29th Annual AIDS Walk Philly Raises Funds and Awareness to Battle HIV/AIDS

For 29 years, AIDS Walk Philly has been raising funds for HIV/AIDS service organizations in the Greater Philadelphia Region, and on Sunday, October 18, the 29th Annual AIDS Walk/Run 5K continues the fight. Both the Run and the Walk will be held on the certified 5K route on scenic Martin Luther King Drive.

"Since AIDS Fund's first AIDS Walk was held 29 years ago, we've come a long way in the fight against HIV/AIDS in our communities," said Robb Reichard, Executive Director of AIDS Fund. "New prevention strategies such as PEP (post-exposure prophylactic) and PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylactic) and getting people living with HIV disease into, and maintaining optimum care are bringing us ever closer to a world without AIDS. Unfortunately, as a country we are still a long way from fully implementing and ultimately seeing the results of those strategies, so there continues to be a need to Walk and raise funds for HIV awareness, prevention, and care services in the Greater Philadelphia region and around the country."
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One in four new HIV infections is among youth ages 13 - 24. Of those new infections, almost 60 percent do not know they have the virus. Philadelphians can make a difference in the fight against HIV and AIDS by participating in AIDS Walk Philly, which will bring together nearly 15,000 people to raise money for HIV prevention education, public awareness, and HIV care services here in the Greater Philadelphia region.

The walk and run will begin at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The run will commence at 7:30 a.m. followed by the walk at 9 a.m. Right in our own backyard, 30,000 of our friends, family, and neighbors live with HIV, a condition for which they are often judged and misunderstood.

In 1987, volunteers from Philadelphia's lesbian and gay community center decided to organize a walk-a-thon to support area AIDS agencies and raise public awareness about the disease. The Greater Philadelphia Region's first AIDS Walk had about 300 participants and raised $33,000. Since then, thousands of fundraising walkers have gathered each year to participate in the region's largest annual HIV/AIDS public awareness and fundraising event. Over $16 million has been raised for HIV/AIDS public awareness, prevention and care services for people living with HIV disease.

The 29th Annual AIDS Walk Philly will again have 25 panels from The AIDS Memorial Quilt presented by, Medi-Dose�/EPS�. A powerful tool for raising awareness about HIV/AIDS, the Quilt is the largest ongoing community arts project in the world. Each of the more than 44,000 colorful panels that make up the Quilt memorializes the life of a person lost to AIDS. Free rapid HIV tests will be provided on-site at AIDS Walk Philly. Find out your status in only 20 minutes.

Individuals can take action in the fight against AIDS by getting sponsors, making a donation, and joining with thousands of others on October 18 for AIDS Walk Philly & AIDS Run Philly 5K. These efforts will support direct care services, prevention and education, counseling and testing, medical care, and public awareness efforts with 22 partner organizations right here in this community. Register online and get additional information at www.aidswalkphilly.org or call 215-731-WALK.

The 29th Annual AIDS Walk Philly is sponsored by Merck, Medi-Dose�/EPS�, ViiV, Wells Fargo, Elwyn Specialty Care, Frito-Lay, PGN, and Fairmount Park. On-line registration for AIDS Walk Philly is easy -- and walkers can get their friends to donate right on their personalized page.�Download a sponsor form at aidswalkphilly.org. This sponsor form is used to sign up sponsors. Each participant is requested to make a commitment to raise at least $50, for which they will receive an AIDS Walk Philly T-shirt. Walkers who raise $250 will receive AIDS Walk Philly sunglasses and a T-shirt.� A Limited Edition "500 Club" hoodie sweatshirt is given to those who raise $500. Raise $1,000 and receive a distinctive AIDS Walk Philly 2015 jacket.

AIDS Fund produces a variety of fundraising and awareness programs throughout the year, including AIDS Walk Philly, AIDS Run Philly, GayBINGO, Black-Tie GayBINGO, and Workplace Giving Campaigns.� The AIDS Fund grant program supports partner organizations in the Philadelphia Region that provide AIDS and HIV-related services, education, and prevention including increasing public awareness of HIV/AIDS issues.�

AIDS Fund is also the Philadelphia affiliate of The Names Project, curating panels of The AIDS Memorial Quilt for a local audience.�Contact AIDS Fund at 215-731-9255 or www.aidsfundphilly.org. Follow AIDS Fund on Facebook and Twitter: www.facebook.com/AIDSWalkPhilly, and twitter.com/AIDSWalkPhilly.