Many Central New Yorkers are far too young to recall the horrors of the rise of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s. For Jacki Hannon, ACR Health’s assistant director of development, it’s those young people who benefit the most from ACR Health’s 23rd annual AIDS Walk/Run, which takes place this Sunday at Beaver Lake.
While HIV/AIDS is no longer the death sentence it was in the 1980s and ‘90s, Hannon stressed that it is still a very serious condition.
“Unfortunately, our teenagers worry about it less. You’re getting it the same way — needle exchange and unprotected sex,” she said. “I want them to keep this in the forefront of their minds that this is still a threat.”
Hannon, who lives in Baldwinsville, has made it her mission to educate young people about the dangers of unprotected sex and intravenous drug use, both of which can transmit the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which leads to the deadly final stage, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
“Kids are having sex. They’re sexting. The chlamydia and gonorrhea rates are skyrocketing,” Hannon said. “We need to have real conversations with our kids.”
The proceeds from Sunday’s walk/run will benefit ACR Health’s Adolescent Health Initiative (AHI), a peer leadership program that covers topics such as sexual health, self-esteem, healthy relationships, and preventing drug and alcohol abuse in middle schools and high schools. AHI and the Discovering Important and Valuable information About Self (DIVAS) program, which targets young people of color who are at risk of self-destructive behavior, reach more than 5,500 young Central New Yorkers each year.
The walk/run will also benefit the Q Center, which offers a safe gathering place and support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, and the Emergency Basic Human Needs program, which offers food, personal care items, household items, and clothing to people with HIV and their families.
In addition to unprotected sex, Hannon said the rise in intravenous drug use, especially heroin, contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
“I’m the one sitting on the bleachers at the lacrosse game telling parents this is a suburban issue, not just an urban issue,” Hannon said. “Heroin starts in the classrooms, in the board rooms and in the living rooms of our suburbs.”
ACR Health runs a syringe exchange program (SEP) so IV drug users can reduce their risk of transmission of HIV and hepatitis C.
Hannon said there is a shortage of beds for drug addiction treatment in CNY, so the SEP is one step in helping that vulnerable population.
“We can all make our judgments or we can help people get into treatment,” she said. “How do we meet people where they’re at?”
Despite the gravity of the topic of HIV/AIDS, Hannon said the walk/run is an upbeat, family-friendly event, with many walkers and runners donning costumes and crowns. (There’s plenty of food at the walk, too.)
Hannon said there’s a healthy competition among the top fundraisers, and local businesses have always been supportive of the event. The B’ville Diner has hosted 50/50 raffles and managers at Anheuser-Busch walked on treadmills in front of the plant to collect donations from their employees.
Teams have held bowling nights, paint nights, local “celebrity” bartending events and more to maximize their fundraising.
“That’s the community — they know it’s such a huge thing they have to take on and they’re doing it in Baldwinsville,” Hannon said. “People [are] making the decision to be involved and not to turn a blind eye. We have people who are incredibly committed to the cause and to ending AIDS.”
The AIDS Walk/Run takes place Sunday, June 7, at Beaver Lake Nature Center, 8477 E. Mud Lake Road, Baldwinsville. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the walk starts at 10 a.m.
For more information or to sign up, visit aidswalkrun.aidswalkcny.com.
