Cares

On Sunday, September 26, 2010, AIDS Walk Michigan ' Lansing/East Lansing will be held at Valley Court Park in East Lansing ( behind People's Church ). Registration begins at 10: 00 AM and the AIDS Walk will kickoff at 1: 00 PM. Officially hosted by Evans Scholars of Michigan State University for the past 14 years, the local service oriented fraternity provides extensive assistance in all phases of the fundraising event. Their support and enthusiasm for this event and their commitment to LAAN and the AIDS Walk has become an annual tradition and has forged a unique partnership in the local effort to raise awareness and funding to stop the further spread of HIV. AIDS Walk Michigan is a non-profit organization that began in 1998 to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS, and to raise money for AIDS services in participating Michigan communities. Funds for AIDS Walk Michigan come from a variety of sources. Individuals and teams participating in the 5k Walk ask for pledges from friends, family members and their communities. Corporate contributions and sponsorships ( cash or in-kind donations ) from area businesses are also donated. In addition, hundreds of companies, churches and organizations from across Michigan raise funds to lend a hand. The funds generated by each AIDS Walk are dedicated to HIV/AIDS education, prevention and services. It is important to know that all of the money collected by a community remains in that community to support its local AIDS services. Some local agencies direct all the monies donated to a single service agency, while others divide their proceeds among more than one agency. The local agencies that benefit from AIDS Walk Michigan serve nearly 60% of the 16, 500 Michigan residents living with HIV and AIDS. For some HIV/AIDS service organizations, the Walk is their primary fundraising event.