Local News in Brief : Countywide : Interest Grows in AIDS Memorial Bracelets

Since October, the Gay & Lesbian Center of Orange County has received more that 130 requests for bracelets imprinted with the name of an AIDS victim, a center spokesman said Tuesday.

Interest in the bracelets is increasing because people realize that “there are a lot of straight people and kids with AIDS,” spokesman Robben Woode said.

He said the center asks a $10 donation for each bracelet and keeps $3 plus any donation over the $10 to help pay for educational and counseling programs. One program supplies speakers to discuss acquired immune deficiency syndrome anywhere from bars to beaches, he said.

Most of the proceeds go to the Public War on AIDS Endowment Fund, an emergency fund to provide money for AIDS patients, said Dennis Millette, Los Angeles-based operations director.

Money has also been used to pay for treatment and other expenses of AIDS patients, he said. Requests for aid have ranged from $250 to $1,000.

About 40 organizations nationally are distributing bracelets. Millette estimated that donations have been received for 15,000 to 20,000 bracelets since the effort started in 1987.

When a cure for AIDS is developed, Millette said, all the bracelets will be collected and melted into a memorial for those who died of the disease.

“By remembering those who have died, we are helping to support those who are living with the disease,” he said.