BOSTON, MA?Registration is now open for the 33rd annual AIDS Walk & Run Boston, which will take place Sunday, June 3, 2018. The event regularly draws thousands of participants, making it the region's largest HIV/AIDS public awareness event. The Walk is approximately 5.8 miles and the 5K Run is a competitive, timed event fully sanctioned by the USA Track & Field Association.
The Walk will begin and end at the corner of Charles and Beacon streets on the Boston Common. The Run will start and end at the nearby DCR Hatch Shell. Registration and check-in for both events will take place on the Boston Common beginning at 7:30 a.m. The Run begins at 9:50 a.m. and the Walk sets off at 10 a.m. The event will feature a speaking program, emceed by WCVB Channel 5's Randy Price, awards, and entertainment. A free Wellness Festival, presented by Whole Foods Market, will also take place on the Common from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Participants can register for the AIDS Walk & Run Boston at www.aidswalkboston.org. There is neither a registration fee nor a minimum fundraising requirement to participate in the Walk. There is a $35 registration fee for the 5K Run. Before the Walk begins, AIDS Action will present the Bette Byrnes Award, which recognizes an individual or group that goes above and beyond to promote HIV/AIDS education and awareness within the community, with special consideration given to those promoting sexual health within youth groups. The award is named for a longtime supporter of AIDS Action Committee and a top fundraiser for AIDS Walk & Run Boston until her passing last year.
"We've made great progress toward the goal of zero new HIV infections in Massachusetts, but anticipated state and federal funding cuts to services for the most vulnerable among us threaten to undo those gains," said AIDS Action Executive Director Carl Sciortino. "The same is true of state and federal health care policy. Transgender women, for example, have some of the highest HIV rates and yet we're facing a ballot initiative in the Commonwealth that would enable discrimination against them in the healthcare setting. Likewise, the Trump administration recently announced plans to roll back a rule preventing discrimination against transgender people by health insurers and care providers. The money and public awareness raised by AIDS Walk & Run Boston are critical countermeasures to whatever funding cuts and policy changes may come our way."
Corporate sponsors of this year's AIDS Walk & Run Boston include Macy's, Whole Foods Market, American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Eastern Bank, Gilead, Pfizer, Partners Healthcare, Patriot Care, Abt Associates, Planned Parenthood League of MA, Walgreens, ViiV Healthcare, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Joint Ventures Physical Therapy and Fitness, Dunkin' Donuts, JetBlue, WCVB Channel 5, Kiss 108, Jam'n 94.5, 101.7 The Bull, EDGE Media Network, and Yelp.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact Jonathan Potvin at 857.313.6733 or jpotvin@fenwayhealth.org for additional information.
AIDS Action will support AIDS Walk & Run Boston with a robust social media outreach and fundraising plan. Walkers can fundraise through their personal AIDS Walk Boston pages, Facebook, and Twitter.
Follow @AIDSWalkBoston and the hashtag #AIDSWALKBOSTON for information about HIV/AIDS and the AIDS Walk & Run Boston.
Facts About HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts
--Between 2000 and 2015, the number of people living HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts increased 59%, placing substantial demands on existing prevention and treatment programs.
--Gay and bisexual men comprise the largest proportion of new diagnoses (44% in 2013-2015).
--Black (non-Hispanic) and Hispanic/Latino individuals were diagnosed with HIV infection during 2013-2015 at population rates 10 and seven times that of the White (non-Hispanic) individuals, respectively.
--Persons who use intravenous drugs account for about half of all deaths among people with HIV/AIDS but only 17% of all those living with HIV infection
About AIDS Walk & Run Boston
The AIDS Walk was first held in 1986 and is one of the first fundraising walks to be introduced in Boston, as well as the country. The 5K Run was added to open up fundraising to runners. Historically AAC's largest fundraising event, it has raised over $40 million for programs and services to support those living with and at risk for contracting HIV/AIDS.
About AIDS Action
AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts is New England's largest provider of services to people living with HIV/AIDS and populations at risk of infection. AIDS Action leads the state's Getting To Zero Coalition, which seeks to reduce the number of HIV infections to zero and operates a needle exchange that serves as an entry point to healthcare services for active substance users. In 2013, the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts became a part of Fenway Health, which works to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhoods, the LGBT community, people living with HIV/AIDS and the broader population.