AIDS Walk New York raises $1.7M this year: ‘I’m going to walk until there is a cure’

Maureen McNamara has participated in AIDS Walk New York since the walkathon began 41 years ago. In the 1980s, McNamara watched the AIDS epidemic claim the lives of friends and community members in New York. For her, trekking through Manhattan each year has become an act of remembering.“I had a really good friend who had been in the hospital in those days. … Nobody would touch him, so it was very hard,” McNamara told The Advocate. “I'm going to walk until there is a cure.”McNamara found good company on Sunday, when participants in this year’s walk helped raise more than $1.7 million for HIV service organizations in the greater New York City area, according to Gay Men’s Health Crisis, the HIV advocacy group that organized the event.Roughly 10,000 people participated in this year’s walk, which marked the 41st annual event, a GMHC spokesperson told The Advocate. Sunday’s walk also featured speeches and guest appearances from several celebrities and elected officials, including actress Rosie Perez, drag star Peppermint, New York City Public Advocate Jumanee Williams, and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal. About 10,000 people participated in AIDS Walk New York this weekend, according to event organizers. Jack Walker/The Advocate Each year, participating individuals and groups walk a miles-long loop of Central Park together, with their coworkers, friends, and family members pledging donations. Major health companies and community organizations pitch in with fundraising efforts, too, and several operate booths offering free merchandise and HIV resources for participants to access.“The goal is to raise awareness around HIV and AIDS,” said T. Anthony Patterson, vice president of communications and brand at GMHC. “It was birthed out of the movement of the HIV and AIDS crisis, and it’s been going strong ever since.”This year’s event was given the theme of “Walk Like an Icon.” Patterson said the theme reflected “the style, the res