San Francisco Giants Until There's A Cure Day 2010

SUPPORT

THE WORK

UNTIL...

(800) 88-UNTIL

Privacy Statement »

SF Giants Tie A Red Ribbon 'Round Center Field

For fifty-two years, San Francisco has had a love affair with the Giants. With a generous complement of Hall of Famers and national award winners – including the 2008 and 2009 Cy Young Award winner, Tim Lincecum – the home team has given the City by the Bay ample cause for pride. They've also kept a close ear to their community's needs and found creative ways to address them. For the 17th consecutive year, the Giants will team with Until There's A Cure® Foundation (UTAC) on May 15th to transform a day at AT&T Park into a community forum on HIV/AIDS.

AIDS advocacy was a risky venture when the Giants became the first-ever professional sports team to host an AIDS benefit game – the inaugural Until There's A Cure Day on July 31, 1994. Public sentiment toward the disease and those it afflicted was all over the map. Groups hostile to the cause sustained a climate of fear that stifled open and frank conversation. Thankfully, the team and its owners heard a call to action that was simple and compelling: The community was suffering and needed someone to speak for them and with them.

"From the beginning, we saw AIDS as something that affected all of us. We wanted to connect our fans to the cause so they'd join with us in solving a problem," recalls Mario Alioto, SF Giants' Senior Vice President. "It wasn't our place to pass judgment. It was about having compassion for fellow human beings."

To that end, UTAC and the Giants have created dramatic on-field presentations every year to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and engage fans in the fight against the pandemic. Hundreds of volunteers have gathered to create a human red ribbon in center field. Sky-writers have painted red ribbons in the sky. Players have read the names of persons lost to the pandemic while AIDS quilts unfurl on the playing field.

"It's a really moving experience," notes Alioto. "I remember one year when we had the human red ribbon. When the presentation was over, our players left the dugout and started mingling with the volunteers. Then the players from the other team did the same. In that moment, it said to the world, 'Hey. We're all on the same side here. We can do something about HIV/AIDS together.'"

Through ticket sales, game day fundraisers and contributions to the San Francisco Giants Community Fund, the annual Until There's A Cure Day has generated nearly $1.4 million to support Bay Area HIV/AIDS education, service providers and international AIDS research. Representative projects include purchasing a refrigerated truck for Project Open Hand, renovating the AIDS Ward at San Francisco General Hospital and funding scholarships to Camp Sunburst for children living with AIDS.

As a trusted member of UTAC's Honorary Board, Mr. Alioto's vision for AIDS advocacy and awareness extends beyond the pageantry of game day and the thousands of dollars devoted to AIDS-related causes. "I hope that we've created a place where a father and mother can initiate a conversation about AIDS with their children," he says. "I hope they realize that it's OK to talk about AIDS."

Join the San Francisco Giants and Until There's A Cure Foundation in the fight against AIDS. Take your place in the human ribbon by wearing The Bracelet and talking with your friends and family about HIV/AIDS.

Help us generate awareness while we root, root, root for the home team at AT&T Park on May 15th. Buy your tickets today.

Go Giants!

Download this story as a PDF file. »