http://culturalforum.uoregon.edu
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'Get the
A benefit concert for the HIV
Alliance will raise funds for the
Sana Needle Exchange Program
BY NATASHA CHILINGERIAN
SENIOR PULSE REPORTER
Four local bands will play at John
Henry's Friday night to help prevent
the spread of HIV. Musical groups
Takimoto, Whopner County Country
All-Stars, PB Army and The Sawyer
Family will rock at "Getthe Point," a
benefit concert for HIV Alliance's
Sana Needle Exchange Program.
University Family and Human Ser
vices students and HIV Alliance in
terns Niki Martin and Emily Graham
Berks coordinated the event for their
senior project. Graham-Berks said
the event has two purposes: to raise
funds forthe Sana Needle Exchange
Program and to raise awareness of
its benefits.
"We help prevent HIV in this com
munity, and that helps everyone
health-wise and tax money-wise,"
she said.
The program, founded in 1999, al
lows injection drug users to bring in
their used needles in exchange for
clean ones. In one facet of the pro
gram, volunteers called Sana Sisters
go into parks and other places in the
community, pick up used needles and
dispose of them safely. Martin said
this helps keep areas clean and safe
from the spread of disease.
"The main issue is when used
needles end up in gutters or bushes,"
she said. "If someone steps on one,
they could get stuck by it and possi
bly catch HIV or hepatitis."
Clients of the Sana Needle Ex
change Program are primarily injec
tion drug users of heroin and metham
phetamine, and about half are
homeless. Although the pro
gram gives drug users
easy access to clean
needles, Sana Needle
Exchange Director
Sharon Chamberlain
said it does not in
crease the amount of
drug use in the communi
ty. In fact, she said drug use
has decreased because
the program also con
nects drug users with
people who can help
them quit.
"Since some
people are not will
ing and ready to
quit, we can at least
prevent them from get
ting AIDS or hepatitis,"
Chamberlain said. "When they are
readyto give up drugs, it will be easi
er because they won't have to deal
with a chronic disease."
Martin said funds forthe program
were cut by two-thirds last year, so
the concert will be an important step
in earning the money back. Raffle tick
ets, stickers, buttons and T-shirts will
be up for sale, and HIV Alliance will
set up tables with information about
HIV prevention. Attendees are en
couraged to make donations
atthe show, and Graham
Berks said they hope to
raise about $1,600.
Martin and Chamber
lain said they hope to re
cruit more program volun
teers atthe show.
"If we can gain 200 new ad
vocates, that would help a lot"
Martin said.
Despite budget cuts, the
Sana Needle Exchange
Program has been
highly successful
thus far. As the
largest program of
its kind in Oregon,
the program ex
changes 52,000
needles each month.
John Henry's is at
77 W. Broadway. Tickets are on a
sliding scale of $3to$5 atthe door.
The show starts at 9 p.m.
natchilingerian@dailyemerald.com
UO Cultural Forum Presents the 13th Annual
QUG0r Film Festival
Thursday 2/24
8PM Warhol’s
Lonesome Cowboys
Part of the Andy Warhol film
series
Friday 2/25
7PM Tarnation
Jonathan Caouette's
Spellbinding debut
documents his epic portrait
of an American family torn
apart by dysfunction and
reunited through the power
of love.
9PM Short film
competition winners
and honorable
February 24-27
Saturday 2/26
1 PM Freedom to Marry
with author Davina Kotulski
Carmen Goodyear and Laurie
York Goodyear’s documentary
is a collection of varying
perspectives of the history
making marriages that took
place between same-sex
couples in San Francisco in
February, 2004.
3PM A Day Like Any
Other
A short by Portland filmmaker,
Greg Sax
3:30PM Flowers from
the Heartland
documentary
9PM The Raspberry
Reich
Mature Audiences Only
11PM Annie
Sprinkle’s Amazing
World of Orgasm
documentary (50 min.)
Sunday 2/27
12PM Dragkings on
Tour
documentary (50 min.)
1PM A Few Good
Dykes
documentary
021539
mention
11PM Buffy Musical
“Once more with
feeling” Sing-a-long
This episode features several
hit songs performed by the
cast, in accordance to the
episode’s storyline of a
demon that is terrorizing
sunnydale with uncontrollable
song and dance.
180,
4PM Proteus
Narrative feature (90 min.)
6PM Audience Choice
Awards
Vote for your favorite Short
and it wins $200
2PM Goldfish Memory
A light-hearted look at the
dangers and delights of dating
in contemporary Dublin
PL C
14th and Kmc
aid
full festival Passes
$6 UO Students / $8 General Public