Prince George, B.C. – It is a day of celebration at  Positive Living North in Prince George.

It has been 25 years since the volunteer effort originally  called AIDS Prince George,  has been offering  services and supports to those with  HIV/AIDS.

“I was there  at the beginning” says Murry Krause, “It was really a small organization.”

(at right, Positive Living North presents  gift to Murry Krause, recognizing his years of involvement with the organization)

It is estimated  there  are  about 75 thousand people in Canada  who  have HIV/AIDS,  nearly 25% of them  under the age of 30.

25 years ago,  being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS was akin to being given an early death sentence.   That has changed  as treatments have improved.

“When the organization was first started it was for  primarily  gay men who were infected with HIV” says Krause,  ” It has  evolved so dramatically ,  with  hope for survival,  and having a better life.  It has changed, there is so much hope in it.”

Just as treatment  and the prognosis for those with HIV/AIDS  changed over the years,  so  has the  population  encountering  the  illness.  Krause says  HIV gets entrenched in more marginalized populations “It’s acknowledged all across Canada  that  Indigenous people are probably more affected by  it than the  gay community.”

Positive Living North provides the social supports to those who  are infected.  The  program has been recognized  over the years for the positive impact it has had, and continues to have,  on  the lives  of those with HIV/AIDS “I think it really has been because it stayed true to a vision” says Krause “A vision of meeting the needs of people who are infected.  They have  a lot of  infected people on their Board, and  they are really staying true to that notion of what’s needed.”