By Monday, the event had raised nearly $222,000 of its $250,000 goal, according to a fundraising tracker on its website. The funds benefit Aunt Rita’s Foundation, which hosts the annual event, and 11 partner organizations: CAN Community Health, Chicanos Por La Causa, Ebony House, Northland Cares, One•N•Ten, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Queer Center, Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS, Southwest Recovery Alliance, Terros Health and Valleywise Health.
“This walk is not just about walking, though. It’s about walking with purpose,” Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said, according to Cronkite News. “It’s about honoring lives lost but also making sure that we celebrate the progress that we’ve made.”
The event unfolded at Tempe Beach Park. For the first time, the AIDS Walk featured two Navajos as co-chairs.
“Aunt Rita’s really respects the work of both sister ‘Navi Ho’ Eddie George and Trudie Jackson, our co-chairs,” Stacey Jay Cavaliere, executive director of Aunt Rita’s Foundation, told KJZZ. “They’ve done so much work for years and years, with the HIV community and beyond, and we’re just thrilled that they have agreed to be kind of our figureheads this year.”
Here are some of our favorite moments from the AIDS Walk.
A cutout of a red ribbon, a symbol of HIV awareness, is covered in hand prints and displayed at the event.
Kevin Hurley
