AIDS Walk & Run San Diego is back as a one-day event on Saturday, September 24 at 8am after being a hybrid model for several years due to COVID-19. San Diego County’s largest HIV fundraising event welcomes individuals, teams, social clubs, local businesses, schools, universities, and faith organizations to raise funds for HIV services and prevention programs, while honoring those we have lost. Proceeds from this critical fundraiser benefit local HIV/AIDS support organizations, including The San Diego LGBT Community Center’s #BeTheGeneration program.
The Center’s #BeTheGeneration program is a strategic and comprehensive effort to end new HIV transmissions. By educating San Diegans about new HIV treatment and testing options, as well as combatting the stigma surrounding HIV, this campaign is working to reduce the number of new cases of HIV in San Diego County to zero. Comprised of five tenets, #BeTheGeneration will Empower by utilizing a robust combination of education, engagement, and services; Fight to reduce stigma and barriers and improve access to screening; Test so individuals know their status; Protect by providing information to make informed choices on how to remain HIV negative; and Treat by providing resources and care should they be diagnosed with HIV or other STIs.
“Starting as the Walk For Life in 1985 and eventually becoming AIDS Walk & Run San Diego, this event remains the largest non-governmental HIV fundraiser in the county,” said Ian Johnson (He/Him), The Center’s Senior Director of Development. “For so many of us on our own HIV journeys, to the loss of countless friends, to now seeing community members living with HIV thriving because they are undetectable and untransmittable, to so many of my own friends utilizing PrEP to protect themselves, AIDS Walk & Run San Diego has continuously made an impact on our community. AIDS Walk & Run San Diego remains a vital source of funding for local HIV service and prevention organizations, making sure that all communities have access to the tools of prevention and care for those living with HIV.”
Participants can expect an Opening Ceremony, live musical performances, recognition of top teams and fundraisers, t-shirts, booths spotlighting our event sponsors and funding recipients, an altar to remember those we have lost, remarks from committed community leaders, and more. Teams who raise more than $1,000 receive large cutout yellow shoes with their team name, and individuals who raise more than $1,000 receive scepters and a signature gold crown.
The start line this year is at Centre Street and University Avenue, and qualifying teams get a team photo at the start line, with live and interactive surprises. Water stations will be available along the route to keep our participants hydrated.
Participants may register to walk or run as individuals, form a team, or participants can simply donate to raise funds for AIDS Walk & Run San Diego. The route continues to be through Balboa Park and The Center’s facility and parking lot at 3909 Centre Street in Hillcrest will host the day’s festivities. For more information, visit www.aidswalksd.org.
About The San Diego LGBT Community Center
The San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, Inc., (d.b.a., The Center) is one of the largest and most vibrant LGBTQ community centers in the nation. Functioning as the San Diego LGBTQ community’s anchor organization, The Center is led by an 11-member board of directors, employs more than 90 paid staff, and utilizes more than 1,200 community volunteers to achieve its twin goals of promoting LGBTQ health/wellness and human rights. The Center provides targeted programs and services to the full diversity of the San Diego LGBTQ community, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender, nonbinary, immigrant, and HIV communities to the betterment of our entire San Diego region. Last year, The Center provided more than 80,000 direct service visits to San Diego community members, and through its events, activities, and advocacy, touched the lives of thousands more. For more information on The Center, visit thecentersd.org and follow the nonprofit on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
