AUNT RITA’S INAUGURAL PICNIC IN THE PARK

AUNT RITA’S INAUGURAL PICNIC IN THE PARK IS A CELEBRATION OF WORLD AIDS DAY TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE ONGOING BATTLE AGAINST HIV

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Aunt Rita’s Foundation will celebrate World AIDS Day to raise awareness for the fight against HIV with its inaugural Picnic in the Park, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3 at Portland Parkway Park, 200 W. Portland Street in Phoenix.

Sponsored by the Matthew B. Harty Family Foundation, Picnic in the Park “honors loved ones lost to the epidemic and celebrate the advances in treatment and prevention that move us closer to ending the epidemic,” said Aunt Rita’s Foundation Executive Director Jimmy Thomason.

“The Matthew B. Harty Family Foundation is incredibly pleased and deeply humbled to be part of this incredibly meaningful event, one that is so important both in raising awareness about the progress being made in the fight against HIV and in celebrating the lives of those we have lost,” said Helene Harty Miracle.

Picnic in the Park also offers the opportunity to view the National AIDS Memorial Quilt displays, Thomason said.

The event also includes live music, food trucks and activities. Ticket prices begin at $35 for non-profit workers and are $45 for general admission. Children under five are free. For more information, visit the Picnic in the Park website.

“We encourage people to bring their picnic blankets and spend the day relaxing, sharing the meaning of the day and catching some sun,” Thomason said. He asked that attendees not bring pets to the event.

The theme for World AIDS Day 2022 is “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to END HIV,” and encourages people across the globe to eliminate disparities and inequities that “create barriers to HIV testing, preventing and access to HIV care.”

World AIDS Day was first observed in 1988.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 84 million people have been infected with the HIV virus since the beginning of the epidemic which has claimed the lives of nearly 40 million men, women and children. In 2021, 650,000 people died of HIV-related illnesses worldwide.

In the United States, HIV.gov reports that approximately 1.2 million people are living with HIV and nearly 13 percent are unaware they are infected. HIV continues to have a disproportionate impact on certain populations, particularly racial and ethnic minorities and gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

“The fight is not over,” Thomason said. “We have won and are winning some battles, but with nearly 35,000 new infections reported by the CDC in the U.S. in 2019, we have much work to do.”

With roots in Phoenix since 1988, Aunt Rita’s Foundation is dedicated to the elimination of and suffering from HIV and AIDS through collaborations with Arizona HIV service organizations and local and statewide government agencies. Aunt Rita’s Foundation helps fund HIV programs at 14 non-profit organizations through more than $2 million in grants.

For more information about Aunt Rita’s Foundation, visit www.auntritas.org. To purchase tickets to Picnic in the Park, visit here.

About Aunt Rita’s Foundation

In our mission to end HIV in Arizona, Aunt Rita’s quietly began in 1988 with our first fundraising bake sale. Since then, Aunt Rita’s Foundation has provided millions of dollars to HIV programs and prides itself as the “Connector of the HIV Community” with gap-filling programs that include testing and collaborative initiatives. Partner agencies include Ebony House, The Bill Holt Clinic at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, CAN Community Health, Chicanos Por La Causa LUCES Program, HEAL International, HIV Care Directions, Valleywise Health, one n ten, Southwest Behavioral Health Services, Southwest Center, Shot in the Dark, Southwest Recovery Alliance and Terros Health. Aunt Rita’s distributes free Home HIV oral swap test kits through GetTestedAz.org and provides vouchers for confidential clinical testings at 100 Safeway stores and Sonora Quest locations statewide. Aunt Rita’s signature fund-raising events are AIDS Walk Arizona and RED is the Night and will commemorate World AIDS Day with a community-oriented Picnic in the Park. Aunt Rita’s Foundation also works with the Arizona Department of Health Services to increase awareness and education about HIV/AIDS statewide through HIVAZ.ORG.

For more information, visit www.auntritas.org or call (602) 882-8675.