POTSDAM -- SUNY Potsdam AIDS Education Group (PAEG) will take part in the 28th Annual Candlelight Memorial Service to acknowledge the impact of the epidemic on the world on Wednesday, April 27, at 6 p.m. in the Academic Quad by the Crumb Library.

The annual International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is one of the largest and oldest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world, and marks the culmination of a successful academic year of PAEG awareness activities that began with the World AIDS Day presentation last December.

For 28 years, the Candlelight Memorial has brought people together in every region of the world to honor those lost to AIDS. Locally, participants will light candles and walk around the perimeter of the SUNY Potsdam campus.

This year, volunteer candlelight coordinators in 115 countries are expected to host vigils for their communities.

The event is an opportunity to educate about AIDS, advocate for policy change, foster partnerships and community dialogue and improve skills for community mobilization.

With 33 million people estimated to be infected worldwide, the memorial serves as an important uniting intervention among civil society and their governments, breaking down social barriers and giving hope to future generations.

SUNY-PAEG was created in 1988 by faculty, staff and students interested in promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and education and developing interventions to reduce the risk of infection.

The event is free, and the public is welcome to attend.

For more information, contact Patricia Whelehan at 267-2048 or whelehpe@potsdam.edu.