Frank Hawkins, at AIDS Delaware

November 2022 - Thera Community Champion

Frank has worked at AIDS Delaware for over 20 years!! He brings a smile in every single day and is such an inspiration to many. He does Community Engagement and Education and every year he creatively approaches things with a fresh lens and the dedication to meet the needs of the youth in the local schools and people living with HIV, and his work has a tremendous and positive impact on our community and our (small, connected) state. Frank has created new programs to promote HIV prevention programming and education and takes the approach required to get connected to the audience who most need to hear the messaging. One example is his annual even called DoTheRightThing4Life, which is a celebratory dinner for the staff at the barber shops and beauty salons, largely serving the Black and African American communities in DE, where we partner up to provide condoms and regular HIV education. This program not only serves as prevention but also helps address stigma and spread awareness. It sells out every year and is also a beacon of joy for people who are advocates, people living with HIV (including those who are advocates!) and the community at-large. Frank also just got published in the Delaware Journal of Public Health. He has been such a role model for me and I am honored to be doing this work alongside him.