AIDSWalk Tucson

About 6,000 walkers are expected to raise funds for the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation

By Cait Brennan Dee

Memorial quilt to be part of AIDSWALK Tucson events

AIDSWALK Tucson will rally the southern Arizona community to fight the disease, help those who live with HIV and remember those who have been lost.

AIDS Quilt

The event will be Oct. 16 at the University of Arizona campus.

"It's our largest event, and it gives us the greatest opportunity to reach out to the community," said Monique Vallery, events planner for the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF), which produces AIDSWALK Tucson.

The group announced a goal of 6,000 walkers raising $180,000 to support SAAF's programs.

The event starts with a 10K fun run, followed by a ceremony with the AIDS quilt, opening ceremonies and the walk. There also will be live entertainment throughout the day.

The NAMES Project's AIDS Memorial Quilt will play a large role in the opening ceremonies. "The AIDS Memorial Quilt is considered the largest community arts project in the world. There are over 44,000 panels that make up the entire quilt, and one quilt has four separate panels," Vallery said.

"Each one of those panels memorializes someone lost to AIDS. It's really a time to remember and reflect," she said. "It's the more somber part of the morning but also one of the most incredible experiences, to hear the names be read and watch the quilt be opened."

2011 marks AIDSWALK Tucson's 23rd year. "This is one of the original community walks in Tucson," Vallery said.

"One of the other things that's really neat about this event is that it's across the board, she said. "We have high school teams, churches, co-workers and families.

"It really is a time for the community to come together," Vallery said. "It's a time of year when people from all over the United States come to Tucson to remember someone that they've lost. It's that one time of year that they get together and it's really special for us that we're able to facilitate this opportunity for them."

Other event details:

Testing: New this year, AIDSWALK Tucson will offer free, confidential HIV testing. "We want to make it available to people and make it a part of this environment to try and help break some of the stigma about getting tested," Vallery said. The Pima County Health Department is partnering with SAAF to make the testing possible.

Honorary chair: Ron Barber, district director for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, serves as honorary chair of this year's AIDSWALK Tucson and will speak at the opening ceremonies. Barber is recovering from wounds he received in the Jan. 8 attack where Giffords was also injured and six people were killed. "We're really happy to have him be a part of our event," Vallery said.

Quilt: This is the ninth year AIDSWALK Tucson has displayed the quilt. "We have people who are coming in from different states because it's going to be the first time they'll have seen their loved ones' names be part of the quilt," Vallery said. "Anyone who's seen it or knows about it knows it really resonates, remembering that the names on there are people who were lost because of it. It's a really powerful experience."

Ribbon: AIDS Ribbon Tucson, a 160-foot memorial ribbon with the names of people who have been lost to HIV, will also be at the event. "It's always a part of our opening ceremony and people can add names of their loved ones to the ribbon, and part of the ribbon travels in the walk itself."

Paws for AIDSWALK: Dogs can participate in AIDSWALK Tucson. "We know, especially for our clients, how important their pets are," Vallery said. "We understand the importance of animals, and wanted to open it up to the community so they can register and walk with their dogs. Their dogs get a special AIDSWalk bandana. We've got some dogs that are some of our major fundraisers!" -E

VITAL STATISTICS
AIDS Walk Tucson
Oct. 16; registration begins at 7 a.m., the 10k fun run starts at 7:30 a.m., followed by the quilts ceremony at 8 a.m. Opening ceremonies begin at 8:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 9. Live entertainment begins at 10 a.m.
Central Mall, University of Arizona
Tucson
Registration: $20 for walkers, $35 for runners, $5 for children under 18 years old and pets, free for those living with HIV/AIDS www.aidswalktucson.org