TATF and Saint Patrick
2nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade Outreach
The Teen AIDS Task Force members and volunteers braved frigid temperatures Saturday March 10th, to show their support for AIDS Community Resources in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Utica.
A total of 23 TATF members from Hamilton High School, Whitesboro High School and Oriskany High School attended this long-lived Utica tradition. TATF members and volunteers handed out information to the huge crowds of parade goers about the upcoming 9th Annual AIDS Hike For Life to be held Sunday, April 29th at Hamilton College.
“For the most part, the crowd was very receptive to our banner and our message, nobody gave us any negative remarks,” said Leean Sack, TATF Coordinator for the Mohawk Valley. “Actually, one guy yelled out ‘AIDS sucks.’”
The TATF members had a great time. There was a family walking through the crowd teaching parade-goers an Irish jig before the parade started. There were dogs dressed up in Irish gear, leprechauns, bands and even clowns (which one particular TATF member was not happy about!) The TATF members and volunteers painted each other’s hair green and orange and plastered each other with shamrock stickers and beads. There were even green donuts and hot chocolate to get people in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit.
“I would like to thank all the volunteers and staff that helped me with this project, I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help and thanks for being so motivated even when it is 30 degrees outside! I can’t wait until next year!” Leean Sack said. But then she said the same thing last year, and this parade turned out to be almost as cold as 2006.
Marching in the parade is a great way to get out AIDS Community Resources’ prevention message. “I really think that putting the word ‘AIDS’ out there in the wide open makes people think, and that was the point of us walking, to make people aware, let people know it exists in our community,” TATF Coordinator Leean Sack said. “And especially for the crowd to see young blood walking for this cause, I feel it really made a bold statement, it opened people’s eyes.”