Over 2,400 people have pre-registered for the AIDS Run & Walk 2008 that will take place Saturday, Sept. 20, at Columbus and Balbo in Grant Park. More than 7,000 people are expected to turn out for this year’s event. Proceeds benefit the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
AIDS Run & Walk promo. Image courtesy of Johnathon Briggs
Organizers credit several factors for the registration record, including an eye-catching ‘Let’s Get Moving’ ad campaign, in which three dancers twist their bodies into the shape of an AIDS ribbon; the CommunityDirect incentive, in which 100 percent of all money raised by a CommunityDirect team is returned directly to the participating HIV/AIDS-related organization; and a renewed concern by local residents in the wake of recent headlines reporting 40 percent more HIV infections in the United States than previously known.
AIDS Run & Walk Chicago honorary chair U.S. Congressman Danny Davis and cast members from Chicago’s ‘Wicked’ and ‘Jersey Boys’ will be among those welcoming participants. The cast members have even formed an AIDS Run & Walk Chicago team: ‘Wicked Jersey Boys for Season of Concern.’
A jam-packed roster of performers include Chicago’s FootworKINGz, Chicago Dance Crash,DanceWorks Chicago, New York drag star Sherry Vine, Chicago Spirit Brigade, DJ Casper,the Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps (R.O.T.C. Chicago) and New Life Performance Companyperforming a tribute to Anthony Hollins, a South Side AIDS advocate who passed away last year. The event will also feature a Health & Fitness Village sponsored by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The run starts at 9:55 a.m.; the walk starts at 10:00 a.m. Registration is $25 in advance and $30 on-site. Visit www.aidsrunwalk.org or call 312-334-0946.