By Jim Larkin
FLINT –
They came to Flint's 21st AIDS Walk Sept. 27 for various reasons.
Some, like Jim Frick, 59, of Flint, walked along downtown Flint streets in memory of someone else – in Frick's case, a man who died in his early 30s in the late 1980s.
"I enjoy the walk and walking anyways," said Frick, a member of Redeemer Metropolitan Community Church of Flint, who had a group in the walk. "And I walk in remembrance of a good friend of mine who died of AIDS."
Others, like Flint resident Lamarr Mitchell, 49, who has walked in every Flint AIDS Walk since the first in 1988, have had AIDS for years. Still others, like a nondenominational group of 10 women who are part of the G.R.O.W. Bible Study Group of Genesee County – who meet at 10 a.m. every Saturday at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church – were walking for the first time.
"We had a presentation by someone from Wellness AIDS Services and she raised our interest in the fact that AIDS can be devastating to individuals and the community," said Janice Taylor, 69, of Grand Blanc, a member of G.R.O.W. "We want to spread the word that there should be no stigma, no shame attached to AIDS."
But when the last of the estimated 200 walkers finished the approximate 3-mile course, they shared one thing in common: They helped raise $13,000 to make life easier for Genesee County residents living with AIDS.
That figure is down considerably from last year's record-breaking marks of 410 walkers and $22,000 raised, said Stevi Atkins, Wellness AIDS Services prevention program coordinator and this year's walk chairwoman. But she expected much lower figures because of the poor economy and loss of major sponsors.
Still, those who turned out did their best to raise money for those who count on Wellness to provide extra supplies or prescriptions they can't get funded elsewhere. Debbie Oxford was the top individual fundraiser, collecting $400, while Club Triangle gathered the most from a team, $810. The top church was Woodside Church, collecting $1,039.
Corporate contributors were University of Michigan-Flint, Good Beans Cafe, Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, McLaren Regional Medical Center, Hurley Foundation, ELGA Credit Union, Dort Federal Credit Union, Diplomat Pharmacy, Swartz Funeral Home and Walgreens Specialty on Ballenger Highway.
Prior to the walk, Wild Cats in Motion Dance Team performed for the crowd and the Rev. David Carson Olsen provided the keynote address.
"We are here," Olsen said, "to tell our brothers and sisters with AIDS that you are not alone."
