Dressed in AIDS awareness T-shirts and comfortable walking shoes, they came to Waryas Park from around the Hudson Valley – some from as far away as Brooklyn. While they enjoyed a walk in the cool sunshine of early autumn, they were also part of a significant fundraising effort.
The 16th annual Hudson Valley AIDS Walk raised more than $30,000 for AIDS-Related Community Services (ARCS), a nonprofit that provides Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) services, including prevention/education and outreach.
It was the City of Poughkeepsie’s second consecutive year hosting the event, and Jeffery Kraus, executive director of ARCS, had positive things to say about returning to Poughkeepsie.
“We’ve had a more wonderful experience in this city – with the mayor (Nancy Cozean), the police, city hall and the parks department – than any other,” said Kraus.
Walkers this year numbered 250, while 100 additional people participated through donations. Corporate sponsors also helped make the event a success.
Renardo Williams, a student from Brooklyn, participated in the AIDS Walk along with a group of classmates who made the trip to Poughkeepsie. “I just support everything,” Williams said of the cause. “It was great – nice weather,” he said of the experience.
Cameron Waz, a 4-year-old from Wappinger, completed the entire 2-mile walk by himself. “I’m so proud of him,” said his mother, Ellen Waz.
Another student, Emily Lubin, who had traveled from Chappaqua with classmates, said, “Our high school (Horace Greeley High School) participates in AIDS awareness events like this all the time.”
The walkers followed a route that began and ended at Waryas Park, where vendors provided food and information.
The mission of ARCS is to prevent and reduce the transmission of HIV and ensure access, equity and justice for people who are affected by HIV to maximize their quality of life. ARCS, which was founded in 1983, maintains offices in each of the seven counties it serves in the Hudson Valley: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester. One of the largest AIDS community service providers in New York State, it served 25,000 individuals and families in 2005. For more information, visit www.arcs.org.