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Rear Admiral Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D., M.P.H., Acting Surgeon General joins Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center to commemorate 20 years of community leadership on the 3rd Annual National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Saturday, May 19, 2007

San Francisco, CA – Tuesday, May 08, 2007 – Surgeon General Kenneth P. Moritsugu, joins Asian & Pacific Islander (A&PI) Wellness Center to celebrate its 20th anniversary of providing services to A&PI communities and to commemorate the 3rd Annual National Asian & Pacific Islander (A&PI) HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on May 19, 2007, at the Metreon Fourth Floor Terrace, 101 4th Street, San Francisco, from 5:00-9:30 p.m.

In honor of this day, from 5:00-6:30 pm, A&PI Wellness Center  will unveil a photo exhibition entitled LenScape, free and open to the public. LenScape is a pictorial autobiography that chronicles the lives of five A&PIs living with HIV in the San Francisco Bay Area. Using photography to create this intimate collection of visual storytelling, the five artists represent a rich cross-section of our diverse A&PI communities in terms of ethnicities, gender and sexual orientations. This event honors the federally endorsed 3rd Annual National A&PI HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, initiated by A&PI Wellness Center as part of The Banyan Tree Project, a national campaign to fight HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination in A&PI communities.  The program also includes appearances by Al and Jane Nakatani, authors of Honor Thy Children, and former NFL Player Esera Tuaolo.

LenScape is followed by A&PI Wellness Center's 20th anniversary celebration and annual fundraiser, HIV Matters: Looking Forward.  A celebration of A&PI Wellness Center’s 20 years of leadership in the HIV/AIDS movement, the event also underscores the agency’s commitment to sustaining and expanding efforts to address the constantly increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on A&PI communities.

The evening, emceed by community icon Tita Aida and Energy 92.7’s Fernando and Greg, will include a brief program of community award presentations as well as entertainment by local and national celebrities.  A&PI Wellness Center is pleased to honor Surgeon General Kenneth P. Moritsugu for his unwavering support and national promotion of National A&PI HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.  Lance Toma, LCSW, A&PI Wellness Center executive director states, "It's imperative to eliminate health disparities affecting our communities of color through education, via social marketing campaigns, such as The Banyan Tree Project. We must encourage A&PIs to have an open dialogue about getting tested for HIV and encourage others to do the same."

Other honorees include Alejandro Diesta & Melenie Eleneke for their leadership and visibility in the ground-breaking HIV Stops With Me campaign, and The California Wellness Foundation for recognizing the critical link between HIV health and employment services.  Special appearances by Al and Jane Nakatani, Esera Tuaolo and the Men of Asian REDefined Calendar 2007 promise to make this an exciting and enchanting evening.

A&PI Wellness Center’s mission is to educate, support, empower and advocate for A&PI communities— particularly A&PIs living with, or at risk for, HIV/AIDS. A&PI Wellness Center is the largest nonprofit in North America focusing on sexual health and HIV/AIDS in A&PI communities. With three sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and a staff fluent in 20 languages, A&PI Wellness Center delivers programs regionally, statewide, and nationally, and collaborates with community based organizations throughout the Asia Pacific Region.

For more information or to purchase tickets and sponsorships, go to www.apiwellness.org or contact Juan Acosta at 415-292-3420 ext 327 or at juan@apiwellness.org