AIDS Candlelight Memorial Service this Sunday

Providing HIV and AIDS care and prevention education since 1987! Pearle, Austin's 12th Annual AIDS Candlelight Memorial Service will be held this Sunday, May 15, from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Republic Square Park at 5th and Guadalupe (map). The service is free and open to the public, and participants are invited to bring families, friends and candles to remember and honor. Started in 1983, the Candlelight Memorial honors the lives lost and raises social consciousness about HIV and AIDS. In addition to the service, free and confidential HIV testing will be provided from 7:00 pm to 8:30pm. Testing and counseling will be provided by Community AIDS Resources & Education, a program of Integral Care. In case of inclement weather, the service will be held at The Central Presbyterian Church located at San Jacinto and 8th Street.   In attendance will be Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, as well as featured speaker and 25-year HIV/AIDS survivor Bart Loeser. Representatives of local AIDS Service Organizations will read the first names of loved ones who have been lost during the past year as a ceremonial bell tolls. Local artist Brett Bachus will perform a musical tribute. For more information, contact volunteer organizer Eric Crabtree. Regards, AIDS Services of Austin