A group of about 100 people joined the World AIDS Day observance at Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., over the weekend, spreading a message of compassion, hope and understanding. Participants in Sunday night's ceremony heard inspirational songs by Voices of Kentuckiana, a choral group that includes gay and lesbian members. Members of the clergy read scores of names of the dead from the podium at the university's Eagan Leadership Center as audience members lighted candles in remembrance. Others, such as Daniel Coe, who has lived with AIDS for 12 years, shared their experiences.

"The day I was diagnosed was the worst day of my life, and I've since lost nearly all the friends I had then," said Coe, 49, who is secretary of the Louisville AIDS Walk and runs the children's support group, Heart to Heart. "But I've formed even greater friendships and gained a new perspective on life and have new hope. AIDS no longer means 'Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.' To me it means 'Any Individual Deserves Self-worth.'"

The Kentucky AIDS death rate has declined since 1995, and the state is 29th in the nation in reported cases per 100,000 people, according to the latest Kentucky HIV/AIDS Semi-Annual Report. Its most populous counties -- Jefferson, Fayette and Kenton, among others -- lead in the number of diagnosed cases. Hardest hit is the black community, with 29 percent of reported AIDS cases. African-Americans make up 7 percent of Kentucky's population.

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