FOOTNOTES: A Guide to the 2013

Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival 2012:A Look Back

Florida AIDS Walk &A History MUSIC FESTIval

HEADLINER: CHAKA KHANLegendary songstress and ten-time Grammy Award winner Chaka Khan – also known as the “Queen of Funk-Soul” – has signed on to headline the Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival! Chaka Khan gained fame in the 1970s as the front woman and focal point of the funk band “Rufus,” then later embarked on a successful solo career. Her signature hits, both with Rufus and as a solo performer, include “Tell

Me Something Good,” “Sweet Thing,” “Ain’t Nobody,” “I’m Every Woman,” “I Feel For You,” and “Through the Fire.” It’s a guarantee that Chaka Khan’s performance is going to be the hottest thing on Fort Lauderdale Beach this Spring Break! In addition to celebrating forty years of entertaining around the world in 2013, Ms. Khan will also be celebrating her 60th birthday on March 23rd, the day before the Walk!

HOST: SHERYL LEE RALPHFlorida AIDS Walk and Music Festival is honored to have the talented and inspiring Sheryl Lee Ralph as our event host! A triple-threat dreamgirl, Ralph is an acclaimed veteran of film, numerous television series (including “Moesha,” and recently, “Smash”) and the Broadway stage. Her award-winning work includes creating the role of Deena Jones in the legendary Broadway musical, “Dreamgirls,” and earning Best Actress nods for Tony and Drama Desk Awards. Currently, she is touring

the one-woman play, “Sometimes I Cry,” a production written and performed by Sheryl Lee Ralph, which explores the lives, loves, and losses of women infected and affected by HIV. She is also the founder of the DIVA Foundation! DIVA stands for “Divinely Inspired Victoriously AWARE”... raising awareness of HIV/AIDS for men, women and children around the globe.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: TONY CRUZ Tony is quite possibly the most recognizable voice in South Florida’s music scene. They may not have known it, but South Floridians have been hearing his voice for years on advertisements and morning radio. Although his home base is Miami, his versatility as an artist has enabled him to perform at some of the most prestigious venues in the world. Tony has definitely proven his validity as a captivating artist and performer. He wowed the audience last year at the 2012 Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival

and we can’t wait to have him back!

This year marks the eighth year that AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has hosted an AIDS Walk in Fort

Lauderdale, Florida. In April of 2006, thousands of caring and thoughtful individuals from across the state gathered in Fort Lauderdale for the first Florida AIDS Walk, demonstrating their commitment to reversing the course of the AIDS epidemic in Florida. One hundred percent of the funds raised went to HIV/AIDS program initiatives in Florida – providing testing, helping to purchase a new mobile clinic for the South Florida region, and supporting an AHF Healthcare Center.

Every year since then, Florida AIDS Walk has grown in number of participants and funds raised for Florida’s HIV/AIDS-affected community. While donations to the Walk continue to subsidize all of the Florida programs and initiatives from its first year, the Florida AIDS Walk has gone on to invite various different Florida organizations with programs that support its residents living with HIV/AIDS to be Beneficiaries of the event – enabling them to keep every penny of every dollar that they raise for themselves, and additionally receiving a generous financial gift to add an extra boost to their own programs.

In 2012, the directors of Florida AIDS Walk re-invented the event as Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival, moving the entire experience to Fort Lauderdale’s beautiful beach, and cutting the length of the Walk in half to make room for a celebrity-filled concert at the Walk’s end. As we look to 2013 and beyond, we hope to see Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival continue to grow in its support of urgently needed HIV/AIDS services to the community.

Florida AIDS Walk is produced by Event 360 for AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing

HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, testing, education, research and

patient advocacy.

Want to sleep in a little later on the morning of March 24th? EARLY CHECK-INS: avoid the registration lines on Sunday morning! Come meet the Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival staff at one of our EARLY CHECK-INS! •Turn in the cash and checks you’ve collected offline!•Grab the cool fundraising prizes you’ve earned! •Get the 2013 Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival dog-tag you will use as your admission pass onto the beach!

Stop by one of these convenient locations to “take care of business,” and have more time to enjoy the Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival on the big day!

Tuesday, March 19th, from 6 to 9 PM:Chill Lounge and Wine Bar1828 Sunrise Blvd. ‘(next to the Classic Gateway Theatre)Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304www.chillwinelounge.com

Wednesday, March 20th, from 6 to 9 PM:

Starbucks Coffee1015 NE 26th StWilton Manors, FL 33305

Thursday, March 21st, from 7 to 9 PM:

Sidelines Sports Bar2031 Wilton DriveWilton Manors, FL 33305www.sidelinessports.com

Saturday, March 23rd, from 2 to 6 PM

Rosie’s Bar and Grill2449 Wilton DriveWilton Manors, FL 33305www.rosiesbarandgrill.com

We look forward to seeing you all at one of the Early Check-Ins!

Want to volunteer on the day of the Walk?Volunteers are being recruited and organized with the help of our community partner, HandsOn Broward. If you would like to volunteer for the Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival, please visit www.FloridaAIDSwalk.org, and click on the VOLUNTEER link at the top of the home page. Thank you for your support!

Parking:Parking will be available for $5 at the Bahia Mar Hotel and at The Sails Parking Lot. We expect the Bahia Mar to fill up quickly, and encourage you to consider parking at The Sails parking lot, where you can take our free shuttle to and from the Walk staging area.

Shuttles will run from 7:30am – 3:30pm.

•Bahia Mar Hotel: 801 Seabreeze Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304•The Sails Parking Lot: 2170 SE 17th St., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

>Exit festival area>Right through parking lot>Right / straight onto A1A in closed northbound curb lane left at Sebastian>Pit stop 1 - parking spaces at Sebatian>Right onto Birch Rd. in closed northbound curb lane>Right onto Vistamar (Road closed)>Pit Stop on Vistamar, between A1A & Breakers Ave.>Cross A1A and turn right into closed curb lane and beach walk southbound to end point (same as start point)Total distance 3.3 miles

Event-Day Information: The Who, What and Where of March 24th!Schedule:•8:00 am: Registration/Check-In at “South Beach Park,” located near the South end of Fort Lauderdale Beach, just north of the Sheraton and across the street from the Bahia Mar. Look for the tents and follow the signs!

•8:00 am: Walkers who have checked in (and have their 2013 Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival dog-tag) will be welcomed onto the beach at South Beach Park to find their friends and teammates.

•9:30 am: Opening Ceremony begins on our BEACH STAGE, facing South Beach Park.

•10:00 am: Walk begins (see route map)

•Approximately 11:30 am: Post-Walk Celebration and Music Festival begins – drinks, food, DJ’s and live entertainment!

Walk Route InformationFlorida AIDS Walk is a 5 kilometer walk along the beautiful Fort Lauderdale Beach. Most people will take about an hour to walk 5 kilometers. There will be a halfway turnaround point and relief shuttles for those who need additional assistance.Refreshments and restroom facilities will be provided at checkpoints along the route.

What to do, Where to be

Our lunch meeting finished in much the same, casual way that it began: we pushed our chairs away from the table, made idle

conversation, and gathered our cell phones and notepads. We prepared to walk back to the office, enjoying the beautiful Fort Lauderdale weather along the way. We’d accomplished our objectives during the meal, and we each had plenty of action items to keep us busy upon our return. All in all, it was, at first, an unremarkable day.

When the waiter tugs at my arm as I walk past him, my first thought is that perhaps I’ve left my credit card behind at our table. I love that card. Besides the fact that I just like the way it looks – with “AIDS Healthcare Foundation” emblazoned in silver against a sleek black background – it is the first company credit card I’ve ever had – which makes me feel extra grown-up. (With my personality, I can never be reminded too often to be a grown-up.)

Just as quickly as these thoughts race through my mind – and with a few subtle pats of my pants pockets – I realize that I hadn’t left my credit card or anything else at the table. His nervous eyes meet my curious stare.

“I hope you don’t mind my saying this,” he began, “but I saw your credit card. Do you work for AIDS Healthcare Foundation?”

“I do,” I proudly replied. “Our office is right around the corner.”

I catch a flicker of something else in the expression on his face: hope? Before it even registers, he lowers his head a bit, and in a hushed voice, continues: “I’m sorry if this is inappropriate, but do you have a help line, or some information you can give me to help me find a doctor?”

I glance at my colleagues, who at this point are waiting by the front door of the restaurant,

staring at me inquisitively, and wave at them to go on without me.

Still standing

by our table, the waiter begins to share his story. As the lunch hour has already ebbed away, the young man has very few tables, and we are able to speak for several minutes without interruption.

He tells me how he came to Fort Lauderdale a few months ago to move in with his boyfriend. With sadness in his eyes, he tells me of their breakup shortly thereafter, and the HIV positive test result he got at a clinic after that. He’s only been working here for a month, and his insurance doesn’t kick in for another two. He’s scared. He’s ashamed. He feels alone.

“We’ve got you.” I tell him. His relief is palatable.

I love my job.

I explain to him that at AHF, our mission is to give the best possible care and support to anyone living with HIV, whether they can afford to pay for it or not. I tell him that we have healthcare centers, pharmacies, insurance programs, and even a disease management program that can help him stay healthy (with the guidance of a personal case manager who just happens to be a licensed nurse, as well). I mention that we can even provide him with transportation assistance if he doesn’t have the ability to get to our doctors on his own. Most importantly, I tell him that we can start helping him today.

I give him my card, and ask him to write his phone number on the back of my lunch receipt. I promise to have one of our linkage coordinators call him later that day, so that he would not have to spend another moment wondering what to do next, or worrying about what the virus could be doing to his body without any efforts being made to fight it. As I tuck his number into my wallet, I repeat the phrase I’ve already said to him … and to others before: “Remember: we’ve got you.”

He hugs me awkwardly, quickly. Pulling away he emits a shy laugh,

and wipes away the tears that have started to form in his eyes. I do the same.

It’s hard for us, as human beings, to willingly hang on to information that makes us worry, scares us, or leaves us sad. There aren’t many who want to feel those feelings constantly. For that reason, I think that we – as a society – sometimes try to forget that HIV is still here.

HIV is still here. In Florida, and other parts of the world, it is all around us … and it’s spreading. We are in crisis.

Because of what I do for a living, I meet people like my waiter everywhere: the daughter of a Florida AIDS Walk sponsor; the best friend of a talent agent; the ex-husband of a manicurist … the list goes on.

However, also because of what I do for a living, I am surrounded by compassionate, generous and motivated people who give of themselves tirelessly to support events like the Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival. I get to witness – every day – how much people care about fighting this disease, and the commitment to loving and caring for the people who live with it. It inspires me. It humbles me.

While HIV/AIDS is a global issue – and AHF leads in the fight against AIDS worldwide – I love the fact that every penny of the proceeds raised at the Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival stay right here in Florida, to take care of our community … to take care of my waiter … to take care of my friends.

Every time I look into someone’s worried eyes and utter the phrase “We’ve got you,” I’m not just saying that AHF will take care of them. I’m saying that we all will.

I love my job.

Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival takes place Sunday, March 24, at Fort Lauderdale Beach. Legendary diva Sheryl Lee Ralph is hosting the event, and the remarkable Chaka Khan is headlining the music festival. Please visit www.FloridaAIDSwalk.org to register and join us, or sponsor one of our amazing Walkers. I hope to see you all there!

at aids healthcare foundation:

“We’ve got you.”- Mark MartinDirector of Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival

AIDS Healthcare FoundationAIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the

largest global AIDS organization, and has been providing HIV testing, condom access, treatment and care for those living with HIV/AIDS, and political advocacy for over 25 years. The worldwide nonprofit is currently operating in 28 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. The Foundation’s services reach more than 200,000 clients of all ages around the globe, and more than 1 million people were tested for HIV by the Foundation’s global branches in 2012, with those who tested positive having immediate access to counseling, care, and treatment. To learn more about AIDS Healthcare Foundation, visit www.AIDShealth.org.

Broward HouseFounded in 1988, Broward House is

the County’s oldest and largest HIV/AIDS community service organization, providing a wide variety of important services to more than 6,000 men, women, children, and families living with or at high risk for HIV. The organization operates 15 locations throughout South Florida, and provides: both assisted living and independent housing; medical respite; case management; client advocacy; HIV testing and counseling; street outreach; myriad education and prevention programs; chemical dependency treatment; mental health therapy; and support groups. Additionally, the organization is one of only five Hepatitis C rapid testing agencies in the state of Florida. To learn more about Broward House, visit www.BrowardHouse.org.

Latinos SaludLatinos Salud is a nonprofit organization

serving the gay Latino community in South Florida, and currently operates two programs out of its Wilton Manors location. The first, Somos, is targeted at men under the age of 30 and offers a safe environment and an

understanding peer group for support through challenges ranging from

job placement to

substance abuse. The second program, Juntos, for men under the age of 44, provides the opportunity to become a leader in your community by uniting and sharing ideas with other men, as well as the chance to access life coaches for support through life changes. To learn more about Latinos Salud, visit www.LatinosSalud.org.

The League Against AIDS, Inc.The League Against AIDS, or La Liga Contra

El SIDA, has been working on the southeastern coast of Florida for twenty years providing educational, supportive, and case management services with a purpose of eliminating cultural barriers to resource utilization. The League provides coordinated case management services in the areas of home-based environmental maintenance, medical care, and emergency economic assistance, and has managed to provide services in the Hispanic community where previously none were accessible. The organization plans to expand to include additional Hispanic, Haitian, and African-American HIV/AIDS providers, with expected site expansion to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Daytona Beach, and Tampa. To learn more about The League Against AIDS, visit www.LeagueAgainstAIDS.com.

Minority Development and Empowerment, Inc.

Since 1996, Minority Development and Empowerment (MDE) has been promoting empowerment and assistance to Caribbean and other minority populations in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. The group provides social, medical, and educational services including assistance in application for medical insurance and food stamps; free tax and financial services to low-income Broward County residents through an IRS-sanctioned program; counseling and supported case management activities for survivors of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti; and free services for Broward County pregnant women including medical insurance assistance, prenatal care, HIV testing, nutrition classes, and a baby shower providing essential gifts for the newborn. To learn more about Minority Development and Empowerment,

visit www.mdeinc.org.

The Pride Center at Equality ParkFor more than 19 years, the Pride Center has

been celebrating, nurturing, and empowering the LGBTQ communities in South Florida by meeting their distinct socio-economic, health, spiritual, and safety needs. The Center owns six acres of property in Wilton Manors – known as Equality Park – with 30,000 square feet of office space, where the nonprofit hosts more than 60 regularly meeting groups each month, and more than 17,000 adults and youth attend activities there each year. The organization also offers HIV testing and prevention, education, and counseling, as well as holistic and comprehensive support programs for people living with HIV. To learn more about The Pride Center, visit www.PrideCenterFlorida.org.

Sunshine Social Services, Inc.Sunshine Social Services, Inc., or SunServe,

was formed to create a resource for social services specifically tailored to the needs of the sprawling LGBTQ community in Broward County. The group advocates for strong inclusive families, and provides critical life assistance and professional mental health services with an emphasis on economically disadvantaged, marginalized youth and senior citizens in the greater South Florida metropolitan area. The group operates the Noble A. McArtor Senior Day Center – the first senior day care center focused on the needs of the LGBTQ community – as well as a counseling program, support groups, community outreach, education, and training. To learn more about Sunshine Social Services, visit www.SunServe.org.

The Village south/west careThe Village was founded in 1973 as

a not-for-profit agency and was the first residential treatment program licensed by the State of Florida, Department of Children and Families to provide services that include a w i d e

range of individual and group therapeutic rehabilitation services in both residential and outpatient settings. Ongoing activities include adult and adolescent substance abuse programs; as well as HIV, Hepatitis A, B, & C, TB, and STD prevention, education and outreach. For over thirty years, The Village has been providing comprehensive multidimensional treatment to adults and adolescents, males and females, who are living with HIV, and/or suffering from chemical dependency, mental illness, dual disorders, delinquency and related behavioral problems. The Village also targets youth and adolescents through after school, school based and in-home intervention. To learn more about The Village, visit www.VillageSouth.com.

Beneficiaries

Thanks To Our Sponsors!

BROWARD

Cardinal Health Macy’sMark’s ListSFGN

HotSpots!StarbucksFastPrintz MACK Multimedia, Inc.

American ExpressGLC On-The-Go, Inc.Valley Wide AirInnovation

Rexam HealthcareManaged Healthcare AssociatesCB Richard Ellis

In addition to our amazing Walkers, Volunteers, and Donors, Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival wishes to thank our generous 2013 Sponsors and Community Partners!

Past Florida AIDS Walks