Latino Commission on AIDS Celebrates its Fifteenth Anniversary.

The Latino Commission on AIDS is in a celebratory mood because it will commemorate its Quinceañero very soon. On Wednesday, May 24th, renowned celebrities from the industry, health and entertainment worlds – such as TV reporter María Celeste Arrarás from Telemundo’s Al Rojo Vivo and Maestro Johnny Pacheco – will meet at the legendary Copacabana to participate in CIELO LATINO, the organization’s annual gala, not only to pay tribute to the Commission’s fifteenth anniversary of work, but also for the purpose of raising funds to help millions of Hispanics living with HIV/AIDS.

As part of its annual tradition, the organization will present its 2006 Cielo Latino Awards to Dr. Javier O. Morales, a medial researcher from Puerto Rico; Dr. Beatriz Peña of Pfizer; Jay Ireland, President of NBC Universal TV network. The prestigious ILKA Award, which honors the work of TV, music, theater or Hollywood personality, in the area of HIV/AIDS will be announced shortly.

“We have plenty to celebrate. We have to celebrate the commitment of our employees, who, in spite of how difficult it is to work for a non-profit organization, have stood by us for many years without giving up. We have to celebrate the commitment of those institutions that have helped us during these past fifteen years, such as the media, the community organizations and the private sector; and we have to celebrate our community’s heritage,” stated Dennis de León, President and Executive Director of the Latino Commission on AIDS for the past eleven years.

“Unfortunately,” Mr. De León adds, “on this occasion we must also remember the thousands and thousands of Latinos who lose their lives every day because of HIV/AIDS. Hispanics continue to be one of the groups at greatest risk of becoming infected with this illness in the United States. If we want to change this reality, we have to keep informing our communities, in Spanish, on how to prevent and fight against this disease. We have to talk about HIV/AIDS in our schools, at home, with children as well as adults. Education is of the essence.”

Recent studies indicate that, despite the fact that Hispanics make up just 12.5% of the U.S. population, 20% of all cases of AIDS can be found in this ethnic group.

Established in 1991, the Latino Commission on AIDS is a non-profit organization that works feverishly to improve the health status of the Hispanic community in the United States. To achieve this, the organization develops educational campaigns to inform Latinos about the effects of AIDS and how to prevent them, research and treatment programs, as well as other community services.

As in previous years, the fund-raising Cielo Latino 2006 Gala is being sponsored by corporations that are committed to the welfare of the Hispanic community. Pfizer, MTV Networks, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Hennessy, Bloomberg, Casa Promesa, NY Daily News, HIP, NBC, Telemundo, IntraMed (Sudler & Hennessey), ABC, Goya, UFT, Hispanic Federation, Orasure and Arcos Communications have all joined in this effort.

For more information at http://www.latinoaids.org/cielo