The Be The Link Campaign is the first of its kind to raise awareness for HIV and AIDs, visually linking 250 influential people in a voice of unity. The goal is to destroy the stigma surrounding the disease and to highlight the need for access to HIV treatment for those who need it.

New York, NY -- (SBWire) -- 08/07/2012 --The Be The Link Campaign is the first of its kind to raise awareness for HIV and AIDs, visually linking 250 influential people in a voice of unity. The goal is to destroy the stigma surrounding the disease and to highlight the need for access to HIV treatment for those who need it.

AIDS is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By damaging the immune system, HIV interferes with the body's ability to fight the organisms that cause disease. While there have been great strides in the prevention of HIV transmission and care of HIV infection and AIDS since AIDS was first recognized in 1981, there is no cure.

The Be The Link Campaign spreads the message online at http://www.be-the-link.org featuring conceptual images of participants and PSAs sending the message that the participants are not just a face in a picture but also a voice for HIV in America. The latest Be The Link news is broadcast via Twitter @bethelink1

Two years in the making, Be The Link will be complete after 250 participants have lent their name and likeness to the campaign. An exhibit of photographic images will be displayed in galleries – one in New York City and one in Los Angeles, symbolically linking both coasts.

Featured participants of the Be The Link Campaign include: Dwayne L. Shattuck, producer of the television series Mad Men and Magic City; VH1's Mob Wives Karen Gravano and Ramona Rizzo; celebrity stylist and television star Carson Kressley; film producer Cindy Cowan; actor Tommy 'Tiny' Lister; the Real Housewives of New York City Aviva Drescher, Sonja Morgan, and Heather Thomson; Todd Milliner, executive producer of the television series Grimm and Hot in Cleveland; Courtney Stodden, teen bride and media darling; actor Christopher Atkins; Steven Hirsch, founder and co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment; actress Tara Reid; and film critic Rex Reed.

The Be The Link Campaign is partners with Until There’s A Cure, a national organization since 1993 dedicated to eradicating HIV/AIDS by raising awareness and funds to combat the pandemic. Until There’s A Cure is committed to: funding innovative programs which promote AIDS awareness and prevention education; providing financial support for care and services for those living with AIDS; and supporting and advocating for AIDS vaccine development which offers the best hope for reducing the spread of HIV. For more information on the foundation, visit http://www.until.org

For more information on the campaign, including images and profiles of the participants and campaign resources, visit http://www.be-the-link.org or follow on Twitter @bethelink1