Fewer people register for AIDS Walk; organizers hope to meet cash goal

Registrations are down, but AIDS Walk organizers remain optimistic that this year's event will raise close to $1 million to provide services for Northwest AIDS patients.

Despite a 19 percent decline in registrations over last year, event organizers are hoping this Sunday's walk will still attract about 10,000 walkers to raise money for the Northwest AIDS Foundation.

Last year was the first time in its 14-year history that the AIDS Walk failed to break $1 million in its annual fund-raiser.

The Northwest AIDS Foundation, which recently merged with the Chicken Soup Brigade, provides housing, transportation and food services as well as patient advocacy for people living with AIDS.

Walk organizers attributed the decline in registrations to the belief that advances in drug therapy have reduced the need for services for AIDS patients.

But the number of people living with AIDS in King County has increased by 30 percent in the past three years, said Sophie Petersen, spokeswoman for the Northwest AIDS Foundation. "For every Northwest AIDS Foundation client who died last year, 10 more came through our doors for the first time."

While new drug cocktails are helping many people live longer, the side effects can sometimes be debilitating, and the drugs don't work for everyone, she said. The foundation's caseload is larger than ever.

According to statistics from Public Health-Seattle & King County's monthly AIDS surveillance report, 9,200 people have been diagnosed with AIDS in Washington state since 1982, of whom 3,894 are still alive. About 40 percent of people diagnosed with AIDS in King County since 1995 are still alive.

In addition to raising money, the AIDS Walk event hopes to raise awareness that AIDS is still an issue.

"AIDS isn't over, people are still dying, and by walking you can make a difference," Petersen said. "The more people we have, the more powerful the message we send."

Kickoff for the event is Sunday at 9 a.m. at the Seattle Center International Fountain. The 5-kilometer walk will travel up Fifth Avenue to Westlake Center and back.

Walkers can register on site for the event. Interested walkers can also make "Why I walk" signs to carry with them, or write the names of loved ones lost to AIDS on memorial balloons to carry.

The free event features a display of six of the panels from the AIDS memorial quilt. For more information, call 206-323-WALK, or check the Web site a www.NWAIDS.org