The 34th annual AIDS Walk & Run was hosted Saturday, marking the final time before next year's launch of a "new, inclusive program."
Along with the run and walk, the event featured live music, a memorial to those lost to HIV/AIDS, and an opportunity to celebrate top fundraisers, a statement from the community center said. Funds from this year's event will support 11 local HIV/AIDS service providers.
"Thanks to our community's efforts over nearly 40 years, today HIV is a completely treatable condition," said Cara Dessert, CEO of The San Diego LGBT Community Center. "Together, we've made tremendous progress in prevention efforts to significantly reduce HIV transmissions while continuing to help people survive and thrive after being diagnosed."
Following opening ceremonies, teams will be invited to take a group photo before completing the traditional route through Balboa Park and across the Cabrillo Bridge.
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Along with celebrating the progress made in fighting HIV/AIDS, the event remembers the lives of the thousands of San Diegans lost to AIDS, a condition once intentionally ignored by policymakers and public health officials, organizers said.
"My family and I have been walking in AIDS Walk & Run San Diego since 2008 in memory of my brother, who we lost to AIDS in 1995," said Gary Leventhal, a long-time AIDS Walk participant. "I not only walk for him, but for all those still fighting the fight!"
In 2024, the center will host an event "that aims to reach more San Diegans through both community education and empowerment to help break the stigma around living with HIV. "
