Sections of the internationally celebrated AIDS Memorial Quilt — the 54-ton, handmade tapestry that stands as a memorial to more than 94,000 individuals lost to AIDS — will be on display in early December at Mohawk Valley Community College in honor of World AIDS Day (Dec. 1). This free display of The Quilt, sponsored by MVCC Student Government, is open to the public and is being hosted by MVCC’s LGBTQ Committee, which is asking the community for help in making the event even more meaningful to the Mohawk Valley.

If you would like the display to include a specific panel of The Quilt representing a family member or loved one, please contact LGBTQ Committee Co-Chairs Erin Severs or Erica Kennard with your request at esevers@mvcc.edu, and 315-792-5657 or ekennard@mvcc.edu. The committee will collect requests to submit to the NAMES Project Foundation, which are due Oct. 15.

Established in 1987, The NAMES Project Foundation is the international organization that is the custodian of The AIDS Memorial Quilt. The Quilt began with a single 3 x 6 foot panel created in San Francisco. Today, The Quilt is composed of more than 48,000 individual 3 x 6 foot panels, each one commemorating the life of someone who has died of AIDS. These panels come from every state in the nation, every corner of the globe, and have been sewn by hundreds of thousands of friends, lovers, and family members into this epic memorial, the largest piece of ongoing community art in the world. In a war against a disease that has no cure, The Quilt has evolved as a potent tool in the effort to educate against the lethal threat of AIDS. By revealing the humanity behind the statistics, The Quilt helps teach compassion, triumphs over taboo, stigma and phobia; and inspires individuals to take direct responsibility for their own well-being and that of their family, friends, and community.

For more information on the display at MVCC in Utica, please call 315-792-5657. For more information on The NAMES Project and The AIDS Memorial Quilt, visit www.aidsquilt.org.