PHILADELPHIA, December 22, 2008 - One Day At A Time (ODAAT) will be holding it's annual Toy March for kids on Tuesday, December 23, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. The march will raise awareness about the disproportionately high levels of violence in the North Philadelphia community over the last decade. ODAAT anticipates the march will draw approximately 200 people.
The march will begin at Broad and York Streets, and end at M. Hall Stanton Elementary School at 16th and Cumberland Streets. The event will conclude with a toy giveaway at Stanton School. All students in the school will be given a toy for Christmas. Over 450 toys will be distributed.
M. Hall Stanton Elementary School is located in a neighborhood that is disproportionately affected by addiction, HIV/AIDS, poverty and violence. Many children in the school are the children of active or recovering addicts. The toy drive extends ODAAT's mission of assisting recovering individuals by helping to ensure that children whose lives are affected by the addiction of a parent or guardian receive a toy for the holidays.
ODAAT's partners in the Toy Give-Away and March include HOPE Worldwide, the Greater Philadelphia Church of Christ and the Philadelphia Police Department.
ODAAT provides services to low-income and homeless men and women suffering from addiction and HIV/AIDS in Philadelphia. ODAAT was founded in 1983 by Reverend Henry T. Wells when he opened his home to a group of recovering addicts, laying the groundwork for a peer-based/community-based recovery program. Since then, ODAAT has increased its scope and impact to include transitional housing facilities, comprehensive case management services, and services to address the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the addicted community. ODAAT is a program of Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition.
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One Day At A Time Rev. Henry T. Wells, Founder - Mel Wells, President 2532 North Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19132 (215) 226-7860 phone (215) 226-7869 fax www.odaat.us A Program of Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition
HIV Facts:
Injection drug use (IDU) accounted for 12% of estimated new HIV infections in the United States in 2006.
Philadelphia reported a slightly higher statistic of 13%.
Every 13 minutes another person becomes infected with the HIV virus in the United States.
Each year, more than 40,000 people become newly infected with HIV in the United States.
That's 109 new infections per day or 1 new infection every 13 minutes.
HIV Fact:
In the United States, men account for 73% of new infections. Philadelphia reports African American women are the fastest growing population.
The CDC estimates that one-quarter of HIV-infected people are unaware of their HIV infection and that these cases account for 54-70% of all new infections.
HIV Facts:
Gay and bisexual men accounted for a significantly greater proportion of estimated new infections nation-wide in the United States in 2006 than any other risk group.
Philadelphia statistics however reported heterosexual's accounted for the largest population.
HIV Facts:
The CDC recommends that everyone in the US aged 13-64, regardless of perceived risk, get tested for HIV to help stop the spread of the disease.
It also recommends that sexually active gay and bisexual men be tested for HIV at LEAST once a year.
HIV Fact:
In 2006 the rate of new HIV infections among non-Hispanic blacks was 7 times the rate among whites. Hispanics saw a rate 3 times that of the white population. Whites accounted for 35% of estimated new HIV infections. Asians/Pacific Islanders accounted for roughly 2% and American Indians/Alaska Natives accounted for roughly 1%.
HIV Facts:
One in every two people living with HIV in the United States is Black. Philadelphia reports 67%of new infections are African Americans.
2006 CDC data indicates about half of the just over 1 million Americans living with HIVS or AIDS are black.
HIV Facts:
High-risk heterosexual contact accounted for 31% of estimated new HIV infections in the United States in 2006.
Philadelphia reported 55% in the same population.
HIV Facts:
The CDC estimates that African Americans are more severely and disproportionately affected by HIV than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States.
More infections occur among young people under 30 than any other age group. Persons 30-39 have the second highest infection rate.
