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AIDS Walk Portland Raises Record Amount
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This year's 25th Annual AIDS Walk Portland set an all-time record for funds raised with more than $465,000 brought in to date -- more than $90,000 better than the 2010 record of $379,000.
"We are floored at the outpouring of support from this year's walk," said Michael Kaplan, Executive Director of Cascade AIDS Project. "CAP and its partners have been raising funds to fight HIV/AIDS for more 25 years now. Though the needs of those living with HIV/AIDS have evolved, the overall demand for our services are greater today than ever before. These funds will help us make a real difference as we seek to reduce wait lists for stable housing and expand HIV & STD testing services to meet a demand that continues to outpace available resources."
"We are grateful to our supporters, walkers and sponsors," said Michael Sorensen, CAP's Director of Development. "We made sincere improvements in the walk and how folks can donate or participate. Integrating Facebook with our fundraising site and pushing hard on proven media strategies seems to have been the right strategy. Analytics suggest about 30% of our donors responded to a post on Facebook, while 50% visited our fundraising site by typing in the name of the site. This means Facebook works and that aidswalkportland.org has a presence in donors' minds."
Some 3,300 people registered to walk and another 7,000 showed their support by just showing up.
CAP administered a friendly competition, complete with prizes donated by a number of local and national businesses. Winners include:
- Top Fundraisers - Alazar Manning (an 11-year-old walker) at $9,050; Ivan Dollar (owner of Ivan Dollar Salon) at $8,790; Kathyn Vaughan (author and a person living with HIV) at $8,750; Michael Kaplan (CAP Executive Director) at $7,966; and Dave Behrend (server at Hobo's Restaurant and Lounge) at $5,252.
- Top Teams - The Ultimate Alliance at $32,164; Team Nike at $17,958; Positive Force NW at $15,254; Ivan Dollar Salon at $15,069.
- High School Challenge Winner - Native American Early College Academy in NE Portland.
- Bar Challenge Winner - Hobo's Restaurant and Lounge on NW 3rd and Couch at $16,293.
Hobo's will host a party to celebrate results on Oct. 23rd from 4-6PM -- please see the story below for more details.
Sponsors for the 2011 AIDS Walk Portland include Presenting Sponsor, Genentech; Advocacy Sponsor, OHSU; Gold Level Sponsors: FamilyCare Health Plans, Hobo's, Macy's, Nike, and The Standard; Silver Sponsors: Departure, NW Natural, and Cuda Night Club; Hydration Sponsors: Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Health System, Providence Health and Services, Wells Fargo, and Union Bank.
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Moment of Silence, AIDS Walk Portland 2011
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Alazar the Amazing 11-Year-Old Fundraiser Beats Them All
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Aficionados of 1980s television will remember the muscle-bound Mr. T from The A-Team growling, "I
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Alazar Manning
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pity the poor fool who messes with me." After seeing how much money 11-year-old Alazar Manning's A-Team raised for AIDS Walk 2011, you could say the same thing for competing teams. Not only did Alazar raise more money than any other youth, he raised more than all walkers regardless of age.
In 2009, his first year fundraising for AIDS Walk, Alazar raised $800. Last year, he boosted that number to $2,100. This year, he raised $9,050.
Alazar's zeal for spreading the word about HIV and raising funds to support Cascade AIDS Project's mission comes from his background. Alazar was born in Ethiopia and came to the United States five years ago. When he discovered HIV had affected his family, he began learning about the virus. Knowledge and compassion turned practical: he would raise money to prevent the further spread of HIV.
Alazar's hard work will pay off as the funds he raised will be used for programs such as HIV testing and prevention education; help finding housing and jobs for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS; and programs such as Camp Starlight, a week-long, sleep-away camp for kids affected and infected by HIV/AIDS.
It will pay off in another way, too, since Alazar won AIDS Walk's top fundraising prize: two tickets anywhere in the United States, a stay at any Kimpton hotel, two tickets to a Timbers game, and a Timbers-signed soccer ball.
Congratulations, Alazar, and thank you!
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The Ultimate Alliance Team: Superheroes for CAP
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To rally in the fight against AIDS, many AIDS Walk participants walk with a team -- from work, around the memory of a lost loved one, or around a theme. This year, The Ultimate Alliance: Super Heroes for CAP was one such team -- the winning team, having raised over $32,000 to help in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
We asked the team captain, Andrew Shayde (aka Night Crawler) what he did to rally his teammates and to come out on top. Here is what he shared:
"People love a theme. Much like a High School mascot, people love to have a title or concept to rally behind. A symbol is something people can cheer behind. Go HEROES!
 Social Media was key in our success -- Facebook and YouTube were our main means of staying connected and rallied. I developed a Facebook page and added participants. Team members discussed everything from costume ideas, fundraising collaborations, to carpools to the event. We used YouTube to make short videos about how to join our team and information about the event. I think this is the biggest tool that helped us get 132 team members. We posted it on the Facebook walls of friends and sent the link via email. The videos touch on the seriousness of the cause but also the lighthearted fun of the actual event. I thought it was important to share that The Walk is not a sullen candlelight vigil but an energetic walk with people cheering you on and the chance to make new connections.
Each week I sent out one email to the team on a Monday with a small weekly goal. It ranged anywhere from $5 to $33. These were small challenges teammates tried to attain by the following Friday. Sometimes the amount was meaningful like $33 representing the estimated 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. Sometimes the theme of the week was a team builder like 'get a $5 donation toward a teammate's goal.' One week our goal was to get a friend registered, which made our numbers jump. The small goals seemed easily attainable as opposed to asking a more general 'Everyone raise $1,000,' which can seem too far out of reach for many. Most of our team were low-income first-time walkers, so $100 from their friends was never an option. We took baby steps, just LOTS of them.
And finally we had a few Happy Hours and pre-parties. The Happy Hours were at local places and just a fun chance for team-building. The more our team got to KNOW each other the more they wanted to WORK with each other."
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Post-Walk Party October 23rd - Hosted by Hobo's
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Hobo's, located at 120 Northwest 3rd Avenue, will host CAP's Post-Walk party. The party will take
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Dave Behrend of Hobo's
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place on Oct 23rd from 4-6PM with light appetizers and a no-host bar. All ages welcome.
Hobo's won the Bar Challenge for the second year in a row, an effort to engage local supporting bars in friendly competition to raise funds. The spoils for the winner include the right to host the post-walk party and receive Gold Level sponsor billing at the next Walk.
"We are proud to support this cause," said Andy Guthrie. "Engaging the community in a cause that affects us so closely is easy."
Dave Behrend, Team Captain of the Hobo's team said, "I am so proud of our team. Customers were so kind and generous. My co-workers at Hobo's were as well, many giving half their tips to the walk on certain nights. It was energizing and I am humbled to know we won and with such a huge final number."
Team Hobo's ended the 2011 AIDS Walk with over $16,000 raised, twice the amount raised in 2010.
The post-party is open to all who wish to attend. Prizes will be given to the top fundraisers, top fundraising teams, and drawing winners.
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