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AIDS Tour Compels Many To Contribute

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By B.C. MANION, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 5, 2007

LUTZ - A national interactive tour aimed at raising awareness - and money - in the battle against AIDS topped a quarter-million dollars in pledges and donations during a recent stop at Van Dyke United Methodist Church.

The tour, World Vision Experience: AIDS - Step into Africa, aims to take visitors into the heart of Africa and put a human face on AIDS. By giving visitors a personal look at AIDS, organizers hope to motivate them to get involved.

More than 1,300 people visited the exhibit during its stop Nov. 16-19 at Van Dyke United Methodist Church.

The bulk of the contributions came from an anonymous donor, who pledged to give a dollar-for-dollar match of the first $100,000 and a $50,000 bonus if the $100,000-mark was met, said Jennifer Settle, a spokeswoman for World Vision, a Christian relief organization.

The Lutz church, the 12th stop on the 80-city national tour, set a record for contributions, Settle said.

Visitors to the exhibit get to choose one of four tracks, which focus on the life of one African child: Babiyre, Kombo, Mathabo or Emmanuel.
Cordel Batchelor, a 55-year-old Northdale resident, went through the tour twice, learning about the lives of Mathabo and Babiyre.

"You're literally taking on the life experience of this child," Batchelor said. "You cannot believe that people could be living through an experience like this.

"I broke down both times," said the Northdale woman, who said she's normally a stoic person. "I was so overcome with emotion, I had to go to the restroom and pull myself together."

The experience left its mark.

"It's just going to make me much more aware of what I do with my money," Batchelor said. "I can't see myself going into Steinmart and saying, 'This one and this one and this one.'"

Instead, she plans to sponsor Madelina, a 7-year-old girl from Mozambique, at least until the child turns 16.

Batchelor said the exhibit gave her a clearer picture of the devastation of AIDS, but she isn't put off by the size of the problem.

"We put God in such a small box. He's such a big God, and he can do enormously big things," Batchelor said.

Individuals can play a big role, too, she said.

"It's like lighting a candle in a room. One person lights it, then another and another and another. Before you know it, the room is full of light."

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.

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