21st Annual AIDS Walk Orlando

The AIDS Walk Orlando has benefited the Hope and Help Center of Central Florida since the first one was held in 1995. The funds raised by the walkers who take to the streets of downtown Orlando benefit and enrich the HIV testing, counseling, programs and prevention education that the Hope and Help Center already offers in four Central Florida counties.

This year the AIDS Walk Orlando will be held later in the calendar year, after many successful runs in March in recent years. The 21st annual AIDS Walk Orlando will be held on Saturday, April 16, and organizers hope to welcome as many as 2,000 walkers. Participants will walk two laps around Lake Eola in downtown Orlando, beginning and ending at the Walt Disney World Amphitheatre on Robinson Street adjacent to Lake Eola. On-site registration begins at 7:30 a.m., followed by a rally at the Walt Disney World Amphitheatre at 8:30 a.m. After that is finished, at 9 a.m., the walk will begin. By 10 a.m., all walkers should have completed the circuit; the post-walk celebration will start at 9:45 a.m.

To enter the AIDS Walk Orlando, you must register online and pledge to raise at least $25. Donations can come from your own pocket, or from family, friends and local businesses. The walker who raises the most money will win a trophy and a prize, and there will also be a trophy awarded to the team that raises the most money together. You can direct people to donate in your name after you register on the AIDS Walk Orlando website at aidswalkorlando.org. All they need to do is click on "Donate" and locate you or your team.

The Hope and Help Center has served people impacted by HIV and AIDS in Central Florida since 1988. Their mission is "to save lives by treating and preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS in Central Florida." Their main offices are located in Winter Park and their services are available to people living in Orange, Seminole, Lake and Osceola Counties.

For more information on the AIDS Walk, visit aidswalkorlando.org. For more information on the Hope and Help Center, visit hopeandhelp.org