Torontonians will take to the streets Sunday, Sept. 19 to join the fight against HIV/AIDS when the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life returns for another year.
While advances have been made in education and treatment of the illness, there is much to be done to help ensure those who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS live more comfortably and to help prevent others from becoming infected, said organizers.The walk, which will take place in downtown Toronto along with similar events in cities across Canada, will raise funds for the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) to help out on both counts.Longtime AIDS Walk participant and current chair of the AIDS Walk's volunteer steering committee Jim Stone said he began participating because, despite the best efforts of organizations like ACT to keep people from contracting HIV/AIDS, many still misunderstand the illness."The cause needs to be championed because a lot of the information out there is just incorrect," he said. "A lot of younger people out there think there's a cure, but there's no cure."Stone has friends who live with HIV/AIDS and others who have died from complications related to the disease and is shocked at the number of people who do not know enough about it."There are numerous preventative measures out there and we need to get the information out to help people know how to avoid (contracting HIV/AIDS,)" he said. "The more work that gets done with people walking, talking about it, promoting the walk and getting friends, co-workers and family members involved, the more we can get that information out there."The funds raised through the AIDS Walk will go toward various information campaigns to let people know the risks and how to reduce their chances of getting HIV/AIDS as well as health promotion and other programs to help improve the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS.The walk is expected to draw some 2,500 participants in hopes of raising upward of $330,000, and there are plenty of perks for participants."People can meet at the start point and there will be a variety of warm-up activities, and we'll have a bunch of special guests and entertainment there as well," Stone said.The walk will also include a quiet, reflective portion where participants will stop at Cawthra Park in memory of those who have died from HIV/AIDS-related complications and in honour of those who continue to live with the illness."The whole walk is a celebration, not a time of sadness, but we do want to look at what has gone on and what is going on in the lives of so many people," Stone said.The five-kilometre walk will start at the corner of Church and Alexander streets, proceeding north along Church, through Cawthra Square, north on Jarvis Street, west on Charles Street, south along Yonge Street, east along Queen Street and north on Church to Carlton Street. An after-party will take place as the walkers reach the end of the route.The day's events will begin at 11 a.m. with registration and a community fair and the walk itself start at 2 p.m., with the after-party taking place from 3 to 6 p.m.For more information, to register or to pledge a participant, visit www.aidswalktoronto.ca