When Jason Yocum signed up for a public speaking class at Casper College, he had no idea he would be learning how to administer rapid HIV tests, meeting with HIV/AIDS educators and helping raise awareness about the disease in Casper.

His teacher wanted the students to volunteer for a service organization. He picked the Wyoming AIDS Project because he had worked with some of its employees on other projects.

Yocum became one of about 15 community members who planned to make the recognition of this weekend's World AIDS Day the biggest Casper has seen.

"I didn't think I was signing on for something like this when I registered for classes," Yocum said.

But he said it allowed him to see how a community could come together.

He simply asked people at Gegi's Restaurant if they would host a brunch on Saturday for World AIDS Day and managers immediately began drawing up a seven-course menu.

"It was a lesson in how everyone can come together and how everyone has a part whether it is passing out red ribbons, doing brunch and feeding people or doing HIV testing," Yocum said.

The brunch at Gegi's, which cost $35, was just one of about six events that took during the run-up to World AIDS Day on Saturday.

Casper College offered free rapid HIV testing Saturday afternoon. There was a memorial service Saturday evening at Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church where names of people who have died of AIDS were read.

Also, Johnny J's, Old Chicago, Eggington's and CY Discount Liquor planned to donate 10 percent of their proceeds from Saturday to the Wyoming AIDS Walk.

Rob Johnston, HIV prevention program manager with the Wyoming Department of Health, said in past years Casper has had free HIV testing on World AIDS Day and had memorials before but nothing consistent. This year a lot of community members jumped on board to raise awareness.

"I just think the energy is right," Johnston said about Casper's growing awareness. "People are looking for ways to get involved in something they believe fervently in. Some of them don't know anyone with AIDS while others have lost a lot of friends to AIDS."

One of the most powerful events was a public forum held Friday afternoon at the Community Health Center of Wyoming.

Two Wyoming men living with HIV/AIDS spoke about becoming infected, dealing with their disease and most importantly, prevention.

Bob Hooker, a Laramie resident, was diagnosed with HIV in 1989. Even though he received the diagnosis in Baltimore, he believes he was infected in Wyoming.

"I was born and raised in Laramie," Hooker said. "My Wyoming roots go way back. People need to realize AIDS is not just a big city, East Coast, West Coast disease."

Hooker said people in frontier populations do not realize this disease affects Wyomingites, that it is everybody's problem.

Johnston estimates about 200 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Wyoming today. In Natrona County, 43 cases of HIV have been diagnosed between 1984 and 2007.

Hooker was joined at the forum by a Casper man, who is HIV-positive.

Hooker, who started the Wyoming AIDS Walk seven years ago, stressed that HIV/AIDS is completely preventable. He said people should educate themselves, get tested and tell a friend to get tested.

Also, Hooker said he is "really proud" of the work Casper community members have done to begin tackling HIV/AIDS.

"Casper has the biggest number of infected in the state," Hooker said. "Casper has a problem and I think it is wonderful that Casper is taking it on and facing it."

Johnston said there is still a lot of work to be done in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Wyoming. He said there needs to be more awareness and there are still misconceptions about the disease.

People continue to think it is a homosexual disease, Johnston said, and a woman recently asked if she could get HIV/AIDS from eating food cooked by an HIV-positive person.

Plus, there is still a huge stigma of the disease in Wyoming.

"I can count on my hand the number of people in Wyoming that are willing to be public about their disease," Johnston said. "That shows that it is still not a safe place."

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.