The AIDS Memorial Quilt began in 1987 in San Francisco as a grassroots effort to remember loved ones lost to AIDS. The first 1,920 panels were lovingly hand-sewn by friends, families, and communities determined to honor those taken too soon and to confront the silence surrounding the epidemic.
Today, the Quilt has grown to include more than 50,000 individual panels commemorating over 110,000 lives—the largest community art project in the world. Each panel measures three by six feet, the size of a human grave, symbolizing both the scale of loss and the depth of love behind every stitch.
Many panels have been created by individuals and families right here in Southern Colorado, honoring neighbors, friends, and loved ones who shaped our community.
The Quilt stands as a living memorial, a call to awareness, and a testament to the enduring power of compassion and remembrance.
May this panel remind us of the beauty of every life and our shared responsibility to care for one another.
More than 1,300 people in El Paso County are living with HIV today – each one someone’s friend, child, parent, or neighbor. Behind every number is a story of courage and resilience.Â
Southern Colorado Health network provides comprehensive support to help our clients live healthy, connected lives. Through medical linkage, case management, behavioral health care, dental services, housing assistance, and our community Food Pantry, SCHN serves as a trusted partner in care for more than half of those living with HIV in our region.