AIDS Action Kicks Off E-March on December 1

AIDS Action will launch the first-ever electronic march on Washington on World AIDS Day, December 1, 1997. We need your help to make this event a success. Our goal: to enlist as many Americans as possible to refute the misperception that "AIDS is over" and demonstrate their resolve to see that, one day, it really is.

The "Until It's Over e-March" will take place on AIDS Action's website at www.aidsaction.org. Once connected to the site, users will be presented with a virtual version of the Washington Mall (the grounds near the U.S. Capitol where national marches traditionally take place). E-Marchers can participate by signing on to a message to the nation's leaders reminding them that America cares about AIDS "until it's over." In addition, there will be e-March speakers (members of Congress, community leaders, and other public figures), an official updated count of attendees, and even a "booth" for participants to order t-shirts and other remembrances of this historic effort. In short, all the excitement and power of a march with none of the headaches!

As a member of the AIDS Action Network and a leader in your community, your involvement is essential to increasing the visibility of the Until It's Over e-March and encouraging individuals to participate.

The success of the e-March will be judged by the number of e-Marchers. We need your help to:

1. Get your community involved.
   1. Announce the e-March in your office; post a notice for visitors to see. For informational materials, including an e-March poster, contact Kurt Schade at AIDS Action, extension 3060.

   2. Include an announcement of the e-March in routine communications from your organization: newsletters to supporters, updates to fax/e-mail network members, etc.

   3. If you have a website, post an announcement of the e-March and link to the AIDS Action website - www.aidsaction.org. For technical assistance, contact Chris Seidel at AIDS Action, extension 3014 or cseidel@aidsaction.org.

   4. Share an announcement of the e-March with other organizations (coalition members, clinics, church organizations, etc.); ask them to promote the event using one or more of these strategies.

2. Get local media involved.
   1. If your organization is already preparing to mark World AIDS Day with an event or media coverage, incorporate your organization's involvement in the e-March. Speak of the importance of individual participation in the e-March, set up a computer terminal at the event to allow visitors to access the e-March, etc.

   2. If you are not already planning an event, consider scheduling a press conference (perhaps in cooperation with appropriate community partners) on December 1 to promote your involvement in this national effort. Included in this Alert are a sample media advisory to announce your press conference (to be sent between November 19 and 25) and media release (to be sent on December 1). For more information about media strategies, contact Steven Fisher at AIDS Action, extension 3065. Please also fax copies of your advisory and release to AIDS Action at (202) 986-1345.

Although the e-March will be hosted on the AIDS Action website for an entire year (until December 1, 1998), a strong turnout on December 1, 1997, is critical to the success of the event. Anything you can do to help us realize this goal would be greatly appreciated and would go a long way to ensuring that our elected officials in Washington recognize that we will all continue to fight this epidemic "until it's over."

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[SAMPLE MEDIA ADVISORY - REPLACE TEXT IN SQUARE BRACKETS]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: [STAFF NAME]
DATE	[PHONE NUMBER]

MEDIA ADVISORY - COVERAGE INVITED

[YOUR ORGANIZATION] Joins First-Ever "e-March" on Washington

WHAT: [YOUR ORGANIZATION] announces its support of and participation in the first-ever electronic march on Washington that will send the message that America cares about AIDS "until it's over."

The "Until It's Over e-March" is sponsored by AIDS Action, a national HIV/AIDS policy organization based in Washington, and will be hosted on the organization's website at www.aidsaction.org. Web users visiting the site will be presented with a virtual version of the Washington Mall and can participate by signing an e-mail message to be delivered to America's leaders. A digital counter on the site displays the number of e-marchers. The goal is to enlist as many e-Marchers as possible to speak out in support of a continued national commitment to fight AIDS.

WHO: [NAME OF DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT, TITLE, ORGANIZATION NAME]
[IF APPROPRIATE: SAME INFORMATION FOR CO-SPONSOR ORGANIZATION]

WHEN: [START TIME - END TIME]
Monday, December 1, 1997

WHERE: [NAME OF BUILDING/SITE ]
[STREET ADDRESS, INCLUDING ROOM NUMBER]

# # #

[YOUR ORGANIZATION'S "TAG" LINE]

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[SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE - REPLACE TEXT IN SQUARE BRACKETS]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: [STAFF NAME]
December 1, 1997	[PHONE NUMBER]

[YOUR ORGANIZATION] Joins First-Ever "e-March" on Washington

[YOUR ORGANIZATION] today announced its support of and participation in the first-ever electronic march on Washington that will send the message that America cares about AIDS "until it's over."

The "Until It's Over e-March" is sponsored by AIDS Action, a national HIV/AIDS policy organization based in Washington, and will be hosted on the organization's website at www.aidsaction.org. Web users visiting the site will be presented with a virtual version of the Washington Mall and can participate by signing an e-mail message to be delivered to America's leaders. A digital counter on the site displays the number of e-marchers. The goal is to enlist as many e-Marchers as possible to speak out in support of a continued national commitment to fight AIDS.

"We do battle with AIDS every day here in our community," said [YOUR SPOKESPERSON'S NAME], [TITLE] of [YOUR ORGANIZATION] in [YOUR CITY], "but the war must be fought at the national level. Across America, local organizations such as [YOUR ORGANIZATION] are facing a growing epidemic and increasingly limited resources. We know first-hand that AIDS is not over. Each person who participates in the 'Until It's Over e-March' helps ensure that our national leaders know it too."

By supporting this groundbreaking event, [YOUR ORGANIZATION] and AIDS Action hope to allow more Americans to participate in a march on Washington than would be possible by more traditional means. The "virtual" nature of the e-March eliminates many headaches associated with a live national march - such as travelling long distance, finding hotel accommodations, and coping with inclement weather.

"With traditional media fueling misperception of an end to AIDS, the 'Until It's Over e-March' will send a message to our national leaders that it's not over," said Daniel Zingale, executive director of AIDS Action. "Fighting a misperception that AIDS is over means convincing our national leadership that the epidemic will remain an issue for the next century rather than being a relic of this one. The world's first e-March makes AIDS an issue for the information age."

The "Until It's Over e-March" kicks off today to commemorate World AIDS Day and will continue for a full year, until December 1, 1998.

# # #

[YOUR ORGANIZATION'S "TAG" LINE HERE]

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AIDS Action is the nation's leading AIDS advocacy organization, representing all Americans affected by HIV/AIDS and over 2,000 community-based organizations that serve them.

For more information, contact:
AIDS Action
Kurt Schade, Network Correspondent
1875 Connecticut Ave., Suite 700
Washington, DC 20009
phone: (202) 986-1300, ext. 3060
fax: (202) 986-1345
e-mail: network@aidsaction.org