Washington, D.C.: Crowd Heartens AIDS Walk Planners

A sea of 7,500 walkers at the annual AIDS Walk in Washington Saturday was a welcome relief for walk organizer Whitman-Walker Clinic. According to Associate Executive Director Michael Cover, WWC had considered canceling the event after 16 years of sponsorship due to poor participation last year and waning donations. "We plan to have conversations over the next few weeks to really reevaluate how much time and resources it takes to produce this kind of walk," he said. "But we are really encouraged by today's turnout."

At its peak in 1999, the walk drew up to 30,000 people. But last October, less than a month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, only 3,500 people showed up, raising $485,000 -- just $4,000 more than the walk's cost. "People were scared that this year was going to be even worse," Cover said. "But what we ended up seeing was a real success of 7,500 people concerned about HIV/AIDS and willing to give of themselves and take the time and money to help a cause they believe in." The largest provider of HIV/AIDS health care in the Washington region, WWC provides treatment to about 7,000 clients and HIV testing to another 7,000 people annually.

Initial tallies indicated that the walk raised enough to easily cover its cost and provide much-needed funds for the clinic's programs, Cover said. The final amount will not be known for a week. About 60 percent of the clinic's budget comes from the federal government, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, Cover said, adding that the facility is bracing for cuts from those sources as well.

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