People don’t often appreciate what they have until it’s gone. That is the message a dozen volunteers braved the Thursday afternoon cold to send.

Many Ames residents will notice a lack of artistic touch while walking down Main Street on Friday morning. The shrouded artworks are the night’s work of those volunteers, done in observance of World AIDS Day. The group endured the frigid cold on Thursday night to cover the sculptures. They covered the art with black tarps and attached signs that raise awareness about AIDS for World AIDS Day.

“We do this in recognition of the lives that have been lost, and all the artists who have died whose work we will never see. It makes people pause and think a second about why the art is not there and what HIV means and how it affects all of us. Its very visual, very touching,” said Raymond Rodriguez, health promotion coordinator at Thielen Student Health Center.

Rodriguez said the art is usually covered on World AIDS Day by people living with AIDS, but this year is different.

“This year they’re too sick, that’s what it really comes down to,” Rodriguez said. “Students have said ‘We’ll do it for you, we’ll carry that torch’ and that’s great.”

Madeline Herston, senior in community public health, volunteered to help educate people about the disease.

“A lot of people don’t really know how AIDS is spread,” Herston said. “People are still scared, some still think it is spread through saliva or by touching.”

Herston said spreading facts about HIV is important to keep from passing judgments on people living with AIDS.

“If others know more about the disease, then they might be more compassionate,” Herston said.

She said AIDS is often stereotyped as a “gay disease,” but more and more women in their 20s are contracting the HIV virus.

Other students attended for Journalism and Mass Communication 205, “Publicity Methods,” which coordinated the day without art. They said it is important for college students to be aware of the causes of AIDS.

Rodriguez said he hopes the class’s efforts will cause people to want to help in the fight against AIDS.

“It’s the holiday season, let’s give,” he said. Rodriguez said if people want to get involved, there are many things they can do, but most importantly, they need to be tested.

Currently, the health center sees about eight people every testing session, but Rodriguez would like to see more people come, inspired by World AIDS Day.

“It would make us a little swamped, but I would love to see more [students get tested].” Rodriguez said.

Testing is available every from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at Thielen Student Health Center, free of charge.