It is time once again for members of Saint Paul’s Cathedral to join our team to contribute, participate in the walk or run, and contact at least 10 friends and family members to commit a donation of any size to our team.
Jack and I support this event because we, like many of you, have witnessed devastating losses of friends and family to this disease since its inception. We gather to remember them, their caregivers and the many researchers who were on the front lines of searching for treatment in the absence of any government recognition, support and funding.
Recall that in 1980 Ken Horne of San Francisco was the first recognized case of AIDS, exhibiting Kaposi’s Sarcoma and other symtoms. By 1984, thousands of gay men in the United States were dying every year. Reagan had still failed to mention its existence. In San Francisco, our friend, Dr. Larry Waites along with Dr. Martin Delaney and the immunologist, Dr. Alan Levin, did pioneering work researching dead ends like Compound Q, while also forming advocacy groups like Act Up to change the FDA’s arcane rules limiting access to drugs that showed promise in clinical trials. Today, pioneering work continues on a vaccine by researchers at Scripps and other San Diego institutions.
Thank God for our heroes then and now.
Our goal is to raise vital funds to support those living with the disease today.
To join our team at the march Sept 30:
1. Visit http://www.aidswalksd.org
2. Scroll down to “join a team”
3. Enter the team, “St. Paul’s Cathedral”
4. Click, “join”
5. Select the appropriate participant options.
6. Make a donation online.
7. Share with your friends on Facebook.
Many thanks,
John Clemens, Team Captain
(on behalf of Saint Paul’s Peace and Justice Committee)
