Before Marcia Cross was a desperate housewife, she spent a year on Everwood as Treat Williams’ love interest, a doctor infected with HIV. That storyline garnered Everwood one of the four honors bestowed at the ninth Ribbon of Hope Celebration, held October 29 at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre.



The awards, presented by TV Cares, the HIV/AIDS fundraising and awareness arm of the Television Academy, recognize programming about HIV/AIDS and personal commitment to the cause. Also honored at the event were the industry group Cable Positive, Sesame Workshop and ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition



“It’s unbelievable that when we stand here next year, AIDS will be twenty-five years old,” TV Cares Chairman David Michaels said in his opening remarks. By the end of 2004, there will be 394 million people worldwide living with AIDS, including 4.9 million newly infected this year. “We’re here because the complacency continues.”

But commitment, not complacency, was evident among the evening’s honorees. “We’re trying to explore difficult topics with as much integrity as possible,” said Andrew Ackerman, an executive producer of Everwood.



Accepting his award from actress Joan Van Ark, Ackerman noted the importance of reaching his show’s primarily young audience. “If we’re able to make just one person understand about HIV, that’s gratifying. There’s still a stigma after all this time.”



Cable Positive, founded fourteen years ago, is a cable industry group that promotes AIDS awareness and support; its projects include PSAs, fundraising, partnerships with community organizations and an awards show inspired by the Ribbon of Hope.

“Because you have an industry who feels so passionately, we must use the power of television,” Cable Positive executive director Steve Villano said, accepting the honor presented by actress Alison Arngrim.



Sesame Workshop was recognized for its South Africa–based Takalani Sesame, the first international program to be so honored, which features an HIV-positive Muppet named Kami and “Talk to Me,” a campaign encouraging open communication about AIDS.



The award was presented by Sesame Street alum Eugene Byrd and accepted by Workshop producer Naila Farouky, who said, “We introduced Kami as a way to convey a message and give hope to children infected with the disease. Let’s hope we will come back to celebrate the end of AIDS.”
Page Kennedy, seen briefly this fall on Desperate Housewives, presented the final award, to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the first reality show recipient. The winning episode spotlighted social worker Patricia Broadbent, who adopted three girls with AIDS and is now battling cancer herself.



Broadbent recounted  the show’s impact and how AIDS came into her life, recalling that when one daughter said, “You can die from cancer!” she replied: “You’re right. And you can die from AIDS. But that’s not what we do.”

Denise Cramsey and Michael Moloney, coexecutive producers of Home Edition, accepted the Ribbon of Hope. “This is a huge honor for us,” Moloney said. “What I love about our show is that we tackle some serious subjects.” Added Cramsey: “We build houses, but people like Patricia and TV Cares build coalitions and organizations to fight the fight.”



Mid-ceremony came a poignant speech by Cameron Siemers, a spokesman for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, who was diagnosed with HIV at seven after receiving a tainted blood transfusion.



Having outlasted his initial three-year prognosis by ten years thus far, he told the audience, “I’m still alive because people like you are fighting to keep awareness to the forefront."

"People think AIDS is a manageable disease," he continued. "I’m here to tell you it’s not. I’ve struggled to survive. I’ve had several surgeries. I’ve been hospitalized dozens of times. I take twelve pills and two injections in my stomach daily. I’ve never given up hope, not when there are organizations and people like you who never waiver in this battle. This is definitely making a difference.”

And in another moving sequence, names of some of those who lost their AIDS battle were scrolled onscreen as Kevin Spirtas of Days of Our Lives sang “Love Don’t Need a Reason” from the  Broadway musical The Boy from Oz.

Other participants included TV Cares founding member Kate Linder and Jayne Meadows Allen. Michaels coproduced the event with B. Harlan Boll, Susan Fincham, Paula Kaatz and James Anderson. Robert Berger served as liaison to the participating AIDS service organizations. Robert O’Donnell is director of activities for the Academy. – Libby Slate