More AIDS Walk News Stories

WABI TV5
by Amy Erickson
May 2, 2009

AIDS WALK IN BANGOR/BREWER

More than a hundred walkers turned out Saturday to raise awareness...and money...for the fight against HIV and AIDS.

The annual AIDS walks were held around the state...including one in Bangor.

Walkers started out at the Eastern Maine AIDS Network on Harlow Street and made their way across the Penobscot River to Brewer and back.

They raised money for HIV and AIDS care and prevention efforts.

Oraganizers are hoping the Maine walks bring in a total of more than a hundred thousand dollars...half of it from community support, the other half from a challenge grant with the National AIDS Fund.

<"what we have found is that HIV/AIDS has really fallen off the radar screen and our hope today is to do a public awareness campaign to remind folks that HIV/AIDS is here in Maine and it is an important public health issue.">

Murphy says she was surprised to find that online walk donations this year doubled last year's amount.

She says that's something she never expected, given the current state of the economy.

http://www.wabi.tv/news/5727/aids-walk-in-bangor-brewer

ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 2, 2009

Mainers to take part in AIDS Walk Weekend

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Hundreds of Mainers are expected to hit the street this weekend in an effort to raise awareness of AIDS and raise money for care and prevention efforts.

The Maine Community AIDS Partnership says the annual AIDS Walk Weekend is being held Saturday and Sunday in Augusta, Bangor, Brunswick, Ellsworth, Lewiston-Auburn, Machias, Ogunquit, Portland and Portsmouth, N.H.

Organizer Andrew Bossie said the event is important during tough economic times when more Mainers than ever before are living with HIV/AIDS and funding continues to be cut.

The event is expected to raise more than $100,000, half of it from community support and the other half from a challenge grant with the National AIDS Fund.

http://wbztv.com/mainewire/22.0.html?type=local&state=ME&category=n&filename=ME--AIDSWalk.xml

PR Maine - March 27, 2009
http://www.prmaine.com/2009/03/27/bangor-walk-to-fight-aids-aids-walk-weekend-2009/

Posted by Suze Howe on Wednesday, May 13th 2009

AIDS Walk 2009 a HUGE Success!

First things first - we here at EMAN offer a hearty THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this year's walk.  Walkers, donors, volunteers - we couldn't do it without you.

The Bangor walkers raised over $7,400.00 for local AIDS Service Organizations! AMAZING!  That's an increase of over 75% from last year! Great job, everyone! As soon as we get the last of the donations sorted, we will announce the top fundraisers, both by team and individuals, so look for that soon.

These funds will be matched by the National AIDS Fund, which means over $14,800.00 will be disseminated to various local agencies, just as a result of the Bangor walk alone. In this time of severe budget crunches, these donations are crucial to helping the ASOs continue their vital service to the community.

And speaking of donations - yes, you can still donate!  We have another week or so to collect, so if you didn't get a chance to donate or if you know someone who wants to, please feel free!  You can mail any checks to EMAN, PO Box 2038, Bangor, ME 04402 or donate via PayPal on the main page of our website: www.maineaidsnetwork.com.

The weather on Saturday turned out to be better than anticipated, and ended up being perfect for walking.  Approximately 125 people participated in the walk this year, including men, women, children (and dogs!).  Everyone was decked out in red, Mardi Gras beads, funky hats, etc.  We were certainly noticed!  We had to use a truncated route due to construction, but I don't think anyone minded.

Last, but not least, we are (very slowly) uploading photos from the walk to Photobucket for everyone to enjoy.  They probably won't be fully uploaded until tonight, but you can check them out later at EMAN's 2009 AIDS Walk album.

Thanks again, everyone, and we'll see you next year!

Posted by Suze Howe on Wednesday, May 6th 2009 in EMAN News and Past events

Bangor Daily News article about the AIDS Walk!

AIDS walk gives disease visibility, raises money

By Nok-Noi Ricker
BDN Staff
May 4, 2009

BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY KATE COLLINS

Participants in the Bangor Area AIDS Walk acknowledge support from passing motorists during their 5K walk through Bangor on Saturday. Organized by the Maine Community AIDS Partnership, the funds raised by walkers were matched by the National AIDS Fund, with all proceeds benefiting local AIDS and HIV organizations.

BANGOR, Maine - More than 100 people walked in the downtown area Saturday, raising awareness that HIV-AIDS is still a problem in Maine, the country and the world.

"Until the disease goes away, we're not going away," Patsy Murphy of the Eastern Maine AIDS Network said before the event. "HIV-AIDS is still an issue. It's still a problem."

The Bangor AIDS Walk was one of nine held across the state over the weekend to spotlight the disease and raise funds to support programs that help those living with the virus and efforts to prevent its spread.

"We've got dogs and babies" and Mardi Gras beads, Murphy said Saturday as she walked with the group of around 120 people along the Penobscot River waterfront. "We're getting toots and waves" from people along the route.

The Eastern Maine AIDS Network was able to raise more than $4,000 in pledges, and all of the funds raised statewide will be matched by the National AIDS Fund in partnership with the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

"The dollars raised here stay here," Murphy said.

Even in these hard economic times, residents of Maine have been very giving, said Andrew Bossie of the Maine AIDS Alliance, based in Augusta.

"We have exceeded last year," he said. "We're due to raise over $50,000 statewide, all to be matched by the national AIDS network. I'm pretty pumped."

The locally raised funding is critical because state and federal dollars have decreased over the past several years, he said.

Statewide, more than 1,200 people are living with HIV, the precursor to AIDS, and an estimated 500 others are believed to be infected and don't know it, Bossie said.

"People should go out and get tested ... to help fight this," he said.

While the number of confirmed cases each year is relatively low, more people are testing positive for the disease nowadays than a decade ago, Bossie said.

"The crazy thing is 10 years ago, in '89, we had 32," he said. "The number was 46 last year and 50 the year before that."

Those interested in finding out more about HIV-AIDS or who want to make a donation may contact Bossie at the Maine AIDS Alliance, 899-9983.

nricker@bangordailynews.net
990-8190

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/105152.html

Posted by Suze Howe on Wednesday, May 6th 2009 in EMAN News, EMAN in the media, and Past events