World AIDS Day (December 1, 2008)  has come and gone with many events held  here in the City of Thunder Bay. I was drawn to, and awed by, the response in our community to the disease on a global level.

This is my first opportunity to speak to you from the “megatropolis” of Thunder Bay as your OUTtv Ambassador representing this city and region. I am honoured with the opportunity and will promise “not to let you down” by providing you with a rural outlook of being GLBT in the outback!

We are a small city of 109,000 people located at the top of Lake Superior, isolated but resilient and hard working to battle the issues of AIDS, not just in our community but around the world.

Although we are like many rural outposts in our country we have a very low population of GLBT people due to outward migration to bigger centres. This will be a common theme I will be writing to, later in my blog, but back to my thoughts on World AIDS Day in Thunder Bay.

AIDS Thunder Bay, one of the longest serving agencies in this country has been actively on the front lines of this issues of AIDS and how it impacts our community and they helped organize the breakfast. What was different about the World AIDS Day Breakfast was how many people are involved locally in the issue globally. In fact, I was blown away by the support my community has given to places like Africa where 250 people per day die of AIDS.

As I looked across the packed room where the 1st Annual World AIDS Day Breakfast was taking place I was later to feel proud of the accomplishments held by fellow participants. One after another, presentations were made, starting with a new clinic program for people with AIDS in the Thunder Bay. Dr. Greg Gamble, Communicable Disease Specialist with expertise in HIV/AIDS & Hep C is the Medical Director for AIDS Thunder Bay’s HIV Medical Clinical Care Program and he spoke to the stats and the figures of  serving people with the disease.

Dr. Steve Klaussen, Bicycles for Humanity, presented his story of how bicycles are collected locally and then sent in a shipping container, that act as both a storage vessel and bike repair shop, into the heart of Africa. These bicycles provide transport for doctors and nurses to attend to people suffering with AIDS, but also provide much needed transport for the villagers. As Dr. Klaussen said “Bicycles are like trucks in the rural areas, where they can be fashioned into ambulances, transport goods and services to people in need”.

There were many other presentations by individuals and groups supporting People with AIDS (PWA) including; Ray Dunn from Nu-Vision, Donna White from World Vision and Caring Hands represented by John Grabish and special guest Pastor Hannu from Kampala, he is a representative of FIDA International as well as Caring Hands; his wife’s name is Milla and was also was in attendance, she is the founder for Caring Hands.

Others included, Habitat for Humanity and Friends of Africa, Global Health Program, Global Conscience, Africa Matters  and Grandmothers for Africa.

To conclude, I was totally amazed at the help that these people from my city and region, who I knew nothing about, to assist those with AIDS in the worlds, especially Africa. It left me with the question, “What can I do? “

In future blogs, I will be speaking to; some project work I will be attending to in our community, to understand better the challenges people with AIDS have and also the means in which I could do my part.

Please send me your comments and questions, so we can all make a difference in this complex world we now live.