CAN Community Health and Galleria Fort Lauderdale have joined forces to commemorate World AIDS Day through an official public event aimed at raising awareness and providing a collective voice for global health. The public is invited on Friday, December 1, at 8:30 a.m., to participate in an official kickoff ceremony in honor of World AIDS Day at Galleria Fort Lauderdale (2414 E. Sunrise Blvd.). Attendees are encouraged to pre-register at CAN Community Health’s World AIDS Day Page.

In 2022, UNAIDS reported approximately 1.3 million HIV cases, with an estimated 630,000 deaths attributed to AIDS-related illnesses during the same year. Since the onset of the epidemic, there have been an estimated 40.4 million deaths. According to the CDC, the risk of HIV remains high among Black and Latino gay and bisexual men.

On December 1, World AIDS Day, the morning will commence with a gathering of elected officials, fellow HIV-related agencies and other stakeholders. The event will feature special performances by LeNora Jaye and the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida. The event will take place inside the mall’s Palm Court Market connected to the main valet parking area.

CAN Community Health welcomes participating organizations: Broward County Health Services, Broward House, Broward Regional HIV Planning Council, Florida Blue, Holy Cross Health, Midland, Our Fund Foundation, SunServe, The McKenzie Project, The Rapha Center, Transinclusive Group, Ujima Men’s Collective and Wilton Manors Business Association.

The event is free, however, pre-registration is encouraged at https://bit.ly/CANWorldAIDSDay2023.