AIDS Walk Delaware to be held Sept. 22

AIDS Walk Delaware will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Sept. 22, at Grove Park in Rehoboth Beach. Another walk will take place concurrently in Dravo Plaza, Riverfront Wilmington. AIDS Walk Delaware is the state’s largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser and awareness event, and funds raised support statewide services. Hundreds of people will walk in solidarity to support Delawareans living with HIV/AIDS. 

Register at aidswalkdelaware.org to make a donation, sign up for the walk, and/or start a team. Online registration is preferred but not required. Walkers who donate $30 or more receive a T-shirt. This event is family friendly.

AIDS Delaware and the Delaware HIV Consortium once again collaborate to bring awareness to a health issue that continues to devastate certain populations and has spread to unsuspecting groups of people. HIV is on the rise in people over 50. Older adults who begin dating again after a divorce or the death of a partner may not use condoms if they are unaware of the risk of HIV. In addition, women who are no longer concerned about pregnancy may not use a female condom or ask their partners to use a male condom during sex. 

Delaware’s HIV epidemic disproportionately affects the African-American community, which comprises 21 percent of Delaware’s population, but accounts for 61 percent and 67 percent of the State’s HIV and AIDS cases, respectively. The CDC recommends that everyone 13 to 64 years old get tested for HIV at least once, and that people at high risk of infection get tested more often.

Walkers can visit vendors and sponsors in the Knowledge Neighborhood, walk in celebration for Delawareans living with HIV, support statewide HIV/AIDS services, and honor those who have passed. Call 302-652-6776 for more information.