On Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, join the Minnesota AIDS Project (MAP) at Boom Island Park for the 28th annual Minnesota AIDS Walk. Donations to the AIDS Walk help the Minnesota AIDS Project prevent new HIV infections and keep people living with HIV in Minnesota healthy.
After a hiatus in 2016, the Minnesota AIDS Walk has been reimagined as an event that gets back to our roots: remembering those lost to HIV, raising support for those affected by HIV, and coming together in community to raise awareness about HIV. The theme for the February event is “Cool Walk. Warm Hearts.”
The Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater and other artists will be on hand to entertain and raise awareness through a small village of Educate and Create “shanties” in the snow. Walk attendees will enjoy a festive atmosphere with a bonfire, a choice between a half-mile and one-mile walk route, and a candlelight vigil the conclusion of the walk.
“At the beginning of the HIV-epidemic, many were left out in the cold by government inaction, anti-HIV stigma, and homophobia,” said Doug Melroe, Director of Advancement for the Minnesota AIDS Project. “We’re walking in February to pay homage to those who came before us and to make sure no one affected by HIV is left out in the cold again.”
The largest and oldest organization fighting HIV in the state, the Minnesota AIDS Project is the leading advocate for evidence-based policies that can help lower the incidence of HIV across Minnesota. Confidential community-based support is also provided to people living with HIV – case management, assistance with food, housing and transportation, benefits counseling, and legal services – helping them to maintain their health.
An estimated 300 Minnesotans are infected with HIV every year in Minnesota in all parts of the state. Approximately 2,500 Minnesotans living with HIV are not connected to the medical care necessary to keep them healthy and enable them to live long lives.
Participants can sign up to walk or donate at www.mnaidswalk.org.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017
Time: 3pm to 7pm
Location: Boom Island Park, 724 Sibley St. NE, Minneapolis, MN, 55413
http://www.mnaidsproject.org/news/minnesota-aids-walk-returns-2017
