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Going the extra mile

by Jessica Carreras

Every year, Michigan AIDS walkers raise hundreds of thousands of dollars collectively for different HIV/AIDS organizations around the state.
But then there are the few who go the extra mile.
This year, for Steppin' Out's AIDS Walk Detroit, which took place Sunday in downtown Royal Oak, almost 20 people raised over $1,000, putting them into the elite Extra Mile Club. The members include Affirmations CEO Leslie Thompson, Frank D'Amore of Dignity Detroit and Midwest AIDS Prevention Project CEO and Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey. They were honored at the opening ceremonies of the walk – and one man, David Agius, stole the show by raising $9,215.
Agius is no stranger to either the hardships of HIV/AIDS, or to raising money to help those with the disease that has taken so many of his friends. Over a decade ago, he began to volunteer with the Michigan chapter of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. After a trip to Washington, D.C. for the national quilt display, he also began to volunteer for the local chapter of Help Emergency Lifeline Programs, which provides services to HIV positive people. From there, it was only a matter of time before he became involved with AIDS Walk Detroit – and became one of their top fund-raisers.
Agius works for Ilitch Holdings, which controls, among other things, the Fox Theater and the Detroit Tigers. There, in a large company with very supportive co-workers, he found his donators. "I had several fellow colleagues who I work with and they have been my prime supporters," he explained. "I just have a few outside friends who I sent letters to for sponsorship but I would say probably 90 percent are from my colleagues."
And just as soon as he started participating in the AIDS walk, Agius was asked to be one of the few who raise over $1,000 each year. "Going back initially, they had asked several people to be part of the Extra Mile and I thought 'a thousand dollars is really not that hard to raise if you go to the right people,'" he said. "Every year, I've always been an Extra Mile Club member."
The support from his colleagues and friends brought him over that marker each year, but then, Agius said, "Probably about six or seven years ago, it just sort of exploded."
Since then, he has raised around five to six thousand dollars each year, spiking at close to $7,000 one year.
But this year, something changed – and Agius never saw it coming. One day at work, Agius's secretary, who kept track of his AIDS Walk fundraising, delivered the news. "She said 'do you know how much you raised?'" he recalled. The number was over $8,000, and has continued to go up since then.
Agius said he was shocked, especially considering the state of the economy. "When I first signed on to the Extra Mile, to raise a couple thousand dollars was a goal," he said. "But after a couple years, I was up in the high dollar amount.
"This year, I was flabbergasted. …I just sent my letters out like I normally do and I just had a tremendous response."
He admitted that he couldn't have done it without the support of his coworkers – including several members of the Ilitch family who made donations.
Agius urges that other AIDS walkers seek out the same resources. "You have to go to your friends to start with," he advised. "I'm fortunate in that (Ilitch Holdings) owns so many companies and we have so many employees. But you really have to pick certain groups to see if they will help you."
And with over $200,000 raised this year by the Steppin' Out AIDS Walk, it looks like the support came through.

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