Philly AIDS Walk is Oct. 16
The event grew since the first walk held in 1987, and the needs of people living with HIV have evolved.
The AIDS Fund will host its 36th annual 5K walk in Philadelphia Oct. 16. The event is the largest HIV/AIDS public awareness and fund-raiser event in the region, organizers said.
Participants in the AIDS Walk Philly 5K will gather on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art starting at 7 a.m. The walk itself will begin at 8:30 a.m. following an opening ceremony.
The first AIDS Walk in the Philadelphia region drew about 1,000 in 1987, a time when AIDS was a death sentence. Since then, the event has grown and the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS have evolved.
“What if you were living with HIV and needed a small helping hand to ensure a roof over your head, access to medical care, or even just a fridge to store life-saving prescriptions?” said AIDS Fund Executive Director Robb Reichard in an event announcement.
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The money raised by this year’s walk will be used to help people find safe housing, for instance giving people who are experiencing homelessness grants of a few hundred dollars to secure an apartment lease.
The event will include a performance from Dukes of Destiny, a local blues band. It will also include 25 blocks from the AIDS Memorial Quilt, a 50,000-panel tapestry dedicated to more than 10,000 people who lost their lives to the illness. Blocks from the quilt were displayed in the ‘80s and ‘90s on the National Mall and outside of the White House in Washington to protest the silence of administrations over the disease.
More information, including how to register, is online at www.aidswalkphilly.org.
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