|
AIDS walk to gain awareness
St. Cloud's 4th Annual AIDS walk, sponsored by the American Red Cross, will take place Saturday at Riverside Park.
Susie Wistrom, organizer of the AIDS walk, has been with the Red Cross for over five years. Wistrom got the idea to have an AIDS walk in St. Cloud by looking at surrounding communities.
"I had heard that Willmar had a walk to raise money for AIDS and I figured if they could do it, we could do it," Wistrom said.
Wistrom began her work with the Red Cross teaching CPR. When she got the idea for an AIDS walk several years ago, she took the idea to her class. "I asked my class what they thought and one woman said 'does anyone around here have it (AIDS)?'" Wistrom said. "Someone else in the class said we had enough walks in St. Cloud. When I heard their responses, I knew it was something I had to start," she said.
Going into its 4th year, the AIDS walk is a great source of fundraising. Each year, a committee gets together at the Red Cross and decides which organizations need money and which would benefit the most. This year's proceeds go to FATE (Fighting AIDS Through Education).
Candi Amundson, a 17-year-old Sartell High School student, is excited about her first year participating in the AIDS walk. FATE came to her school and gave a presentation about AIDS and the HIV virus. "I thought it would be great to go around and teach others about HIV and AIDS," Amundson said about joining FATE.
Amundson has been with FATE for a few years, but this is her first year directly assisting with the AIDS walk. FATE volunteers are in charge of setting up for the walk. "We make all the posters, set-up cones to block out the route and put up balloons," Amundson said. After the set-up is finished, the FATE volunteers are encouraged to participate in the walk.
Wistrom is trying to break apart stereotypes about the AIDS walk. "It's not about having AIDS or knowing people with AIDS, it's about people showing up and showing concern for the cause," Wistrom said. "It's great to raise money, but the real goal is to get people out and walking for a great cause," she said.
Wistrom is encouraging SCSU students to get involved with the Red Cross even if they don't walk this weekend. "We are always running instructor courses on becoming an HIV educator," Wistrom said. To learn more about how you can become involved with the HIV/AIDS area of the St. Cloud Red Cross, call Susie Wistrom at (320)251-7641.
Registration for the AIDS walk starts at 9 a.m. Saturday with the walk beginning at 10 a.m.
|
|
|
|
|
|
