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. |
Name: Ashley Bickford 
