AIDS activists, youth HIV/AIDS education-educators-Bob Bowers-long-term AIDS survivors-Madison, Wisconsin & United States
Youth HIV/AIDS education prevention by AIDS activist & long-term AIDS survivor Bob Bowers aka Da Pirate-Madison, Wisconsin-United States
Youth HIV/AIDS education by long-term AIDS survivor & AIDS activist Bob Bowers aka Da Pirate-Madison, Wisconsin-United States

Madison, Wisconsin AIDS activist Bob Bowers-AIDS/HIV awareness, education, prevention, activism, advocacy by Bob Bowers One Tough Pirate

Madison, Wisconsin AIDS activists, long-term HIV/AIDS survivors & Youth HIV/AIDS education-United States-Live to tell the tale!
 

"If there were such a thing as a force of destiny in our lives, I would say that Bob Bowers was born for this role; no one has carried this difficult mantle with more dignity, conviction, purpose, and compassion."

 ~Madeleine Schwab
Cross Roads High School
Santa Monica, California

AIDS activist, Youth HIV/AIDS educator and long-term HIV/AIDS survivor - Bob Bowers' www.onetoughpirate.com

 

Carpe Diem! Youth HIV/AIDS education in schools, jails, prisons, colleges and universities-Bob Bowers-Madison, Wisconsin-United States

Welcome to www.onetoughpirate.com (OTP)

AIDS activist Bob Bowers and Youth HIV/AIDS education-OTP social networking sites-Madison, Wisconsin-United States

Madison, Wisconsin AIDS Activist, youth HIV/AIDS educator and long-term survivor-Bob Bowers Facebook profile

  Madison, Wisconsin and United States AIDS activists & Youth HIV/AIDS educators-Bob Bowers One Tough Pirate's MySpace profile   AIDS activist - Follow Bob Bowers on Twitter   living with hiv/aids - Bob Bowers YouTube page
Bob, there are very few people I admire but you are one of them. Continue your good work and NEVER SURRENDER! AAAAARRRGH!!!!!

~Pete
 

AIDS Walk Wisconsin - Team HIVictorious' team and donation page
HIVictorious (our nonprofit) is honored to be a benefiting agency again for AIDS Walk Wisconsin. Please support our team by making a donation of any amount. We also welcome you to join our team. Thanks in advance for your support of ARCW and HIVictorious!

 
I can truly say when I read Your page it gives me Hope, And makes me feel great knowing that there is a HERO named Bob Bowers out there fighting for everyone...God Bless You Bob

~ Fred

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I'd like to extend my sincere and heartfelt thanks for your compassion, love, support, and for taking the time to visit my personal website! I sincerely hope that you enjoy your time spent here. OTP has been in existence for over nine years. This site pays homage to hope, survival and to the over 25 million of our courageous brothers and sisters, that were taken from us far too early in life. My wish is that it also lends hope and understanding to those who pass upon these pages. No matter what obstacles we may face in life, I truly believe that where there is a will, there is a way. May this site be a reminder to us all, myself included, that we are indeed one. May we remember that life is precious and a wondrous passage worthy of giving it our all. I have survived living with HIV/AIDS for a quarter of a century and have dedicated my life to educating and empowering youth and others about this dreadful scourge we call AIDS. I am truly blessed to be alive. I despise the stigma that continues to drive the AIDS epidemic. Through my advocacy and activism, I work diligently to address the core issues of poverty, racism, homophobia, women's rights, domestic violence, homelessness, addiction etc. Regardless of HIV/AIDS, it is vital that we not turn on backs on those who need our love and support. In 2006 I created our youth AIDS awareness poster contest, to pose the simple and profound question, "What if it Were You?" I fight equally to be a voice of hope, knowing that we all have obstacles to overcome. I've come to realize that good, bad or ugly, life is truly a blessing. Throughout these many years of being a long-term survivor of AIDS, an AIDS activist, and through my advocacy as a youth HIV/AIDS educator, I have had the privilege and honor to speak to countless thousands of students and adults alike about life and living life with HIV/AIDS, neither of which are easy. Without a doubt, education and awareness remain vital in helping to stop the spread of HIV. I hope that through my speaking, or in my day to day interactions, that I've helped empower others to live life to the fullest as you have helped me! I give endless thanks and praise to you, my family, friends and those individuals who have blessed my voyage to this point in life. I say without a doubt, "I did not get here alone!" Your involvement in my life and/or words of love and encouragement, are forever embedded in my heart, soul, mission and on the many pages throughout this website! Once again, welcome. Compassion is our cure!

Namaste,
Bob Bowers
Aka - Da Pirate

Da Pirate-AIDS Activists and youth HIV/AIDS educators

 

AIDS documentary-documentaries-movies-films The Fire Within - Features long-term HIV/AIDS survivors Bob Bowers the DVD can be rented on NetFlix.com

 

THE DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL® SLATES EXCLUSIVE NETWORK PREMIERE OF POWERFUL AND CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED “THE FIRE WITHIN,” AN EYE-OPENING LOOK ABOUT SURVIVING AIDS

Premiered June 6, 2010 - Airs next on August 31, 2010

 
  Read a review of The Fire Within in A&U Magazine

Click here
 

AIDS Activists, youth HIV/AIDS educators & long-term AIDS survivors Bob Bowers-Madison, Wisconsin-United States

 

Dear Friends:

There are no words to describe the impact that Bob Bowers has had on my students and me. He is a very courageous man with an extremely powerful life or death message. I have invited him to come and talk to our freshman class for the past two years and will continue to have him back in the future. I could easily go on and on about the importance of having a person of his caliber come and talk to your school or group, however I feel hearing it from the students makes it more relevant. After his presentation, the students are asked to write a reflection on what they thought of Bob’s message.
Here is what some of them said:

Bob was an amazing speaker. He is doing one of the greatest things possible. He is sharing a story to help fight a pandemic. He made me not only realize to be a fighter for my own battles, but to use my own struggles and experiences to help others.”

His story not only informed me on what the effects of HIV/AIDS can do to a person physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. His speech was enlightening and it showed me the importance of keeping the quality of life as high as possible in addition to informing me about HIV/AIDS and other STIs.”

I was very inspired by Bob Bowers and what he has gone through. I thought he was a great speaker and really connected on every human level. He was not just giving facts but really how it changes
Madison, Wisconsion-AIDS activists, youth HIV/AIDS education, advocacy, long-term survivor-Bob Bowers every aspect of your life when you get HIV. “

He wasn’t just informative, he was real. He was very straightforward with the information and his problem. He didn’t sugarcoat anything. It was refreshing that he didn’t try to hide his emotions in front of the group. This was probably one of the best presentations I have seen.”


As you can tell from the statements above, Bob has left lasting impressions on my students. He has multiplied the value of our unit on HIV/AIDS by sharing his personal experiences in a way that reaches each and EVERY student. As Bob states, he is a man with a gift to share, and it is my hope that all people will continue to allow Bob to share his gift. It is with great respect and honor that I recommend Bob Bowers as one of the top educators for HIV/AIDS.

Respectfully,

Mekel Wiederholt Meier
Edgewood High School
Madison, Wisconsin

 
 

Youth HIV/AIDS education with students at East High School in Madison, Wisconsin - United States

 

Youth HIV/AIDS educator Bob Bowers after speaking with students at East High School in Madison, Wisconsin

 
Much love to you from the Teen AIDS Task Force peer educators and coordinator in Northern NY... It's nice to be reminded that there are other "HIV Warriors" out there fighting the fight with us - even if we don't see them...

Peace and Love,
Ang
 
 

 

Youth HIV/AIDS educator Bob Bowers after speaking with students at Memorial High School in Madison, Wisconsin

 
Another AMAZING picture of my friend bringing his experience, strength and hope to what appears as a very attentive classroom full of youth. They will never forget the day they met the "Pirate" and the day they received information that can protect themselves and others against STDs & HIV. Friend, you are a teacher of life.

~ Brett
 

That's right Bob give illness the finger cause it ain't gunna keep an ass kicker like you down! Be strong bro!

~ Rob

 

Click here to view Bob's entire presentation on HIV/AIDS at Madison College

 
Our friend Bob Bowers is doing a LOT to spread the awareness of HIV/AIDS! He's a friend to the community and a friend to MATC. Please do your part to help his endless efforts and show your support for such a strong and inspiring individual!

~Clare
 

~ Martin Luther King Jr. - We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

 
 

AIDS activism in Madison, Wisconsin and the United States - AIDS activist Bob Bowers Da Pirate or One Tough Pirate

 

There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul...
--Ella Wheeler Wilcox

 
For more than a year and a half many of us have questioned the veracity of AIDS Network’s boisterous claims that the ACT Ride returns 87% – 90% of its donations to support AIDS Network client and prevention services. Last year they proclaimed it loud and clear in their marketing of the Ride. Here is their precise statement, as well as the facts...
 

Read the press release about the ACT Ride

 
ACT UP Wisconsin and Bob Bowers are featured in Newsweek's article  

"The Comeback of AIDS Activism"

What was once an American crisis is now a national afterthought. But there may be new life in the AIDS movement.

Click here to read the story

 
   

AIDS activists Bob Bowers and friends from ACT UP Wisconsin protesting in front of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services building
in Madison, Wisconsin. We demand that the disparity of service in our state ENDS!

 

I didn’t choose to be part of ACT UP Wisconsin, it chose me.

Earlier this year, I helped to set in motion the formation of our chapter. I am tremendously honored and proud to be a founding member of this group of dedicated, educated, caring and passionate individuals.

ACT UP Wisconsin had been long in coming, and in my humble opinion, was far overdue! It took the fearlessness and commitment of caring and affected people, like myself to say, enough is enough – we demand change – real change!

My decision came, thanks in part to the overwhelming wealth of information and facts that Greg Milward and others had made me aware of. Mind you, I knew of and had experienced first-hand much of what they so matter-of-factly made me and have now made our community aware of - I had finally had enough!

More than ever before, the phrase, “Knowledge is power”, resonated within me. I stood at a great crossroads - turn a blind-eye, diminish the issues, and be part of the problem - or take the road less travelled by speaking truth to power and attempting to be part of the solution in creating affirmative change in Wisconsin and beyond.

As someone who had served on Wisconsin’s Ryan White Consortium for a number of years, served as a member of the AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition, served as our state’s organizer for the Campaign to END AIDS (C2EA); I was even more empowered and deeply appalled by the rhetoric, apathy and status quo in the fight against AIDS. It was during my involvement with C2EA that I first learned the expression, “AIDS Inc;” an idiom that has taken my involvement in the fight to a higher level.

Since when does fundraising and more fundraising, putting on a good face, and survival at any cost, trump the true fight against AIDS? We are only in this “business of AIDS” - to be out of business. As a person living with the disease, I have found the HIV/AIDS community in Madison to be more of a social network than a community that is outraged by the current state of affairs we are all faced with. Despite this, I care deeply for many within this social network. However, it doesn’t mean I have to sit back idly as AIDS Inc. runs amuck. As a result of my association with ACT UP Wisconsin, I have learned who my real friends are.

I am troubled by the lack of aggressive prevention and awareness campaigns in Madison. I am saddened by the gross disparity of services that exists in our state. I am outraged by the indifference our state AIDS/HIV division, as well as some of our lawmakers and media, have shown towards our stance. I commend those who have chosen to put their egos aside and to comprehend the bigger picture. I will not be silenced in my efforts to impress upon them their responsibility for this demise and the need for impartiality when dealing with HIV/AIDS in our state.

I didn’t choose to be an AIDS activist. As a 26-year survivor and someone who has lost dozens of dear friends to AIDS, it is more-so my God-given responsibility. My duty is to not only share my overwhelming gratitude, which I do freely and abundantly, but also to be willing to take an unfavorable stance when needed – this is one of those times in my long and wondrous journey with AIDS.

~ Bob Bowers – Madison, Wisconsin

 
Bob,

You are amazing! I am proud to call you my friend. Knowing people like you make me a better person. No matter what happens, you stood up for what you believe in respectfully and that needs to be respected.

~Rebecca
 

Stop the stigmatizing of the HIV/AIDS community in Madison and beyond!

 

ACT UP Wisconsin - AIDS activists/activism in the United States and Wisconsin

 

 

SILENCE = DEATH

 

An informative and detailed site about the disparity of services in the Southern Wisconsin Region

Click here to view

 

Wisconsin HIV - Community's response to the failure of AIDS Network in Madison

 
500 AIDS Activists rally outside a $50,000-per-person Obama fundraiser,
demanding that he keep his promise to fund global AIDS programs.

Click here to view photos
 
Photos from AIDS activists protesting at the Capitol rotunda in Washington D.C. : Click here
 

AIDS Network Used 58% Of Donations From ACT Ride On Operating Costs

 
  "HIV/AIDS activists clash over unspecified funding, limited services offered"
ACT UP frustrated over lack of communication with AIDS Network Board of Directors

Read the story

 

 
Bob,

Thanks so much for doing what you do. VERY important. I think many people feel they don't know anyone who has HIV/AIDS. I'm guessing many people actually DO know someone affected by it... they just don't know that they know someone. People are so scared still that it's not typically talked about openly. It needs to be talked about. I have a friend who's been living with AIDS for over a decade now. He'll tell anyone who asks, he doesn't lie about it, but he doesn't necessarily advertise it either. Too much stigma, too much at risk for him to lose. Things must change. Thank you so much for your site and for doing what you do. It's so important to educate the public. You're awesome!

Best wishes to you,
Kristina

 
   

AIDS activists Bob and Teresa Bowers with friends from ACT UP Wisconsin demonstrating in front of AIDS Network
in Madison, Wisconsin. We have been silenced long enough and WE DEMAND CHANGE!

 
 
 

Youth HIV/AIDS education, prevention and awareness in schools and jails in Wisconsin and the United States

 
Dear Bob,

Some people think that a hero is someone like a firefighter, soldier or a sports star. Someone who is brave,  honest and invincible. After listening to you speak the other day, I would say the true hero is you. You are  brave because you can say what you feel and express your emotions in front of 100's of people. Living with AIDS for 23 years makes you invincible and for that, I give you my utmost respect and thanks. I never thought that someone could change my outlook of life in just one hour. Out of all the lectures and speeches I've listened to in my life, yours was by far the best. You give people a glimpse into the real world of a person living with AIDS and you definitely got through to us. You break the stereotypical image of a person with AIDS. You didn't want to tell us what to do, which made us instantly like you. Someone who has the ability to make a group of people laugh, cry, and think, has an amazing talent. I wish I knew the words to say how much I appreciate you coming to to speak. I wish you the best of luck on the rest of your journey through life. If I could achieve just a fraction of what you have done in my life, I could die happy. But for now, we both know who the hero is.

Love,
Bailey S.

 
   

"What if it Were You?" is a youth HIV/AIDS poster contest to raise everyday awareness of the disease in Madison, Wisconsin. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz honored winning entrant, Lizzie Grams, from Edgewood High School for her outstanding efforts

 
***********************************

HIV/AIDS awareness posters from our youth contest in Madison, Wisconsin high schools
View more of our HIV/AIDS awareness posters

 

youth HIV/AIDS awareness poster contest a project of HIVictorious, Inc.

***************************

All I can say is WOW!! You have definitely impressed me. I know the world needs more compassionate people like yourself. There is a quote from a spiritual leader Moses Brings Plenty of the Lakota Nation. "This world is filled humans, but there are only a handful of human beings." You are truly a human being.

~Jeffrey
Youth HIV/AIDS education, prevention, awareness in schools in Wisconsin and the United States More letters to Bob Bowers aka Da Pirate
 
 
 
 
Bob, I watched your documentary on t.v. today and never realized just how much HIV and the medications can have on a person nor their family. You are awesome and a hero to me! After viewing your documentary, I realized I have NOTHING to complain about or even feel sorry for my own self. You rock and I admire everything about you!!

I just want you to know that YOU inspired me!! =)

Angela
 

My husband and I watched 'The Fire Within' last night. It was so powerful and heartfelt. You are an amazing spirit Bob. You are a brave 'WARRIOR' and you put up a good fight against HIV/AIDS. I hope you are doing well today! It's a day at a time. I thank you for the work you are doing and the hope you instill.

Peace, Good Health and Many, Many Blessings friend,
~Nancy~

 
This movie was a real life view into what a person, with HIV, and those closest to them, go through daily. The mental and physical toll in the process of fighting this disease can be difficult in many ways. It is a story which is important because there are so many good people out there struggling to maintain their dignity and quality of life. Some people isolate themselves and feel quite alone. The best thing about this film is that it shows those people they are not alone, and that they can have pride in their fight against this disease.
 

AIDS documentary films-documentary on long-term AIDS survivor Bob Bowers- The Fire Within by Leanne Whitney Rent it on DVD

 
aids activists, youth hiv/aids educators & advocates-bob bowers-Madison, Wisconsin-United States
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long-term HIV/AIDS survivors-HIV positive speakers-Bob Bowers Da Pirate OTP One Tough Pirate-Madison, Wisconsin-United States

 

Bob Bowers featured on Channel 27's
"People Making a Difference."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEWS ON DA PIRATE

 

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Photos of AIDS survivor Bob Bowers-Youth HIV/AIDS educator and AIDS activist-Madison, Wisconsin-United States

 

 

youth hiv/aids prevention comprehensive sex education in schools, colleges, jails and universities in Madison, Wisconsin and the United States-Bob Bowers

 
   

Youth HIV/AIDS educator Bob Bowers at Edgewood High School in Madison, Wisconsin-GO CRUSADERS!

 
I just wanted to let you know you are an amazing person! my true hero and I look up to you so much!
Keep it real man and spread the awareness!

~Sara
 
   

Youth HIV/AIDS educator Bob Bowers with students from La Follette High School in Madison, Wisconsin

 
Bob, I was just on your website and I must say I loved it. You are a real inspiration to people with or with out HIV/AIDS. I commend you for all you do.

~Liz

 

   

Rewais Hanna from Edgewood High School is honored by Wisconsin's Governor, Jim Doyle
THANK YOU, Governor Doyle for your commitment to the FIGHT against AIDS in Wisconsin

 
Wisconsin Governor, Jim Doyle, honors Rewais Hanna from Edgewood High School in Madison, Wisconsin. Rewais placed second in the latest round of our youth HIV/AIDS poster contest. To learn more about our efforts, please visit:

www.whatifitwereyou.org
 
Yo keep up the great work
wish u the best. you are a huge force almost unreal and inspire all those people that need help. u need to be recognized more worldwide if possible. with more people like you the world would be better place-cya

~Amyr
 
Thank you. You have done an amazing job of of turning lemons into lemonade. U have taken ur mistakes and misfortune and accepted it and used your experiences to educate our generation to ensure that we r not faced with the same difficulties that u did. So I just wanted to say thank you. U gave an engaging and informational life lesson that I will never forget.

~Emiliano

 
Youth HIV/AIDS education, prevention, awareness in schools in Wisconsin and the United States More letters to Bob Bowers aka Da Pirate
 
 
 
 
Your ink is AMAZING! You are truly an inspiration, and I applaud all your energy and effort you have dedicated to such a worthy cause!

~Steven
 
The world needs more people like you Bob. Your an inspiration to many and that includes me! Thank you!

~Viola

 
Thank you Bob, but I think I am the blessed one to see such a wonderful person committed like you are and so positive and loving:) God's many blessing to you

~Carolyn
 
The world needs more people like you Bob. You're an inspiration to many.

~Daniel
 
I tripped over your website and found it inspiring and your tattoos cool as hell. Keep doing what you're doing man, you're making the world a better place."

~John
 

 

One Tough Pirate clothing & HIVictorious clothes-Support the fight against HIV/AIDS in Madison, Wisconsin and the United States - Youth HIV/AIDS education, prevention in schools
Join us in the fight against HIV/AIDS

Click here to view our online store

All proceeds go directly to support HIVictorious' education and outreach

 
 
Thanks again for coming to our school and talking to us.
your a really great speaker and I told Mrs. Puls to have you come back because our time got cut short. So hopefully you come back to our school :)

~ Kayla
 

You are an inspiration to so many... Keep on keeping on!!!
NEVER EVER SURRENDER!

~John

Youth HIV/AIDS education by Bob Bowers aka One Tough Pirate-Madison, Wisconsin-United States

 

Da Pirates full sleeves tattoos photos page-Carpe Diem!

 
 

Da Pirate, my friend,

I can think of few who should be honored in such a way. You inspire SO many. Whether it's Camp Heartland, the ACT Rides, a rally in Texas, or an informational session in Los Angeles, you are amazing.  More than that, you are a beacon of hope that 20+ years is possible. Keep up the good work.

Yours in fight,
David H

 

AIDS activists, youth HIV/AIDS educators and long-term AIDS survivors-Bob Bowers-Madison, Wisconsin-United States

AIDS Activist Bob Bowers a.k.a. Da Pirate

 
 

Youth HIV/AIDS educator,  AIDS activist  & long-term survivor Bob Bowers, One Tough Pirate, also known simply as "Da Pirate." Bob been living with and surviving HIV/AIDS for 26 years. Bob started as an HIV positive speaker with peer education programs in Los Angeles shortly after his diagnosis. To broaden his personal message of prevention through education, hope and awareness of the disease, Bob founded the nonprofit educational organization, HIVictorious, Inc. in 2005. HIVictorious addresses youth HIV/AIDS education and prevention and provides AIDS awareness in Madison, Wisconsin and throughout the United States through Bob's public speaking and its AIDS awareness poster contest, "What if it Were You?" Mr. Bowers is a leading and well respected AIDS advocate and leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS. As a long-term survivor of HIV/AIDS, and someone who has lost dozen of friends to AIDS, Bob is wholeheartedly committed to educating today's youth and young adults about the realities of HIV/AIDS, as well as living with AIDS long-term. Mr. Bowers is a champion for hope and survival despite some of the difficult circumstances that we ALL face in life.

Website last updated: 8/27/2010

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Wisconsin youth HIV/AIDS education-One Tough Pirate-Bob Bowers-AIDS activists-Youth HIV/AIDS educators and long-term AIDS survivors-Madison, Wisconsin-United States
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