10 Meaningful Ways to Commemorate World AIDS Day

In 1991, Valerie Reyes-Jimenez, a 26-year-old New Yorker, and her family faced a crisis. They were homeless and HIV-positive, struggling to survive with their two young children. Housing Works, a new organization, helped Reyes-Jimenez get an apartment and access medical care. Her husband passed away from AIDS-related complications, leaving her a widow and single mother, but Housing Works provided her with the support she needed during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis.

Today, HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence, but it still affects millions of people worldwide. World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 brings attention to the ongoing dangers of the virus. UNAIDS reports that 39 million people are living with HIV, and 630,000 people died from AIDS last year.

The theme for World AIDS Day in 2023 is “Let Communities Lead,” and organizations like Housing Works and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS have been at the forefront of the battle against AIDS. Housing Works, founded in 1990, provides housing assistance, primary care, and other support services for individuals and families affected by AIDS. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS raises funds to provide medications, healthcare, meals, and financial assistance to AIDS patients.

New Yorkers can support these organizations by volunteering, donating items, shopping at their stores, or contributing to their fundraising efforts. By donating to these organizations, individuals can help people like Valerie Reyes-Jimenez, who now works as a community organizer for Housing Works and has been able to turn her life around with the help of the organization’s support.