The ACR Health AIDS Walk/Run is back in person this weekend. It’s the 30th anniversary of the event.
ACR Health Executive Director Lisa Alford said it will give the community a chance to mourn those who were lost and connect with people whom they haven’t seen in a long time.
Alford said it’s important “to share stories and shared lived experiences of how people have not only managed their disease, but managed it during the course of a pandemic."
As part of an immunocompromised group, many people with HIV and AIDS faced a heightened risk of a severe COVID-19 infection.
Alford said in many ways, the fight against COVID-19 paralleled the struggles of the AIDS epidemic, by highlighting the challenges of providing accessible care and conducting outreach in communities that were disproportionately affected by the virus.
"I believe it's so important that we not forget those lessons of the past when we go about addressing new or recurring issues that we may be seeing," said Alford.
The AIDS Walk/Run will take place Sunday, June 5 at 10 a.m. at Beaver Lake Nature Center, with an option for people to support the event virtually, too. All money raised will stay in the central New York region.
