Starbucks has returned for its fourth year
as the title sponsor for the 2007 AIDS Walk for Life, an easy
5k around Kapi‘olani Park on April 22. Race registration
starts at 8 a.m., and the walk starts at 9 a.m., followed by
entertainment, a health fair, and free coffee. From Starbucks,
of course.
In its 16th year, the walk remains the largest AIDS public awareness
event in Hawai‘i. Walkers ask friends and family to sponsor
their participation by pledging funds for the Life Foundation,
Hawai‘i’s oldest and largest AIDS organization.
Approximately 40,000 new HIV infections occur each year in the
United States, half among individuals under the age of 25. It
is estimated that 3,000 people in Hawai‘i are living with
HIV or AIDS. Locally, the Life Foundation provides services to
nearly 700 HIV-positive men, women, and children while running
the state’s most comprehensive HIV prevention program.
The AIDS Walk for Life is a way for the community to show its
support for people living with HIV and AIDS in Hawai‘i,
as well as raise valuable public awareness about the importance
of HIV testing. Last year, the walk raised more than $125,000
to support Life Foundation’s services, drawing nearly 1,000
walkers and volunteers.
Teams remain an integral part of the walk’s success. Participants
can form teams with friends or co-workers, and create a team
Web page to promote their fundraising efforts. Past teams have
included the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, Maryknoll High
School, and MAC Cosmetics.
Individual and team walkers can register online at www.aidswalkhawaii.org,
or by calling Life Foundation’s Event Coordinator, Cathy
Pudwill at 521-2437 ext. 250.
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