0
0
By Monique Larkin
Steve Reynolds participating in the 15th annual AIDS Walk downtown. (Chris Dietrich)
By Monique Larkin
They came from all over. Each had their own purpose in mind.
They walked with an open heart.
Some wore tee-shirts that represented where they were from, what they each represented, but others wore T-shirts with the pictures of the faces of their loved ones who had lost the never-ending battle to Auto Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Men, women, children of many ages, ethnicities and colors participated in the walk.
Slyvia Rodemeyer, a Riverside resident and a member of a women’s center participated in the walk as well.
“In Riverside, we want the people to be aware that AIDS attacks people everywhere, even in the general community,” Rodemeyer said.
However, the people who participated in the AIDS Walk that took place on Sept. 25 each had one thing in common. That is to advocate for the people who have been affected by AIDS as well as whom now are affected by the auto-immune disease.
The AIDS Walk in part with the Inland AIDS Project that took place in Downtown Riverside at the Mission Inn, raised over $22,000 that is to be donated to health care, support services and advocacy for persons who are affected with AIDS in Southern California.
The AIDS walk, which takes place all over Southern California.This is an annual event, and people from all over are encouraged to participate.
Some people participate every year .
One family in particular participates every year and each member of the family wears T-shirts in memory of their brother and son that had lost his battle to AIDS in 1989.
They indeed walk for a reason.
For all those people who hadn’t lost someone to AIDS, they walked because they knew of someone or wanted to participate for good will.
