Candles flickered in the night’s breeze Saturday as men, women, drag queens, children and teenagers met in front of Ottawa City Hall for the 21st annual AIDS Walk for Life.
A community fair kicked off the event with educational booths from the supporting partners of the walk and other organizations.
“We’re trying to find more ways to be interactive, because otherwise people just kind of came and stood,” said event manager Jennifer McAndrew.
After the fair, the walkers surrounded a stage to hear opening remarks, songs, and share in a moment of silence for those affected by AIDS.
Then they lit candles and the two-and-a-half kilometre walk through Centretown began.
“That’s a way to bring the awareness into the community,” said J.J. (Jay) Koonstra, executive director of Bruce House. “We’re hoping that people see us walking in support of people living with HIV and maybe it starts communication.”
Bruce House was one of the main community organizations in the walk. It provides personal care for those in Ottawa living with HIV and AIDS and is one of seven supporting partners in the Walk for Life. The others, such the AIDS Committee of Ottawa, Pink Triangle Services, and the Snowy Owl AIDS Foundation, all work to either provide support for those with the disease, or to educate and create awareness.
Koonstra said HIV/AIDS has fallen off people’s radars as an important issue, but the walk is just as important today as ever.
“Infection rate in Ottawa is significantly far too high,” he said. “As of this year, there’s been 40 per cent more infections than the same period last year – this is unacceptable and we need to do something to make people more aware of the effects of HIV.”