ABC Soaps to Feature AIDS-Related Storylines on Network’s Annual Day of Compassion
Four of ABC's soap operas will today feature AIDS-related storylines as part of the network's ninth annual Day of Compassion, USA Today reports. The shows involved are "All My Children," "One Life to Live," "Port Charles" and "General Hospital," with the latter featuring its annual Nurses Ball, in which "cast members abando[n] their usual roles to sing, dance and entertain ... to raise funds to fight AIDS." The network's Day of Compassion began in 1993 with an "AIDS-themed episode of 'One Life to Live,'" and the first Nurses Ball occurred in 1994, USA Today reports. "We want to elevate awareness of AIDS and what causes it, and show that compassion is the appropriate course in interacting with those who have the disease and in creating an environment that promotes research and critical care," "Port Charles" cast member Lynn Herring said. ABC will also sell "Nurses Ball T-shirts," similar to those worn by cast members, on its Web site, with proceeds going to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (Falcon, USA Today, 6/21).
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