Fundraising still underway for annual LifeWalk event

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com

LifeWalk, an annual 5K that raises funds for Prism Health and other nonprofits whose missions include care of people with HIV, wraps up Dallas’ fall Pride month activities, stepping off from Oak Lawn Park at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7. The route this year is the same as in recent years, but “we’ll be walking in the opposite direction,” said Prism Health Development Director Tori Hobbs.

Hobbs said although the organization changed its name from AIDS Arms, “We’re the same organization at heart. No one is turned away who needs our care.” That includes people with

HIV who don’t have insurance as well as people seeking PrEP who are uninsured.
Other AIDS organizations participating in the walk include AIDS Services Dallas that provides housing, GDMAF that covers some emergency expenses for people with HIV that other grants at other agencies won’t cover, and Southwestern Medical Center’s Community Prevention and Intervention Unit that works to prevent sexually transmitted diseases throughout the community.

Other participants include organizations like the Turtle Creek Chorale. According to TCC marketing director Tri Truong, “We have Turtle Cares for members with HIV who need help with anything in their life like medication or groceries.”

Hobbs said there’s still plenty of time to sign up to walk either as an individual or to join a team. If you want to walk as part of a team, just go to the LifeWalk website, LifeWalk.org, and choose one. Hobbs said every team is always looking for additional support.

While not favoring one team over another, Hobbs suggested people who don’t know which team to join may help LifeWalk the most by joining the MAC team because, she explained, “Anything you raise [personally as a MAC team member] gets doubled by MAC.”

Different MAC stores and counters are competing among themselves for top fundraiser, “so pick your favorite location,” Hobbs said.

Teams are still hard at work fundraising through personal appeals and team events, including events like The Artsy Monkey Art Show and Music Night at the Deep Ellum Art Co. at 6 p.m. on Sept. 26, which benefits a newly formed LifeWalk team.

And Bear Happy Hour at the Round-Up Saloon on Sept. 14 is also LifeWalk T-shirt night at the bar. Some proceeds benefit LifeWalk, and new participants can sign up to walk. Other t-shirt nights are Sept. 22 at Cedar Springs Tap House and Sept. 29 at the Caven bars.

One new feature of LifeWalk this year is that every walker will get a ribbons on which to “write a person’s name in honor or memory,” Hobbs said. After finishing the walk, participants will tie the ribbon to a tree that will be placed at one of Prism Health’s facilities.

Also, this year’s raffle winner will be pulled just before the walk begins.

Although the walk starts at 1 p.m., the park opens at 11 a.m. Anyone who hasn’t registered online can sign in at the park. The program begins at 12:40 p.m. to get everyone ready to walk.

And fundraising will continue right up until the walk steps off. Some teams will be giving away mimosas in the park and asking for a donation.