OUT cast -9/07/2020
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Description
Tune in on Monday, September 7th from 1 to 1:30 p.m. for the conclusion of the OUT Cast series "Deja Vu? The COVID Pandemic and the AIDS Crisis". Sive and Steve will chat with Meredith Bruskin and Donna Short about their remarkable journey as founders of Camp Chrysalis which provided a safe and nurturing environment for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS from 1990 to 2005.Camp Chrysalis : A Safe Place for Transformation~ A Camp in Maine for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in their Hearts and/or Bodies. Meredith Bruskin and Donna Short have been advocates for peace and justice since their youth. While living in Provincetown, Ma. in the 1970's and '80's, they were forced to become AIDS activists as our government ignored the pandemic hitting the Gay community for a number of years. Meredith is also a nurse , family nurse practitioner, and a poet. Donna is a theatre lighting designer and a carpenter. After moving to Maine, they continued their involvement in HIV/AIDS work , helping to start Waldo County AIDS Coalition ( WACO) and being part of an AIDS support group for people affected by HIV/AIDS. The group was looking for a way to overcome grief and loss, with something that would bring them positive healing energy. After joining the first Pediatric AIDS March on Washington in 1990, the idea for Camp Chrysalis was "born". When Camp Chrysalis began, the support group envisioned a " few" children, and a week long camp, just for one summer. The camp ended up serving over 100 children and their families, and many staff members who were also dealing with HIV/AIDS from all over Maine, and it continued as a family camp for fifteen wonderful years. Meredith and Donna are still in touch with the Chrysalis family--we say now that Chrysalis is a place in the heart. They also organize a yearly public vigil on December 1, World AIDS Day to remember all those we have lost, and honor all those still living with HIV/AIDS.
Publication Date
9-7-2020
Publisher
90/9 WMPG FM
City
Portland, Maine
Disciplines
Cultural History | Digital Humanities | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | History | History of Gender | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Oral History | Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Recommended Citation
90.9 WMPG FM, "OUT cast -9/07/2020" (2020). OUT cast. 84.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/outcast/84
