The AIDS Council of Northeastern New York has launched a regional HIV/STD Awareness Campaign with the release of a Public Service Announcement created by area at-risk teens. The Public Service Announcement – entitled “The Price Is Your Life” – was conceived, developed, scripted, performed and produced by at-risk youth from Equinox, Inc., Rensselaer Education Center Questar III, and X-Quest, with assistance from L&P Media. The AIDS Council premiered the Public Service Announcement on Monday, November 30, 2009 to mark World AIDS Day (December 1, 2009) and the end of its 25th year of service to the community. The press conference took place at the AIDS Council’s Albany office, located at 927 Broadway.

The premiere of the Public Service Announcement served as the launch for a larger Youth HIV/STD Awareness Campaign produced by the AIDS Council. The Public Service Announcement will initially be available for viewing on the internet, followed by a sustained television, radio and billboard campaign. Funding for the Youth HIV/STD Awareness Campaign was made possible by a Federal Earmark from former Congresswoman and current United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and former Congressman Michael R. McNulty.

Gloria Baker, Secretary of the AIDS Council’s Board of Directors, provided statistics at the press conference that reflected the need for the Youth HIV/STD Awareness Campaign. “The AIDS Council saw a 33% increase in the number of youth living with HIV/AIDS – ages 21 and under – we served in the past year, along with a 37% increase in the number of HIV-negative at-risk youth we served,” said Baker. “Even more distressing is the news that among 15-19 year olds, Schenectady County has one of the highest gonorrhea rates in the state, and Albany & Schenectady County youth have one of the highest Chlamydia rates in the state as well. Across New York State, females age 15-19 are 3 times more likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease than their male counterparts.”

Michele McClave, the AIDS Council’s Executive Director, acknowledged the need for the Youth HIV/STD Awareness Campaign: “On the eve of World AIDS Day 2009, the AIDS Council is more determined than ever to stop the spread of HIV, and we look to our community to help us spread the message that HIV/AIDS is still here, that there is no cure on the horizon, and that only through a shared community response will we make progress against this devastating public health epidemic. Our message must reach our youth now, or else we run the risk of history repeating itself generation after generation.”

“The Price Is Your Life” Public Service Announcement is available for viewing at www.ThePriceIsYourLife.com, as well as on the AIDS Council’s main agency website (www.aidscouncil.org) and the AIDS Council’s adolescent-focused website (www.hivoutreach2teens.com).

We Have Less Than 100 Tickets Left for the Party of the Year - Have You Purchased Yours Yet?

Tickets are going fast… and you don’t want to miss out on:

- Le Jardin de Paris, where you will experience cuisine from 25 of our region’s top restaurants and chefs.

- Café Beaujolais, our new coffee bar and lounge, complete with decadent desserts and live piano music.

- Club Beaujolais, a rocking good time, complete with live Moulin Rouge-style cancan entertainment and DJ Shawn Gillie spinning the top party hits, creating the perfect French nightclub ambiance.

- Our expanded Silent Auction, which is bigger and better than ever! Featuring more than 50 unique packages with something for everyone. And brand new for 2009, a breathtaking Live Auction.

AND MUCH, MUCH MORE! VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

There are two easy ways to get your tickets:

- Online: Purchase tickets using our secure online site. (Tickets will be avalible online until 12:00 noon on 11/19.)

- By Phone: call 518.434.4686 Ext. 2415. (Tickets will be avlible by phone until 3:00 p.m on 11/19.)
If you’ve already purchased your tickets, thank you and we look forward to seeing you there.

Get your French On!

Though wine snobs may stick up their sniffers to the easy drinking quality of Beaujolais Nouveau, this unique red wine is no box of Franzia.

Beaujolais Nouveau is a lightweight wine made exclusively from Gamay grapes, and is produced in the Beaujolais region of France- a 34 mile stretch of land in east-central France. By law, all grapes must be harvested by hand in the Beaujolais region.

Without carbonic maceration—a whole berry fermentation which preserves fruit flavors without extracting bitter tannins from the skins of the grapes—Gamay grapes would be unsuitable for wine production due to their extraordinarily high levels of acidity.

Beaujolais Nouveau is the most popular vin de primeur, fermented for just a few weeks then officially released for sale on the third Thursday of November. This Beaujolais Day or Beaujolais Nouveau Day sees heavy marketing from the producers, with races to get the first bottles of the vintage to different markets.

Come celebrate Beaujolais Day with us at the 15th Annual Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Celebration on Thursday, November 19th. You’ll have a chance to taste the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau as well as other delicious wines, and sample cuisine from 25 of the area’s best restaurants. For more information, please visit http://www.aidscouncil.org/help/beaujolais-nouveau/.

Kara Wisenburn is a social marketing volunteer at the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York. With a dual degree in magazine journalism and marketing management from Syracuse University, Ms. Wisenburn brings a unique combination of creative and analytical skills to the marketing/development department. Ms. Wisenburn volunteers her time to the AIDS Council because she is a firm believer that strategic communication can do more than advance awareness of HIV/AIDS as a public health risk; it can fight to eliminate the HIV/AIDS-related stigma altogether.