GBPA continues its tradition of supporting the Grand Bahama AIDS Awareness Committee and joins the list of Executive Sponsors for this year’s annual cocktail reception entitled, “A Black and White Affair In Paradise”. GBPA’s Director of Community Relations, Mrs. Geneva Rutherford (left) presented a cheque on behalf of The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited in support of the fight against HIV/AIDS on Grand Bahama Island to Red Rose Ball Committee Chair Member Ms. Minerva Kemp.
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Freeport, Bahamas – Despite the difficult
economic climate, The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA)
without
hesitation, joined the list of executive sponsors and continued its
tradition
of supporting the fight against HIV/AIDS on Grand Bahama Island.
HIV and AIDS is the most
devastating health crisis of our time. Representing GBPA Executives,
GBPA’s Director of Community Relations, Geneva
Rutherford, expressed her thoughts on the issue,
“Ignorance and illiteracy are major contributing factors to the spread
of
the disease. By increasing awareness and broadening educational avenues,
time
will soon reveal that we can win the war against HIV and AIDS.”
This year’s annual
cocktail reception, “A Black & White Affair in Paradise” will
be held in the Arcade at the International
Bazaar on Saturday, 15th May. Red Rose Ball committee chair
member
Minerva Kemp accepted the cheque on behalf of the committee and shared
these
words about the event, “We are excited that this year’s annual
cocktail reception will be held in the Arcade
of the Bazaar. This will help in its revitalization. We encourage the
community
to take a stand in helping us in the fight against HIV/AIDS on Grand
Bahama Island and thank The Grand Bahama Port
Authority for joining our executive partners in support of this cause.
This
much needed cheque will be used to fuel the existing educational
programmes
which raise awareness and improve the knowledge and understanding of the
virus.
According to amfAR, The
Foundation for AIDS Research an international non-profit organization
founded
in 1985 and dedicated to ending the global AIDS epidemic through
innovative
research, has estimated that half of all
the people in the world with HIV have
not been tested and do not know they are carrying the virus. amfAR
confirms
that, “since the beginning of the epidemic, AIDS has replaced malaria
and
tuberculosis as the world’s deadliest infectious disease among adults
and
as a consequence many children have been orphaned by the epidemic.” The
Grand Bahama Port Authority would like to encourage all corporate
citizens, to
join them and their support of raising awareness of HIV/AIDS on Grand
Bahama Island. GBPA encourages the community to
please call a member of the Red Rose Ball Committee to make your pledge
of
support as we join forces to combat this epidemic.