Recently, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that 80 percent of people living with HIV do not know that they are infected. Could you be part of that 80 percent? You can be in the know now!

Tuesday, November 29^th is “Know your Status Day.” This event is a free HIV/AIDS testing day in KC 130 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This day of testing is a partnership with the Howard County Health Department and the Junior One Med/Surg nursing class at IU Kokomo. The Health Department will be using the OraQuik oral swab method for testing.

Studies show that those who do not know their status are more likely to transmit the infection, and approximately 56,000 new HIV infections are reported in the U.S. each year. An estimated 17,000 people die each year from AIDS. Knowing your status is important. Whether or not you are HIV positive or negative, knowing your status keeps you aware of your body and allows you to lead a healthy lifestyle.

The director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention at the CDC, Dr. Kevin Fenton, said this about knowing your status: “Whether you test positive or negative, simply knowing your HIV status is empowering. Testing negative can give you peace of mind and encourage you to take steps to keep yourself HIV-free. And while [it is] certainly a difficult diagnosis to receive, learning that you have HIV can lead you to seek treatment that can save your life, and access to the knowledge you need to protect the lives of others.”

June 27, 2011 marked the National HIV Testing Day. On this day, President Obama stated that “National HIV Testing Day reminds each of us to do our part in fighting HIV/AIDS and get tested. It has been thirty years since we witnessed the emergence of HIV, an illness from which roughly 600,000 Americans have died and with which more than one million Americans live. After years of critical investments in research, prevention, and care, we now have the tools to stem the spread of the disease and extend the lives of those Americans living with HIV.”

Getting tested for HIV could save your life. On November 29^th, get tested and make a difference in your life and the lives of others around you!

BY: Hollie Boyles

As the economic slump continues, many Americans are becoming increasingly frustrated and are fighting back against those who are perceived to be perpetuating the problems. One entity currently being targeted is the large banking industry, and a new movement requesting that people remove all money from banks on November 5^th is gaining momentum through social networking.

Art Gallery owner Kristen Christian of Los Angeles started the movement when she became tired of fee increases and not having access to her own money. Christian decided to move her money to a local credit union. Upon doing so, she decided to encourage others to do the same as a show of people taking control of their own finances.

Some economists fear that the movement will cause a “run on banks,” like the one that happened after the stock market crash of 1929, which was part of the cause of the Great Depression. Those involved in the organization of Bank Transfer Day, however, claim that because people are being encouraged to deposit their money in credit unions rather than keeping it at home in a drawer that this will not cause another depression.  They also state that unless there are an unanticipatedly large number of participants, the amount of money being withdrawn will not be enough to seriously affect the large banks.

Credit unions are being selected as the destination for funds withdrawn from banks because they are locally owned and operated.  They generally offer better interest rates, no minimum balances, and are willing to invest in local businesses.

The National Credit Union Association reports that its members have recently gained more accounts since the movement started and that Internet searches for credit unions have also increased. The NCUA has been sending out memos to its members in order to help prepare them for any increased activity that they may see due to the Bank Transfer movement, as well as running marketing campaigns to take advantage of the added publicity.

While Bank Transfer Day has been gaining some recognition, it has been overshadowed by the Occupy Wall Street protest that began on September 17 and has been continuing ever since. The Bank Transfer Day organizers claim no affiliation with the “Occupy” movement and has posted that they“[do] not endorse any activities conducted by Occupy Wall Street” on their Facebook page.

Those interested in what Bank Transfer Day can visit the movement’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Nov.Fifth. For information about the National Credit Union Association, visit their website at www.asmarterchoice.org. Whether or not large banks take notice of these movements and change their business practices is yet to be seen and will probably not be noticeable for quite some time.

John Robertson

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Syra Sharif

The Kokomo Rescue Mission's services are available all day, 365 days a year. Photo Provided by Nicholas Parkhurst

The Kokomo Rescue Mission is a far more expansive organization that its name would allude. The Kokomo Rescue Mission does offer food and shelter to those in need, but it does so much more. The Mission helps more than 1500 people every single week, and this service is truly invaluable to the community.

Of course, an organization this expansive is itself always in need of help, and that help has to come back from the community. There are many ways to volunteer, and applications can be found online at www.kokomorescuemission.org. Volunteers can help by serving meals, decorating, cleaning, wrapping gifts during Christmas, working at the food bank and the Mission’s secondhand resale stores, doing office work, improving the grounds, and more. If you can’t afford to donate time, the Mission also has an extensive list of needs, from cooking ingredients, bedding, and bathroom supplies, to furniture, vehicles, and household appliances. If you have a spare microwave sitting in the garage or an old loveseat that’s still in good condition, consider giving it to the Mission. You’ll help this organization better provide for the multitude of people who are so in need. They’ll even make arrangements to pick your donations up from your house. It can’t get any easier.

This time of year, in particular, is important at the Kokomo Rescue Mission because of upcoming holidays. Every year, the Mission makes and serves over 2,500 Thanksgiving dinners to feed to anyone who can’t afford to make their own. Although not everyone who will be served this wonderful meal is homeless, many are. Kokomo may not be known for prevalent homelessness, but it certainly exists. Almost half of those without a place to stay are under 45, and many of those are children. Without a home, it is often impossible to even try to make a holiday dinner.

This incredibly generous gesture is not without cost to the Mission, and they greatly appreciate donations towards this feast. Among the food needed to feed so many people are 85 turkeys, 20 hams, 100 gallon-size cans each of green beans and corn, 2,500 dinner rolls, and just as many servings of instant mashed potatoes. As anyone can see, that’s a huge amount of food. As you go shopping for your own Thanksgiving dinner this year, considering purchasing an extra can of green beans or corn, or if you can afford it, even a turkey or ham. Local bulk suppliers like Sam’s Club and GFS Marketplace carry these canned vegetables for just a few dollars apiece.

A donation towards someone else’s Thanksgiving dinner may only mean a few dollars for you or me, but it makes a world of difference for families who otherwise would have no meal at all, let alone a Thanksgiving feast, to celebrate with on this holiday.

Tiffani Bonifant