Rain did not dissuade 45,000 New Yorkers from gathering in
Central Park to join the 26th annual AIDS Walk New York, organized by Gay Men’s
Health Crisis (GMHC). By the end of the day, Sunday, May 15, walkers and
supporters raised $6,214,768 for GMHC and 41 other local AIDS service
organizations.
The event’s opening ceremony featured speeches by Marjorie
Hill, PhD, CEO of GMHC, and Craig R. Miller, founder of AIDS Walk New York.
Celebrity guests included Mondo Guerra and Jack Mackenroth of Project Runway, Lee Pace of The Normal Heart, Mike Ruiz of The A-List, Dot-Marie Jones of Glee and Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson
and Eric Stonestreet of Modern Family—plus many more. U.S. Representative Charles B. Rangel and New York
State Senators Thomas K. Duane and Adriano Espaillat also appeared on stage.
Presenting corporate sponsors included Duane Reade, Bristol-Myers Squibb and
Delta Air Lines. Audra McDonald (Private Practice) performed “You’ll Never Walk Alone” before walkers
set off on the 6.2-mile route around the park.
Since its inception, AIDS Walk New York has raised more than $116 million for HIV programs and services in the tri-state area and has become the largest AIDS fund-raising event in the world.
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For more photos from AIDS Walk NY, visit the POZ Flickr page.
