AIDS Walk Philly hits the end of the road after raising over $18 million in 38 years

After 38 years, AIDS Walk Philly has been discontinued due to rising costs, declining participation and the changing landscape of the HIV/AIDS advocacy space.

Action Wellness, which provides social and medical services for people with HIV, took over production of the event after AIDS Fund concluded its operations in December. The organization announced on Monday that it will be holding a commemorative event in the walk's place next month.

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Kevin Vuernick, development coordinator with Action Wellness, said shifts in donor and sponsor preferences and increased competition with similar events made organizing the annual 5K walk unjustifiable.

"The decision was not made lightly, but as an organization, we really felt that the … capacity for us to execute this event would take away from our mission to serve clients directly," he said in a statement. "While it cannot be undersold as to how important it was for 38 years, the time has come to find innovative ways to continue the work that was started in ways that match the current moment."

Volunteers at the Gay Community Center of Philadelphia (now the William Way LGBT Community Center) started AIDS Walk Philly in 1987. The event became one of the largest fundraisers of its kind in the region, attracting hundreds of thousands of participants and raising over $18.5 million for HIV/AIDS treatment, research and care over the years.

"At the onset, the AIDS Walk Philly really was a megaphone for people to come together and raise their collective voices and bring attention to the crisis of HIV/AIDS," Vuernick said. "It's nearly impossible to capture the impact the walk had."

Action Wellness said it will host former AIDS Fund events like GayBINGO! and Dining Out For Life, but it doesn't anticipate an event of AIDS Walk Philly's scale to return any time soon.

"We will continue … to explore other avenues to bring people together to raise awareness of the ongoing epidemic, celebrate the progress that has been made and commemorate those that we have lost along the way," Vuernick said. "What that exactly looks like we are unsure of, but we believe there are creative and viable ways to do this and we look forward to bringing people together and sharing future plans as they arise."

A retrospective celebration will be held at William Way at 1315 Spruce St. on Sunday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Previous participants, volunteers and members of the public are encouraged to attend the event, which will include tours showing memorabilia and photos of the walk's history.

An RSVP to the event is requested by Thursday, Oct. 16, and a donation of $25 is suggested, which will be split between William Way and Action Wellness.

"This is a full circle moment where the evolution of a particular event itself has come to its natural conclusion," said Darius McLean, acting executive director at William Way. "We could not be happier or more proud to partner together to honor and celebrate the impact of the AIDS Walk and strengthen our community and networks in new and meaningful ways."