Event brings in nearly $100,000 more than in 2014
The 2015 LifeWalk fundraising total (above) surpassed the 2014 total by more than $94,000. Terry Bax, captain of Team Clover (below), accepts a fundraising award from 2016 LifeWalk Co-Chair Robert Ruiz. The Guys and Dolls LifeWalk team (middle,, below) included Kevin Hamilton, Dan Gueths, Jay Nolen and Ivan Banditt. Emcee Ron Corning and Lee Davenport (below, bottom) look own as Howard Okon, owner of The Brick, draws the name of the winner of a Hawaii vacation donated by The Brick.
(Photos by Chuck Marcelo)
LifeWalk set a few records for its 25th anniversary in October.
Leaders of the largest HIV/AIDS walk in North Texas announced at a ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 10, that volunteers raised a record-breaking $687,330, exceeding last year’s haul by $94,000. The final total for LifeWalk 2014 was $592,628.
The impressive haul also beat the walk’s goal of $600,000.
LifeWalk had already bested other records. On Sunday, Oct. 4, the day of the walk, participants brought in $527,000 “and counting,” according to Tori Hobbs, chief development officer for AIDS Arms, the AIDS service organization that presents the walk each year.
That total set a record for funds raised as of the day of the event.
Additionally, two teams each raised more than $100,000, a first in LifeWalk history. Guys & Dolls LifeWalk Team raised an estimated $136,000, bringing their 19-year total to $900,000. In just their third year, Team Clover raised $102,753.
Other teams rounding out the top five were MAC Cosmetics with $49,302, Team Sugarstix with $46,199 and Green Team, in its 24th year, with $40,131.
Terry Bax, captain for Team Clover, said he was committed to winning not just the walk but also the fight against HIV and AIDS.
“I have met so many people and made new friends while we all made a huge difference. Together we will conquer!” he wrote in a text.
The numbers floored walk co-chairs Robert Ruiz and Doyle Carnahan.
“A huge thank you to a very generous community that stepped up and supported the numerous LifeWalk events from car washes to drag shows,” Ruiz said in a statement.
“In addition to the amazing community support, we are grateful to a wonderful steering committee that is so dedicated and committed to making LifeWalk a huge success year after year,” co-Chair Doyle Carnahan added.
In a statement, Dr. John Carlo, CEO of AIDS Arms, praised the efforts of volunteers.
“What an amazing achievement by the volunteers, sponsors and walkers this year. LifeWalk is an important reminder that HIV and AIDS has not gone away.
[Funds raised] support life-saving HIV medical care and other services for those most vulnerable in our community,” he said.
AIDS Arms’ partner organizations in the walk are the Afiya Center, AIDS Interfaith Network, AIDS Services of Dallas, Cathedral of Hope, Dogs Matter, Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund, Resource Center, Turtle Creek Chorale, The Women’s Chorus of Dallas and University of Texas Southwestern’s Community Intervention and Prevention Unit.
— James Russell
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition November 13, 2015.