Photo Courtesy of AIDS Walk Los Angeles
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WEST HOLLYWOOD -- More than 30,000 people took part in Sunday's 25th annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles, which benefits AIDS Project Los Angeles and several other Los Angeles-area AIDS service organizations.
The opening ceremony began at 9:15 a.m., and the 6.2-mile walk started at 10 a.m. at West Hollywood Park, 647 N. San Vicente Blvd.
From there, walkers headed south on La Cienega Boulevard, east on Melrose Avenue, south on La Brea Avenue, west on Beverly Boulevard and north on San Vicente to return to the park.
Among the celebrities who participated were Felicity Huffman, Aaron Carter, Mary Louise Parker, Darryl Stephens, George Takei and John Lloyd Young.
A VIP post-walk reception hosted by actress Teri Hatcher began at noon. San Francisco Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom attended, along with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land. Villaraigosa and Land spoke to the crowd about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Los Angeles and the work of AIDS Project Los Angeles.
"Today in L.A., there are 60,000 people living with HIV, and as many as a quarter of them don't even know they are infected. It's so important that we get them into testing and get them into treatment and care early so that they can stay healthy," Colin Weil of AODS Project Los Angeles said.
Since 1985, the event has raised more than $63 million for HIV programs and services throughout Los Angeles County, and has grown into one of the largest AIDS fundraising events in the country.
Last year, more than 30,000 participants raised more than $3 million for AIDS Project Los Angeles and more than a dozen other AIDS service organizations. This year, the total was some $100,000 less, which organizers blamed on the economy.
The opening ceremony began at 9:15 a.m., and the 6.2-mile walk started at 10 a.m. at West Hollywood Park, 647 N. San Vicente Blvd.
From there, walkers headed south on La Cienega Boulevard, east on Melrose Avenue, south on La Brea Avenue, west on Beverly Boulevard and north on San Vicente to return to the park.
Among the celebrities who participated were Felicity Huffman, Aaron Carter, Mary Louise Parker, Darryl Stephens, George Takei and John Lloyd Young.
A VIP post-walk reception hosted by actress Teri Hatcher began at noon. San Francisco Mayor and gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom attended, along with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land. Villaraigosa and Land spoke to the crowd about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Los Angeles and the work of AIDS Project Los Angeles.
"Today in L.A., there are 60,000 people living with HIV, and as many as a quarter of them don't even know they are infected. It's so important that we get them into testing and get them into treatment and care early so that they can stay healthy," Colin Weil of AODS Project Los Angeles said.
Since 1985, the event has raised more than $63 million for HIV programs and services throughout Los Angeles County, and has grown into one of the largest AIDS fundraising events in the country.
Last year, more than 30,000 participants raised more than $3 million for AIDS Project Los Angeles and more than a dozen other AIDS service organizations. This year, the total was some $100,000 less, which organizers blamed on the economy.
