October 6, 2003 CONTACT: Cathy Robinson Pickett
863-686-7475
Friends-Together co-founder Cathy Robinson Pickett will be among 52 Points of Light recipients honored at an annual reception hosted by Gov. Jeb Bush on Oct. 16.
The event, held at the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee, pays tribute to Floridians who have been recognized throughout the year for their volunteerism and community service.
Robinson Pickett, a Lakeland resident, has been an active HIV educator and advocate since 1992. In 2001 she was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans. She has also received the Jaycee’s Young Floridian of the Year and the River Fund’s Humanitarian of the Year. In May 2003, People magazine described her as one of five international “Angels of AIDS.”
Robinson
Pickett and her husband Steve Pickett started Friends-Together in 2000 to
provide HIV/AIDS education and a support system for those infected and affected
by HIV/AIDS. The organization offers free empowerment camps and workshops as
well as HIV testing. In addition, Robinson Pickett provides secondary prevention
education to high schools and colleges around the state.
Robinson Pickett, who learned she was HIV positive in 1991 after being raped, said, “You have to make a decision. Do you mope or make the best of the time you have left?”
The Governor's Points of Light Award, established by Gov. Bush in 2000, is presented weekly to a Florida resident or organization that demonstrates exemplary volunteer service to the community. The Volunteer Florida Foundation administers the award. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises sponsor the program.