When Michael Burke began walking in 1988, AIDS was widely considered to be a “gay” disease. He knew that it was a disease that threatened his community, and he wanted to show his support while raising awareness about the realities of AIDS. Then, on June 2, 1991 while registering for the Walk, Michael met Nick who was working the Registration tent. For Michael, it was love at first sight. Luckily, Nick caught up to him about a half mile into the Walk and they walked the rest of the way together.

Michael and Nick walked together as a couple every year since then until Nick died of AIDS in 1999. Nick had been very involved in the cause, from volunteering for AIDS Action to serving on the Board of Directors of CRI. After his death, Michael knew he had to keep walking. “It is something I need to keep doing in his memory,” he says. “Because he was so heavily involved, I need to do it for him as well as for myself. If I were to take a year off, I feel I would be dishonoring his memory.”

The Walk is something close to his heart, but Michael also enjoys the day as an opportunity to see friends and do something fun and important. “When you see all those people gathered together for a common cause, and everyone is hugging each other, sure, there is sadness, but it is also a really wonderful and rewarding experience.”

To visit Michael’s fundraising page, a page created in honor of Nick, click here.

Support AIDS Walk Boston and enjoy great food!

Visit Fajitas & ‘Ritas May 18-24 and 20% of your bill will go directly to AIDS Walk Boston 2008!  You can check out their website for menus and directions at fajitasandritas.com.
In order to participate, please print the following coupon fajitasandritascoupon.pdf and bring it when you dine or party. 

 Hope to see you there!

AIDS Walk Boston is less than 20 days away! There is no better time for fundraising and fun! Now is the time to throw a party or theme night to benefit the Walk!  Host a movie night at your home and sell popcorn and candy to support your Walk efforts. Get out your board games like Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, and Scrabble for some friendly competition and ask for donations at the door. Organize a mock poker tournament where the pot goes towards the Walk.

Some teams invite friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors over for a pasta dinner to load up on carbohydrates the night before the Walk/Run! Everyone can help by bringing a dish to pass. It’s a great opportunity for team members to bond before the Walk and supporters can share in their excitement. 

If you run out of time for a fundraising party before the Walk, you can host a post-Walk celebration dinner or event. AIDS Walk Boston accepts donations all year ‘round. 

This weekend (May 17th and 18th) is the opening weekend at SoWa Open Market and AIDS Walk Boston will be there! Stop by the Walk booth at the Market to pick up information and some great Walk shwag! Then stay and enjoy the Market, which hosts a wide variety of vendors. You’ll find painters, sculptors, photographers, clothing and jewelry designers, house wares, antique dealers, florists, bakers, local farmer’s produce, and much more.

The market is located at 540 Harrison Ave in the South End, running from 10am to 4pm both days. For directions and more information about the market, please visit www.southendopenmarket.com.

Each week the AIDS Walk Boston Blog will profile one of our programs at AIDS Action Committee. The money raised by the Walk is crucial for supporting these vital programs. 

This week we spoke with Deb Fournier, Associate Director of Public Policy:

Since its founding, the Public Policy and Legal Affairs Program at AIDS Action Committee has provided counseling and referrals to people living with HIV. Shortly after its start, it became clear that there were many problems best solved through litigation. To meet the clients’ needs, AAC now offers direct legal representation to clients. “Our goal is to help clients maintain a stable life that promotes safety and wellness,” says Deb. 

Last year, Legal Affairs worked directly with 131 clients. “Most of our cases involved housing,” an issue which has intensified because of the recent mortgage crisis. “Many clients are tenants whose landlord has been forced to foreclose. As a result they are facing eviction and these clients need to know their rights.” Other clients are, themselves, facing foreclosure and AAC’s Legal Affairs staff, along with a 25 member task force of pro-bono lawyers, can help these clients deal with their lenders.

Other issues that legal assistance address range from delays in social security or disability benefits, drawing of wills for clients in poor health, and even discrimination in the workplace or other settings, like a dentist’s office, where the client has revealed his or her status. “We can assist in discrimination issues by contacting the offender and reminding them of their legal and moral obligations. Our clients deserve to be treated fairly and with dignity.” 

The program also focuses on public policy in Massachusetts. “Our goal is to ensure that HIV-positive individuals are afforded effective and fair policy that is scientifically, not ideologically, based.” The AAC Public Policy staff carefully monitors proposals made in the State House such as healthcare reform in Massachusetts. “Recent proposals that would redefine basic insurance as not including prescription coverage would be detrimental to most individuals infected with HIV/AIDS and could lead to more frequent hospital stays for clients who are not able to afford medication. This could actually cost the government more money in the long-run,” notes Deb.  In the past year AAC staff members have submitted oral and/or written testimony on 15 bills before the MA legislature.

Funds raised through AIDS Walk Boston support programs like Public Policy and Legal Affairs, please register or donate today to help us continue these vital services.

The Extra Mile Club (EMC) was formed to thank those AIDS Walk Boston participants who have truly ”gone the extra mile” to support AIDS Action by individually raising $1,000 or more for the Walk. Last year, 204 EMC’s raised an incredible $383,000!

In honor of AIDS Action Committee’s 25th anniversary, we have set an ambituous goal of 250 Extra Mile Club members this year. We hope to make 2008 the biggest and best year yet for the Extra Mile Club, and we can’t reach this goal without your help!

So what do EMC’s get? Well, Extra Mile Club participants are entitled to plenty of incentives to thank them for all of their hard work and dedication. All EMC’s are invited to the VIP Breakfast on the morning of the Walk. They will also be given an embroidered “Extra Mile Club” hooded rain jacket, along with an AIDS Walk Boston t-shirt and tote bag, and will receive dedicated phone and email support throughout Walk season. And of course, they enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that they are among the Walk’s top fundraisers.

To date, there are already 23 EMC’s this year, who you can see here. Help us reach our goal of 250 EMC members by joining them!

You will automatically become an EMC when you individually raise $1,000 for the Walk. Need help fundraising? AIDS Walk Boston staff and the EMC Coordinator, Erica Sebastian, are here to support you every step of the way. For tips, help with your fundraising letter, ideas to customize your personal page, or for any kind of support to help you reach your goals, contact Erica at 617-450-1538 or esebastian@aac.org.

PS. You can recognize EMC’s by the rainbow crowns they will be wearing on Walk day. If you see one, be sure to thank them for going the “extra mile!”

Today, Kristen Lascoe is a Housing Advocate in Client Services at AIDS Action Committee, and the co-captain of Larry’s Team, AAC’s Walk Team, but her interest in making a difference the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS began many years ago.

When Kristen was a college freshman at Brandeis University, she was invited to attend a conference organized by the Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC), a national, Washington DC based organization working on college campuses throughout the country. During just one short weekend, her knowledge of issues surrounding the global HIV/AIDS epidemic sky-rocketed, and she couldn’t help but get involved. Kristen went on to become a chapter leader of SGAC, working to increase the level of discussion and understanding of HIV/AIDS on her campus, while also assisting on other projects such as fundraising to support AIDS orphans in Kenya, and successfully lobbying for HIV testing at her campus health center.

Eager to continue supporting those infected and affected by HIV after college, she began volunteering in the Meals Program at the Boston Living Center. Years later, you can still find Kristen there at brunch almost every Saturday, doing her part to help out in any way she can.

It is no wonder that her compassion for and interest in AIDS-related issues brought her to AIDS Action Committee. Beginning as an intern in the HIV Health Library, she was so drawn to the sense of acceptance that she experienced at AAC that she continued to volunteer after her internship ended, and went on to become a Housing Advocate in 2007.

Kristen has been a Walk team captain for 4 years, and this year she has taken on a new challenge, as co-captain of Larry’s Team. She is so inspired by the work that AIDS Action Committee does that she continues to rally friends, family, co-workers, SGAC members, and any other acquaintances she can find to participate in this cause that is so close to her heart. And her enthusiasm is contagious!

“Now, more than ever,” Kristen explains, “I am directly connected to those who benefit from the services of AIDS Action. Because I know them, I am honored to help lead an effort to support them through Larry’s Team.”

To visit Larry’s Team’s website, click here.