August 2006

In this issue:

1. Intro – send us your quotes and pictures!
2. What’s new at MAP – HIV-themed musical debuts at Fringe Fest, Red Ribbon Ride insider’s look, voter engagement
3. This month’s volunteer opportunities – MAP office, Accounting Assistant, Tuesday Niters
4. Upcoming volunteer opportunities – Vikings game scheduled!, Community Outreach Team
5. Did you know? – 16th Annual International AIDS Conference
6. Education Corner – mosquitoes, mosquitoes
7. MAP staff recommends – recommendations from Cody Kruse

Intro

Send us your quotes and pictures!

As MAP continues to evolve to fit the needs of a changing epidemic, so does the volunteer program.  As such, we are developing new materials to better reflect our volunteer needs.  In putting together the new volunteer brochure, we would like to use quotes from volunteers about their experience at MAP.  What do you like about volunteering here?  What does your experience mean to you?  Please take moment to jot down your thoughts and email Jessica.  Quotes used will be cited with first name only.  Also, if you have any pictures of you and/or your friends volunteering for MAP, we’d love those as well!  Please send them our way.  Thank you for your assistance and input!

What’s new at MAP

HIV-themed musical debuts at Fringe Fest

“I always wanted my life to be a musical… I just didn’t think it would be this one.” Join Steven Meerdink and Bitter Boy Productions for its first venture, Bitter Boy’s Musical Journey From Negative to Positive. This spring after careful contemplation, Steven Meerdink, Minneapolis Musical Theatre artistic director and a longtime member of the local theatre community, made the brave decision to make his private HIV diagnosis public by writing about his personal journey in this show, which incorporates a wide variety of musical numbers. Steven’s experience with HIV will resonate with everyone who has faced obstacles in life. In fact, this show is not so much about the disease itself but about how we are all challenged by hardships in our lives, how they shape us and how we can choose to move forward. Bitter Boy’s Musical Journey From Negative to Positive opens Thursday, August 3 (8:30 pm) with additional performances on Friday, August 4 (7 pm), Wednesday, August 9 (7 pm), Thursday, August 10 (8:30 pm) and Saturday, August 12 (7 pm) at the Red Eye Collaboration Theater (15 14th Street West, Minneapolis). For more show information, visit www.fringefestival.org and for tickets, contact Uptown Tix at (651) 209-6799 or www.uptowntix.com. Proceeds from this show will benefit MAP.

Red Ribbon Ride insider’s look

Remember a few weeks ago when temperatures reached 100 and many people were doing everything they could to avoid being outside?  That was the weekend of the Red Ribbon Ride, when hundreds of people came together to raise money and awareness for the fight against HIV in Minnesota.  Thanks to all of you who rode, crewed, donated, lent emotional support, and attended the opening and closing ceremonies.  It was an amazing event, and we figured the best person to tell you about it would be someone who participated.  Richard Carper is a longtime MAP volunteer, and was one of the brave riders.  He was kind enough to write about his experience to share with other volunteers:

“My name is Richard Carper.  I am almost 39 years old and I was diagnosed HIV-positive 22 years ago.  I found out about the Minnesota Red Ribbon Ride in July of 2004.  That year the ride took place July 15 – July 18 and my partner and I were contacted by Andy Ansell on July 12 asking if we were available and willing to help out on this 4-day adventure on the crew doing something called ‘Bike Transport.’

Richard Carper (right) and his partner Scott Bilodeau

“We thought about it for about two minutes and accepted the challenge because how hard could it be to drive around Southern Minnesota in an air conditioned truck waiting for people that can’t ride anymore to give us their bike to take back to camp?  HHHmmm!!!  That sounds so nice on paper.  The position evolved into 12-hour days of loading, unloading and then loading again.  It was hot and it was tough and it definitely challenges ones relationship.  All in all it was a fantastic experience and we signed up for the same position in 2005.

“After two years of working on the crew we decided to shake things up a bit by actually riding the 300 miles and signed up in January 2006.  I was more worried about raising the $1500 per person then I was riding but thanks to many friends and co-workers my partner and I reached our goal on the same day sometime in April.  We both managed to get bikes and thanks to Ebay, bike shoes, helmets and more spandex then anyone should ever be required to own.

“Then came the training rides, or should I say lack there of.  Seriously!  The Red Ribbon Ride is a life-changing event but if you are considering doing the ride (I highly recommend it) do as many training rides as you can.  Make the time, rearrange your schedule, do whatever you have to but do the training rides.

“As the day of the ride approached, we had everything we needed and we hydrated, hydrated, hydrated and I never peed so much in my life.  The temperatures were expected to be 100 degrees and I seriously questioned my sanity and was even considering backing out and taking a crew position.

“We left the Mall of America about 7 am and made it to the Pit Stop #5 just before camp and decided after 75 miles I was not going to ride the final 18 miles up a hill with the wind in my face even if there is a Dairy Queen at the end.  It was too darn hot!

“Over four days I ended up riding almost 200 of the 300 miles which is more then I thought possible.  Did I mention you really NEED to do the training rides?  There were times over those four days I was near the front of the pack, times when I was at the end of the pack but for the most part I remained in the middle.  If I never hear the term ‘On your left’ again it will be too soon.  Being in the middle was a great place to be.  At times I couldn’t see a car or biker in front of or behind me so there was never any pressure to go faster or pass someone ‘On the left’ etc.  It also gives you a lot of time to think.  Things like OMG!!! Who lives out here?  What do they do for fun?  Do they have any idea why all these bikers are riding past their house or, more importantly, do they know that many of the people riding past their house have AIDS?

“I have learned as hard and HOT as it was that I would much rather ride than work on the crew.  THANK YOU RRR Crew you are the BEST!  I have signed up again to ride in 2007 and hope to see all the caring and giving people that understand why we do what we do.  I also hope to meet new friends that can help educate people and let them know that whatever idea or stereotype they have or had about AIDS, they were wrong and we can do anything they can do.”

If you have a story about a MAP volunteer experience that you’d like to share with other volunteers through this newsletter, please contact Jessica for more information.  Thanks to Richard and everyone else involved in the Red Ribbon Ride!  The event was a great success.  For more info about the ride visit www.redribbonride.org.

Voter Engagement

September 12 and November 7 are two days that will greatly influence your life.  Why?  Because they are election days.  Voting is a simple yet crucial act, the results of which will affect the lives of all of us.  Over the next few months, the MAP Public Policy team will be spearheading a large voter registration effort.  We invite you to join us.  Are you registered to vote?  Are your friends and co-workers?  We have many resources available about how to register, where to vote, who is eligible to vote, and links to information on candidates Check out our Vote! page, or pick up our 2006 Minnesota Voter Guide here at MAP.

Important Dates for the 2006 Election:

• Tuesday, August 22 – Deadline to pre-register for Primary Election
• Tuesday, September 12 – Primary Election
• Tuesday, October 17 – Deadline to pre-register for General Election
• Tuesday, November 7 – General Election

You will be voting on the following offices:

• U.S. Senate
• U.S. House of Representatives
• Minnesota State Senate
• Minnesota State House of Representatives
• Minnesota Governor
• Minnesota Attorney General
• Minnesota Secretary of State
• Minnesota State Auditor

Contest!!  To jumpstart your involvement, we’ve set up a small contest.  To the first three people who email Jessica with the names of three of the candidates for Minnesota Governor, we will send a beautiful enamel Red Ribbon lapel pin.  Ready… go! 

This month’s volunteer opportunities

MAP office

We have a variety of short-term and long-term projects available at the MAP office during daytime hours (9 am – 5 pm, Monday-Friday).  Office volunteers support us in many ways, including data entry, filing, and phone calling.  If you have some time this month to help out, let us know.  You can also tell us if you would like to be added to the daytime volunteer list to be the first to know about office opportunities.

Accounting Assistant

Our Finance department is looking for one or more volunteers that are computer savvy, and ideally that have accounting experience, to assist with some account reconciliations.  This would be a great opportunity for anyone interested in accounting as a career, and is a longer term project that can be available many hours a week if desired.  If you are interested, email Jessica. 

Tuesday Niters

These drop-in volunteer nights continue to be held on the second Tuesday of each month.  Join us from 4:30 – 7 pm on August 8 to help with special projects and meet new people.  RSVP to Jessica.

Upcoming volunteer opportunities

Vikings game scheduled!

Thanks to everyone who responded to last month’s newsletter stating your interest in volunteering at a Vikings game.  We have signed up for the September 24, 12 pm game against Chicago, and need at least 30 people to help us out.  You have a couple options for that day:

• Ticket Takers – 8 am-12:30 pm – these volunteers are stationed outside the stadium, get to greet guests and take their tickets, but do not get to see the game without tickets of their own.
• Ushers – 8 am-4 pm – these volunteers are stationed inside the stadium, helping people find their seats, and can enjoy the game while they volunteer.

Both groups are provided with food and beverages.  You will receive training from the stadium security staff that day, and there will be security personnel at every gate for assistance.  If you would like to participate, email Jessica with the following information:

• Name
• Birth date (required by Vikings)
• Phone number (the security staff will call you a couple days before the game to check in with you and see if you have any questions about where to meet, etc.)
• Let me know if you would like to be a Ticket Taker or an Usher

MAP will receive $8 an hour per person for the time you spend volunteering that day.  This is a great opportunity for us to raise funds while participating in something unique and fun!  If you have questions, please let us know.

Community Outreach Team

One of the best things about having such a bright, dedicated volunteer base is that we can develop new programs to meet the needs of the community, knowing that we have the support of hundreds of capable volunteers to back us up.  Over the next few months, we will be putting together a core group of volunteers that will make up our Community Outreach Team.  These volunteers will represent MAP at various community events, including health fairs, volunteer fairs, and at schools and businesses.  We will have initial training, and regular check-ins to communicate new information.  Please let Jessica know if you are interested in being part of this group.

Did you know?

The International AIDS Conference

The International AIDS Conference, the world's largest HIV conference, will be held August 13-16 in Toronto. The conference provides an international, open and independent forum for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and research, which will inform HIV organizations and strengthen prevention, treatment and care efforts worldwide. During the course of the conference, stay connected to the new studies and information released by visiting www.mnaidsproject.org. There will be a summary of and access to online coverage available on the MAP website throughout the conference.

Education Corner

As stated in the May issue of the Volunteer Connection, the changes in funding for the MAP AIDSLine have led us to the decision not to be at the Minnesota State Fair this year.  Please consider joining the Community Outreach Team to stay involved in tabling and education events like this.  Even though you won’t be educating people about HIV from behind the MAP booth at the Fair, you can still find opportunities to educate people you come across in your day-to-day life.  Share what you’ve learned as a MAP volunteer with others in your life, and then they will be equipped with accurate HIV information to pass on to those in their lives, etc.  In this spirit, we’d like to add an Education Corner to each month’s Volunteer Connection.  In order to succeed in our fight against HIV, education must spread faster than the virus.  Do your part!

The infamous mosquito question

(one of the most frequently asked questions at the Minnesota State Fair)

Why can mosquitoes transmit diseases like West Nile virus but not HIV?

To put it technically, West Nile is able to replicate within a mosquito's salivary glands, while HIV is not. HIV can only replicate in human T-4 lymphocytes, which are not found in mosquitoes.  It’s not easy to incorporate the phrase “human T-4 lymphocytes” into daily conversations, so the MAP AIDSLine has crafted a better way to explain it to the general public:

Different viruses are transmitted in different ways. For example, flu and cold viruses can be spread through casual contact, while HIV cannot be transmitted that way. HIV is actually a very fragile virus and is quite difficult to transmit. The structure of HIV is such that it simply cannot survive in a mosquito, while West Nile is structured differently and is able to replicate and thrive while in a mosquito.

There has been a lot of research into this topic over the past 20 years, and scientists are in agreement that HIV is not transmitted through mosquitoes. And, if you think about it, this just makes sense. Here in Minnesota, where we are overrun by mosquitoes every summer, there would be many, many more cases of unexplained HIV infection if mosquitoes could transmit it. Many more children would be infected, for example. That just isn't happening, so we know that mosquitoes are not a source of transmission.

MAP staff recommends

Some of you had the pleasure of meeting Cody Kruse when she was the Volunteer Program intern in the spring of 2005.  In March 2006, she joined the MAP staff as a MAP AIDSLine community health educator.  Here are her recommendations.

Book

The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve

You can't put this book down from the minute you read the first page.  The Pilot's Wife is a fiction book with an amazing amount of twists that you'll never expect. 

Movie

North Country

To see human beings treated so poorly yet stand up to their oppressors regardless of the consequences is incredibly inspiring for both men and women.  North Country had me cheering for the women and amazed at their ability to fight through so many struggles.

Last Updated: Tuesday, April 3, 2007
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