Walking in Sunshine and Don’t It Feel Good!

By Jennifer Morton, Managing Editor

Saturday, October 30 was a gorgeous, sunny day for the 2021 Desert AIDS Walk in Palm Springs, California. Thousands participated in the annual event. The walk supports the work of DAP Health (formerly the Desert AIDS Project), which provides health care services to more than 10,000 individuals in the Coachella Valley. This year, the organization beat its fundraising goal and set a new record by raising more than $385,000.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first recorded cases in the United States of what would come to be known as AIDS. Since 1989, the Desert AIDS Walk has been bringing the community together to help end the HIV epidemic and remember those lost to AIDS.

“AIDS taught us a community response is the most effective response,” said DAP Health CEO and president David Brinkman, MBA. “It taught us that we cannot turn our backs when communities are in need and in fear, that we must remember our humanity and the gift of giving back and be there to help. And, as we have learned through our recent human rights and health equity movements, equality cannot be experienced by one until it is experienced by all.”

The theme of this year’s walk was “Together Again,” and it was wonderful to reconnect in person with community members after walking virtually last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. I had the pleasure of walking the 3.5-mile route through downtown Palm Springs with Tim Hoeffgen (Timothy Ray Brown’s widower) and other members of Let’s Kick ASS (AIDS Survivor Syndrome)—Palm Springs.

When communities come together, we can end HIV. And that definitely feels good!

Check out photos of the event in the slideshow below: