AIDS Walk Brings Out Thousands

Crowds filled the streets of West Hollywood and the Fairfax district Sunday for AIDS Walk Los Angeles as the sun shined brightly over the 6.2 mile (10 kilometer) walk. Young and old, gay and straight, black, white, Latino and Asian all came together for the common cause of helping to put an end to AIDS.

An estimated 30,000 people participated in the 27th annual event, raising more than $3 million for area AIDS service organizations.

“Overcoming economic challenges that continue to hit especially hard here in Southern California, our 30,000 participants filled the streets and raised $3,005,014 to fight AIDS and provide vital care for people living with HIV,” said Craig R. Miller, founder and producer of AIDS Walk. “We are deeply grateful to them and their tens of thousands of donors for reaching out and making a powerful statement.”

Dignitaries and celebrity guests were on hand to give opening speeches before the thousands of walkers departed from the intersection of San Vicente and Santa Monica Boulevard. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, trying to get the crowd roused, commented that the men of West Hollywood were “hot.”

West Hollywood Mayor John Duran talked about when he was first tested HIV-positive, he thought it was a death sentence, but thanks to improved drug therapies, he said he was still alive and thriving. 

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy alum Carson Kressley, who is participating in this season of Dancing with the Stars, joked around with DWTS dance pro Louis Van Amstel, amusing the crowd with their antics.

NCIS star Pauley Perrette joined by NCIS: Los Angeles star Barrett Foa, offered a clever story that managed to incorporate all the event’s corporate sponsors.

And they’re off

At 10 a.m., just before participants started their walk, singer/actress Jennifer Lewis sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” the song which traditionally signals the start of the walk. With that, the walkers headed down Santa Monica Boulevard to La Cienega to Melrose to La Brea to Beverly to San Vicente and back.  

By 10:45 a.m., many runners who led the route were already back at . First time participant Jose Duarte of Los Angeles, who ran with AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Team to End AIDS endurance team, said it was an exhilarating event. “It was good. Good crowd support along the way,” he said.

Meanwhile, as those runners were returning, some walkers were just getting started, unable to get there on time because of traffic congestion caused by all the road closures for the walkers.

“We were stuck on Third Street for an hour,” reported Stephanie Ramirez of Pasadena. “We finally got parking at the Beverly Connection and we’re ready to start the walk, even if we’re late.”

By 11:30 a.m., large crowds of walkers were beginning to return to West Hollywood Park. A steady flow of walkers continued to cross the finish line for the next two hours.

Fueling up

Participants were offered bananas, granola cereal and Gatorade beforehand to get them fueled up. As walkers came to the end of the route, they were handed certificates of completion along with bottles of water and bags of caramel-corn-flavored rice cakes.

“You’ve been in the sun all this time. You need water. You need food,” volunteers told returnees who sought shade and began fanning themselves. 

Ten-year volunteer Tennille McKinney of Culver City, greeted walkers with a megaphone. “Welcome back walkers. Welcome back,” she said as each new group crossed the finish line at Melrose and San Vicente. “Congratulations. You made it.” 

First-timer Peter Bedard of Mt. Washington walked with 15 others as part of his CreateYourHealth.com team. After completing the walk, he was sitting in the shade with teammates on the patio at , waiting for a meal. “It’s good to sit down,” Bedard said. “I’m glad we did it.”

30th Anniversary

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first reported case of AIDS. Consequently, the theme of this year’s walk was “30 Years of AIDS is Enough.”

Los Angeles was the first metropolitan area where an AIDS walk was held, back in 1984. Since then, the event has spread to hundreds of cities around the globe. 

“As we mark the 30th year of the epidemic in the United States, AIDS Walk Los Angeles remains a critical – and, in fact, the single largest – source of support for those who rely on APLA’s services,” said Craig E. Thompson, Executive Director of AIDS Project Los Angeles.

“With their incredible fundraising, AIDS Walk Los Angeles participants are changing lives, powering prevention efforts and supporting advocacy work to defend the civil rights of all who live with this still-deadly disease,”  he said.

For West Hollywood City Councilman John D’Amico, this was his first AIDS Walk as an elected official. He called the event “fantastic,” but also admitted that being on stage with other dignitaries brought back memories. In the mid 1990s, D’Amico worked for APLA and helped organized several AIDS Walks.

Teams of walkers

Many school groups, ranging from elementary to high school, walked. School buses were seen parked about the area, waiting to take them all back.

Numerous corporations also sponsored teams of walkers. NBC Universal had a strong contingent. “We’ve had a team walking for years,” said an NBC walker. “It not only helps the fight against AIDS, but also does a lot for company morale to have a team participating.”

Thanks to Greg Hernandez of GreginHollywood.com for contributing to this story.