Winner Platform
Name: Ashley Bickford
Title: Miss Rhode Island 2007


The kNOw HIV/AIDS Campaign
Know, Prevent, Care, Cure

"No war on the face of the Earth is more destructive than the AIDS pandemic. I was a solider. But I know of no enemy in war more insidious or vicious than AIDS. Will history record a fateful moment in our time, on our watch, when action came too late?"

- Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell

Clearly define the platform issue to which you are sincerely committed, have been personally involved with and for which you will be an activist during your year of service.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic constitutes a global emergency and is the central justice issue of our time.  I believe that we are fighting a war.  I am a soldier in this war.  1 out of every 300 people in the United States is infected with HIV and it is not acceptable.  I believe the AIDS crisis can be solved.  HIV/AIDS is a manageable disease that has multiplied into a pandemic through deficient knowledge, lack of political will, neglect and discrimination.  In the United States 1,185,000 people are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS.  Of that population, 24%-27% of people are undiagnosed and unaware of their HIV infection.  Last year alone, the estimated number of diagnoses in the United States was 42,514.  I am committed to making sure action does not come too late.  kNOw HIV/AIDS is a comprehensive campaign to attack the pandemic from all sides.  The central motives of the campaign are to:  1. Know the disease, how it is caused and the facts about it.  2. Prevent the disease by becoming educated and taking measures to stop the spread.  3. Care for those who are HIV positive and insure them proper medical treatment and emotional support.  4. Cure the disease by raising funds for the development of new medicines and a vaccine.  In addition to the Campaign, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals provide the specialized care needed for 72% of the children in the United States afflicted with pediatric AIDS.  The Miss America Organization's new partnership with the Children's Miracle Network has opened up an unprecedented opportunity to not only further the goals of the kNOw HIV/AIDS Campaign, but also the goals of Children's Miracle Network and the Miss America Organization at the same time.  As Nelson Mandela said, "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than in the way in which it treats its children."  Through this partnership we have the power to erase pediatric AIDS forever.  The goals of the kNOw HIV/AIDS Campaign and the Children's Miracle Network are one in the same as both work to transform the quality of life for humanity.  AIDS has the potential to go down in the history books as one of the greatest tragedies in the history of humanity, but it doesn't have to be that way.  A cure may not be found in our lifetime, but our work today is critical to the children of tomorrow.  To reverse the AIDS pandemic the public must become better informed, act quickly and with compassion.

What are your most significant accomplishments to date concerning your platform issue, including your involvement in non-profit or other related organizations on a local, state or national level?
I have worked vigorously throughout the past four years to make the goals of the kNOw HIV/AIDS Campaign a reality.  My involvement in the kNOw HIV/AIDS Campaign began when I initiated Rhode Island's first Peer HIV/AIDS Educator Program to reach out and actively engage Rhode Island youth in HIV prevention.  I was chosen as one of three recipients of a Real Change Grant for a proposal I wrote regarding social change and HIV/AIDS.  The grant was sponsored by the national "Raise Your Voice Campaign".  As a result of the grant, I became certified as an American Red Cross HIV/AIDS Instructor and trained a group of peers to be certified as well.  We now fill an important void in Rhode Island communities by conducting HIV/AIDS workshops to enhance the well-being of citizens here in Rhode Island, a significant change that I am proud to have started.  This past year I was a founding member and the Director of Operations for Dancing for Children, a fundraiser and HIV/AIDS awareness event that netted $10,000 in its first event.  The money will go directly to defray medical care costs and fund awareness and education programs for HIV/AIDS.  Other efforts to further the kNOw HIV/AIDS Campaign include spearheading a community awareness event for World AIDS Day, as well as promoting and raising funds for Youth AIDS.  I currently serve as a "buddy" for HIV positive people through AIDS Project RI on a weekly basis.  I run monthly resident programs for the Sunrise House of AIDS Care Ocean State, which provides non-judgmental housing for those infected with HIV.  I volunteer with the Walk for Life - AIDS Walk, which is the single largest AIDS fundraiser in Rhode Island every year.  I am a volunteer for the yearly International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, and also provide programming support for the Positive Connections television program, which is broadcast across Rhode Island and supports all issues surrounding AIDS.  I travel the state with AIDS Quilt RI conducting Anna's Workshop programs in schools for children to learn about AIDS and make panels to commemorate a life for the national AIDS Quilt.  During my term of service this past year as a national Americorps volunteer, I worked with the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center's after school program and teen center.  I also volunteer weekly with Child and Family Services Positive Role Model for at risk youth living in group homes in Newport and the surrounding communities.  I am very proud to have added an international component to my efforts with the kNOw HIV/AIDS Campaign this year when I spent my winter break in Ghana, West Africa, volunteering as an AIDS Instructor in the Kokrobitey Village.  Since my visit, great progress has been made on getting a website running and attaining 501©3 status for my non-profit, the African Women's Micro-Finance Coalition to provide Sub-Saharan African women with micro-finance start up funds for small businesses.  Micro-finance has been proven not only to change women's lives forever; it empowers them, promotes women's rights, reduces domestic violence and drastically reduces the incidence of AIDS in not only themselves, but their families and communities they live in.  I am a volunteer at Hasbro Children's Hospital, a member hospital of the Children's Miracle Network, conducting hospital tours for prospective groups, donors, and benefactors.  I am also a volunteer with the partial hospitalization program that works with children who not only need hospitalization for their physical ailments, but who also need care regarding the psychological side effects of their illness as well.  My experience as a student leader, volunteer, and activist will greatly benefit my work as Miss Rhode Island.

Specifically, what do you wish to accomplish during your year of service and which major non-profit corporations or other organizations would you like to partner with as an activity for your platform on a local, state and national level?
As Miss Rhode Island I will begin my year by publicly launching a full time commitment to my state and platform to commence my year of service.  I will travel the state as a visible mentor, educator and friend, improving the lives of all Rhode Islanders through fulfilling the goals of the kNOw HIV/AIDS Campaign and the Children's Miracle Network.  I will tour Rhode Island giving presentations to local schools using my certification with the American Red Cross with information on how every individual can protect and empower themselves against HIV/AIDS.  While at the schools, I will develop a preventative alliance of peer educators throughout the state to actively involve and inspire our youth to take action.  I will expand upon my advocacy and volunteerism for state wide organizations such as AIDS Project RI and AIDS Care Ocean State.  I will engage the public through appearances on the Positive Connections television program.  I will use my experience as an international AIDS volunteer to reach out and connect with the youth demographic groups most at risk.  I will provide a much needed voice for the lives affected by HIV through AIDS Quilt RI and Anna's Workshop panel making sessions for the contribution to the national AIDS quilt.  I will use the crown to bring positive recognition to children in treatment at Hasbro Children's Hospital as well as aggressively raise funds for betterment of the Children's Miracle Network.  I will build rapport with the community, government, non-profits, businesses and schools of Rhode Island through dedication to my platform as well as to the Miss Rhode Island Scholarship Program and raise funds for future scholarships.  I will launch my platform into the national spotlight by creating key partnerships with major national organizations such as UNICEF, the American Red Cross, the CDC, the William J. Clinton Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Be The Generation.Org, Plan USA, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Until There's A Cure, and YouthAIDS.  Overall, I will work unwaveringly to support my platform and the Miss Rhode Island Organization everywhere in the state, inspiring people to take little, everyday steps to empower themselves and those they care about.  By being a compassionate leader, trusted friend, and unwavering voice, I will pave the way to forever change our quality of life today and for tomorrow.