Light to Unite

We’ve talked this week about the need for continued communication around HIV and AIDS and how the media is rolling out special programming for World AIDS day tomorrow. Today I learned about an example of what corporate America is doing to continue dialogue on HIV and AIDS and raise money to combat the disease.

This year, Bristol-Myers Squibb will once again commemorate World AIDS Day by inviting visitors to the site "Light to Unite" to light a “virtual candle” that symbolizes support for those infected with HIV and AIDS. For each candle lit, Bristol-Myers Squibb will donate $1, up to a maximum of $100,000, to benefit AIDS Service Organizations in under-served areas of the U.S.

Bristol-Myers Squibb is not the only company donating resources and money to World AIDS Day. MTV Networks and the Kaiser Family Foundation are hosting a range of online and offline events internationally in addition to unveiling the winner of the “Change the Course of HIV Challenge,” where they asked college students to propose a viral, Web-based video game concept that educates 15-24 year olds.

It was also announced that Abbott, as part of its sponsorship of the “I Stand With Magic” program, an FH client that is part of the "Campaign to End Black AIDS," will host Cookie Johnson, wife of Earvin "Magic" Johnson, in a nationwide tour to educate women on HIV/AIDS. The program will be traveling to New York, LA and Chicago to provide free HIV testing and education in recognition of World AIDS Day 2007.

For gay specific campaigns, IBM partnered with HRC and Gay Men’s Health Crisis for research efforts to help battle AIDS using their World Community Grid on World AIDS Day in 2005. By downloading software from World Community Grid, you can donate your unused, idle computer time to power research on chemical strategies effective in the treatment of HIV-infected individuals. This unique program joins together individual computers, creating a system with massive computational power.

Instead of just donating money, these companies are prompting dialogue and consumer interactivity to raise awareness and involvement around the issue. All of these companies recognize the importance and critical need for corporate social responsibility initiatives around this topic and the tangible benefits of this PR – exemplifying another way corporate America is hearing the needs of the gay, and other diverse, audiences.

I hope you find time to visit Light to Unite before tomorrow and remember those people whose lives have been touched by HIV and AIDS.

Comments

[Michael]

Great post about World's AIDS Day. There are a lot of great things taking place that we all can support.