AIDS Memorial Quilt On Display In St. Joseph [VIDEO]

ST. JOSEPH -- The Names Project AIDS Quilt Show is on display at the Minnesota Street Market Community Center in St. Joseph.

The quilt is a tribute to those who have lost their lives to the AIDS disease and aims to bring awareness to those living with HIV and AIDS.

The quilt display consists of 64 quilt panels created by family and friends of those that have died from the disease.

The national quilt has nearly 600,000 panels that measure three feet by five feet. When the quilt is stretched out it can completely cover the National Mall.

In central Minnesota there are about 247 people living with HIV and AIDS in our 12 county area.

Roger Ernst works with the outreach education and testing program for Rural AIDS Action Network. He says there are all different kinds of people affect by the disease, "our clients go all the way from infants to great grandparents in their eighties."

Many of the exhibit panels were created for people from Minnesota.The quilt is a traveling display that will be at the community center now through December 12th. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

See a video of the quilt below.