Media Contact:
J. Cory Curtis, Lifelong AIDS Alliance
(206) 957-1630

For Immediate Release
July 5, 2006

Lifelong AIDS Alliance to honor two decades of fighting AIDS at the 20th Anniversary AIDS Walk
Annual event returns to Capitol Hill on Saturday, September 9

Seattle, WA—July 5, 2006—Lifelong AIDS Alliance announced today that Seattle’s annual AIDS Walk will be celebrating its 20th anniversary on Saturday, September 9 at Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill. This year’s 20th Anniversary AIDS Walk will take a more reflective tone than in previous years, as organizers reflect on two decades of fighting AIDS in Seattle.

“With the 20th anniversary of the AIDS Walk upon us, as well as the 25th anniversary of the discovery of AIDS, we felt it was appropriate to look back on how AIDS has really affected all of us in Seattle and how we’ve come together to fight it,” said Lifelong Executive Director Tina Podlodowski.

“When we began the AIDS Walk in 1986, there was a real sense of fear and urgency,” said Gary Howse, co-founder of Gary Manuel Salon and an original AIDS Walk participant. “We came together as a community not only to raise money, but to show we couldn’t be beat.”

Podlodowski said that while the face of AIDS has changed since the AIDS Walk began 20 years ago, fighting AIDS is now more important than ever. HIV/AIDS now affects more than one million people in the United States, more than ever before, and is the leading cause of death for African American women aged 25-34.

Participants can register for the 20th Anniversary AIDS Walk and donate online at www.llaa.org. More than 4,000 people attended last year’s AIDS Walk, which raised $650,000 for the services of Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

About Lifelong AIDS Alliance
Lifelong AIDS Alliance provides food, housing and health insurance to people living with HIV/AIDS in King County. Lifelong also provides prevention education and is a leader in local, regional and national advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS.  Over 85% of Lifelong AIDS Alliance's clients live on less than $15,000 per year.  Lifelong AIDS Alliance is the leading AIDS service organization in the Pacific Northwest and is recognized nationally for its innovative work.

###