When 25-year-old Canadian Shannan Crowder climbs Japan's highest mountain July 1, it will be to raise money for the AIDS Committee of Durham Region and increase awareness about this devastating illness. A non-profit organization serving those infected and affected by HIV-AIDS, executive director Peter Richtig says some of the money raised by this climb will be used to help support Puerto Vallarta's non-profit AIDS group — AIDS called SIDA in Spanish. "Our agency has formed a twinning partnership with the Organizacion Vallarta Contra del SIDA (OVCS). We have been providing them with free condoms for their clients and last February five of us from across Ontario attended the Fiesta Blanca, donating $1,000 CAD and a computer and printer. Now we are now looking at others ways we can help, our agency budgeting about $3,000 CAD this fiscal year for OVCS." Richtig says a portion of the proceeds from several other upcoming fundraising events will go toward helping our PV's AIDS organization. And his organization plans to return for next year's Fiesta Blanca — our biggest AIDS fundraising event — with another donation. For more information contact info@aidsdurham.com and in Puerto Vallarta, contact Fernando Martinez at administrativo@vallartacontraelsida.com.