Walk for Hope

Today, take a cue from the theme of a 21-year-old local event and "Don't Just Stand There." Walk! Walk for about 3.5 miles alongside people who look like you and people who don't — teenagers, men, women, children, blacks, whites, Latinos, Asians, gays, straights — all marching together to combat a disease that doesn't discriminate: AIDS. Event director Michael Lintecum expects about 3,500 people to take part in today's AIDS Walk, which begins at 10 a.m. at Theis Park (just south of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art at Oak and Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard). Over the 15 years of his involvement, Lintecum has seen the faces of participants diversify. "It's like the disease, you know," he says. "We have a lot more people affected and infected." HIV/AIDS increasingly strikes women and minorities. Funds raised today will help local patients. Walkers are encouraged to make a contribution, Lintecum says, but "if somebody's unable to donate, we still invite them to come out and help us raise awareness." Registration opens at 8 a.m., and a welcoming ceremony commences at 9. For more information, see aidswalkkansascity.org or call 816-931-7252.
Sat., April 25, 10 a.m., 2009