Florida AIDS Walk Raises Over $1 Million

In News by AHF

Salt-N-Pepa perform live at AHF’s 10th Annual Florida AIDS Walk & Music Festival; funds will benefit South Florida HIV/AIDS organizations

 LAUDERDALE (March 19, 2014) – The 10th Annual Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival benefitting South Florida HIV/AIDS service providers was held on Sunday, March 22nd on Fort Lauderdale Beach. The annual 5K fundraising walk and concert raised over $1 million and was hosted by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and presented by AHF Pharmacy, where 96 cents of every dollar earned supports domestic and global HIV/AIDS care.

“While each Florida AIDS Walk is spectacular in its own way, we were truly humbled to celebrate this milestone and express our sincere thanks for the local community’s support over the past ten years to keep attention and resources directed towards people living with HIV/AIDS in South Florida,” said Mark Martin, AHF’s Regional Director of Community Relations and Development in Florida, who plans the event each year. “What better finale to our tenth anniversary walk than Salt-N-Pepa performing on our main stage? In the same way the group used their platform to raise awareness and visibility with the groundbreaking “Let’s Talk About Sex/AIDS” in the early ‘90s, the ladies are still contributing their talents to the continued fight against HIV/AIDS—and making us dance at the same time!”

According to the Centers for the Disease Control (CDC), Florida ranked first nationally in the number of newly diagnosed HIV infections in 2013, with Miami-Dade and Broward counties reporting the highest number of HIV cases in 2014, respectively. The CDC estimates that 110,000 people are currently living with HIV/AIDS in Florida.

The 5K procession began and ended at Fort Lauderdale’s South Beach Park and was followed by a live concert headlined by Grammy award-winning female rap group Salt-N-Pepa. The walk was sponsored primarily by AHF Pharmacy, a national chain of full-service pharmacies whose proceeds fund AHF’s work providing HIV/AIDS treatment, testing, and advocacy in 36 countries around the world.

Local nonprofits benefitting from the funds raised through walk registrations include Broward House, SAVE, SunServe, Latinos Salud, Mount Olive Development Corporation, the Poverello Center, The Pride Center at Equality Park, and AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

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