stated that the event, which saw many people running and walking, had created a good deal of awareness about the disease. He congratulated the Optimist Club on behalf of the Caribbean District Office for its contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Chairperson of the Anguilla AIDS Foundation, Patricia Beard, said the money was the second donation received towards the fund, the first having been made by the Jamaican Nationals Association in Anguilla. She was heartened that the work of the foundation was being regarded as a worthwhile undertaking and explained that the money was used to assist infected persons with securing treatment.

Mrs. Beard noted that the Government could not deal with the problems of AIDS without the assistance of concerned groups and individuals and hoped that further contributions would be received in due course. She expressed much appreciation to the Optimist Club for its donation.