Anne Arundel County Event to Mark World AIDS Day

In observance of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, the Anne Arundel County World AIDS Day Committee will present a free fellowship program of speakers, artists, dancers, musicians and community supporters.

The event will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at the United Church of Christ of Annapolis, 8 Carvel Circle in Edgewater. Refreshments will be provided.

The program, “The Art of Healing,” will be open to the public and will pay tribute to the late Reverend Dr. Wayne Schwandt of the United Church of Christ’s Evolve Ministry. The beloved Schwandt, who served on the county’s World AIDS Day and Chesapeake Pride Festival committees, died in May 2015.

Keynote speaker and wood sculptor Lilian Nabulime, Ph.D., will talk about sculpture as a form of self-expression and self-reflection for individuals with HIV/AIDS. The program will also include Anne Arundel County Health Officer Jinlene Chan, M.D., who will discuss HIV and its affect on the county; the Spiritually Anointed Mime Dancers of Fresh Start Church; and a Circle of Light memorial ceremony.

“The Art of Healing” is supported by the Anne Arundel County Commission on HIV/AIDS, the County Department of Health and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority – Annapolis Alumnae Chapter. For more information about the event, contact Committee Co-Chair Jo Ann Scipio atjoannscipio@gmail.com.

For more information about year-round free HIV testing and HIV/AIDS services, visit the Department of Health’s website, www.aahealth.org/hiv/aids, or call 410-222-7108.