Aids Walk Miami

This Sunday in Miami Beach take part in Aids Walk Miami AIDS Walk Miami is one of oldest and largest AIDS walks in the country. This year the walk will benefit Care Resource, Food For Life Network Food Bank, Empower-U and the Center for Positive Connections. All monies raised from this event will benefit both Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Following in the footsteps of past AIDS Walk Miami Grand Marshal celebrities like Gloria and Emilio Estefan; Sylvester Stallone, Cindy Crawford, Rosie O’Donnell and Antonio Sabato Jr. This year Guillermo Diaz (from the TV show Weeds) will add his own brand of star power to South Florida’s largest family fundraising walk-a-thon. As an added plus, WSVN news anchorman Craig Stevens has once again agreed to serve as AIDS Walk Miami’s “Master of Ceremonies” during the opening and closing ceremonies.  As per the current Center for Disease Control fact sheets, Miami-Dade County now ranks #1 with HIV/AIDS infections in the country, followed by Broward County (Greater Fort Lauderdale).
The course is 3.1 miles (5K) starting and ending outside the Miami Beach Convention Center. Registration begins at 8:00am. The Walk begins promptly at 9:00am. As participants reach the end of the Walk at the Botanical Gardens, a post-walk celebration, sponsored in part by MTV Latin America + Life Project is held to thank everyone. Donations – Pledges are accepted online (www.AidsWalkMiami.com), the day of the event, and by mail. Please make checks payable to: Care Resource, 3510 Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 300, Miami, Florida 33137.

A HISTORY OF CARING
Community AIDS Resource, Inc., d.b.a. / CARE RESOURCE is a 501[c](3) non-profit, multi-cultural, community based AIDS service organization rooted from the 1998 merger of Health Crisis Network (1983) and Community Research Initiative (1989). Care Resource is now South Florida’s oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization serving over 9,000 clients and a true leader in the community. Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in South Florida and for 25 years, Care Resource has been dedicated to serving those suffering with or affected by HIV/AIDS and to meeting the changing demographics of the epidemic. Prevention programs target youth, men who have sex with men, the incarcerated, African American, Haitian, and Hispanic men and women believed to be HIV positive or at risk of contracting the virus. Care Resource has demonstrated excellence in the field of HIV/AIDS as it works to fulfill its mission and have a positive impact on Broward and Miami-Dade communities. Their work in the community has earned them the confidence of their clients and funding sources at local, state and federal levels. The agency currently conducts more than 10,000 HIV tests annually, has many fundraising activities, has over 115 employees and hundreds of invaluable volunteers who help raise awareness, bring hope and build a sense of community. The changing face of AIDS in this nation reflects a devastating number of people in South Florida. Fort Lauderdale ranks first and Miami ranks second in AIDS rates among metropolitan areas in the nation (followed by New York). A high percentage of HIV positive residents in South Florida are not in care and hundreds more do not even know their HIV status. The state of the epidemic continues to grow and change; therefore, the support of the community for HIV education, prevention, research and treatment is crucial.