In addition to working four days a week at their Host Agencies, AIDS United AmeriCorps members are required to participate in Fifth Days and the team’s Long Term Project.

Fifth Days

Each Friday, the team participates in a Fifth Day of service. The Fifth Day provides the opportunity for the team to engage in community service beyond the field of HIV and to better understand the community in which they live and serve. This year, the team worked with over 20 groups on their Fifth Days:

Meals on Wheels of Wake County, Food Bank of Eastern NC, El Centro Hispano, NC Pride, Helping Hands, Piedmont Consortium HIV Testing Events, Durham Disc Golf course, Ronald McDonald House, SECU Family House, Alliance of AIDS Services – Carolina , Under One Roof, Habitat for Humanity, Raleigh Rescue Mission, Meals on Wheels of Durham County, Duke Addictions Program, NC AIDS Education Training Center, Triangle Dance Festival for AIDS, Durham Rescue Mission, Syphilis Elimination Project, Haven House, Urban Ministries of Durham, and NCCU Community Health Assessment.

If you would like to request that the AmeriCorps team serve at your agency for one of their Fifth Days, please contact Amber Clifford.

Long Term Project 
The Long Term Project allow the team to better know a community and develop a project, over the course of their service year, to meet the needs of the community that they create with the community.  Below are two examples of long term project's put on by Team Carolina.

HI fiVe Awareness (2010)
Team Carolina, in partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wake County, created a transportable mural that focused on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Youth participants created artwork related to HIV/AIDS which were then put onto a mural that was displayed throughout all the Wake County Boys and Girls Clubs. An additional 15 volunteers served alongside Team Carolina to host the youth artists, friends, and family at an event which featured the mural’s unveiling. Through this experience, local youth have gained a better understanding of how HIV affects them and their community.

Durham Health Festival (2011)

Team Carolina saw the need for HIV testing in the Durham area throughout their year of service.  The team members also realized that along with HIV testing, many of their clients lacked a commitment to overall healthy lifestyle choices.  Therefore, the team decided to put on the "Durham Health Festival" to encourage community members to both know their HIV status as well as other health statuses.  The team recruited the help of other local agencies to provide blood pressure readings, glucose-level testings among other free, health-related services at the festival.  The festival also provided informational sessions on STDs and access to jobs in the Durham area.