AIDS Walk raises $300,000, less than last year
The 27th annual AIDS Walk Philly raised more than $300,000 on Sunday, but that total is down about 10 percent from last year, so organizers are hoping donations will keep coming in.
The 27th annual AIDS Walk Philly raised more than $300,000 on Sunday, but that total is down about 10 percent from last year, so organizers are hoping donations will keep coming in.
The money goes to 29 local organizations that provide HIV/AIDS prevention and eduation, direct care, counseling and testing. Donations can be made at AIDSWalkPhilly.org.
"I think AIDS is increasingly difficult to maintain awareness about, and there are a lot of other wonderful causes out there," said Cari Feiler Bender, a spokeswoman for the AIDS Fund, which produces the annual walk.
An estimated 30,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the greater Philadelphia area, Bender said, adding that one in five are unaware of their infection because they haven't been tested.
The 7.2-mile walk, which began at the Philadelphia Art Museum, drew thousands of participants who enjoyed the sunny, crisp weather. The annual event has raised nearly $16 million since the first walk-a-thon in 1987.
Marie McCullough