By Shelby Clark
AIDS awareness and support doesn't end as soon as Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, passes. Michigan AIDS Coalition works to keep services, education and more running all year.
Michigan AIDS Coalition began on Feb. 1, 2009 when the Michigan AIDS Fund and Midwest AIDS Prevention Project merged. As a result, MAC has become one of Michigan's oldest non-profits. MAC has dedicated its goals to health promotion, harm and risk reduction, and HIV/STI prevention education.
As a result of community support, MAC is able to provide multiple services and programs to the surrounding area. In particular, MAC's "Open Arms Support Group" is Southeast Michigan's longest running peer-run HIV/AIDS support group. It's open to those infected or affected by HIV or AIDS. The group meets at 7 p.m. every Wednesday at 429 Livernois in Ferndale.
Other programs include A.D.A.P.T., LGBT sensitivity training for counselors and other professionals; Many Men Many Voices (3MV), an intervention service for African-American gay and bisexual men; and Wonderful Animals Giving Support (WAGS), an animal assistance program for those dealing with HIV/AIDS. MAC offers many other additional services too.
For more information on MAC, or the Open Arms Support Group, call 248-545-1435 or e-mail [email protected].
