Wisconsin residents will gather at First Congregational Church Tuesday to commemorate the 21st anniversary of World AIDS Day.
AIDS Network, an organization that provides prevention and care services in south-central Wisconsin, plans to host two events open to the public to recognize the work of its volunteers.
State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, will receive the Executive Director's Award for his volunteer efforts.
""We depend upon a large number of volunteers to help carry out our mission—volunteers who assist us in many different ways. It's appropriate that we recognize all of them for their altruism and generosity on World AIDS Day,"" Dan Curd, director of development and community relations, said in a statement.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services HIV/AIDS Program website said nearly 11,000 people in Wisconsin have been diagnosed with HIV since 1983 and over 3,000 have died from the disease. DHS estimated almost 7,000 people in Wisconsin are currently living with HIV/AIDS.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt, a quilt memorializing the lives of individuals who lost their lives to HIV/AIDS, will be on display in the Overture Center main lobby Dec. 2 and Dec. 3.
The quilt is the largest ""community art project"" in the world and memorializes over 91,000 lives lost to HIV/AIDS.
