BY SHARON GITTLEMAN
ROYAL OAK – When Raymond Mindas left his home in Hamtramck to join the Steppin' Out AIDS Walk Detroit fundraiser march in Royal Oak last Saturday, he wasn't alone.
He had Princeton by his side.
"I wanted to show off my teacup Yorkie," he said. "He got a little scared – he's only 3 months old. I carried him, but let him walk a little bit when we were away from the other dogs."
Mindas and nearly 4,000 other walkers and their best friends raised an estimated $300,000, said organizers of the event held on Sept. 17.
While many sought out sponsors at work or among friends, Mindas turned to his family for backing. Together, they pitched in $125.
"It was my twin brother and his boyfriend and my dad," he said.
He was proud to help his friends and neighbors and others who have HIV-AIDS.
"It doesn't matter how much you raise as long as you're there to show you're support," said Mindas, who has participated in AIDS Walk Detroit for three years. "It's a lot of fun and a good cause."
While corporate sponsors like LaSalle Bank and Aquafina donated tens of thousands of dollars to the cause, people like Mindas are the heart of the annual event, said Charlotte Paul, program director for Steppin' Out AIDS Walk Detroit.
"Our walk teams raise over 50 percent of the funds," she said.
While the final tally isn't in – people can turn in funds until Oct. 2 – so far $250,000 has been counted up, she said.
"We're very confident we reached our goal," she said.
In 2005, more than 6,000 individuals and groups raised $284,000 at the walk, adding to the total of $2,028,028 collected since the event started in 1991.
That year, a local man named Tony Caputo approached several Royal Oak restaurants and shops, including Pronto! Restaurant and Bar, Gayle's Chocolates, Lotus Imports and the now-closed Patti Smith Collectibles asking for help for people with AIDS.
Caputo died in 1994, from complications of HIV-AIDS.
Money raised during the walk is distributed as grants to a number of organizations that provide direct care to people with HIV-AIDS and their families.
In the past, agencies have used their grant money to offer education and prevention services, set up support groups, give out food and shelter to the homeless, pay utility bills, buy medicine and battle against discrimination suffered by ailing people.
Last year 15 area organizations received grants, Paul said.
Since then, Michigan's stumbling economy has forced several of them to close their doors.
"We have a few new agencies this year," she said.
Organizations have until Oct. 2 to apply for AIDS Walk Detroit money.
None of the funds distributed can be used for salaries, Paul said.
In addition to providing direct care or preventative or educational services, agencies must field a team of at least 10 walkers at the event and must agree to spot financial audits or on-site inspections.
"If they meet our requirements we will do our best to give them some sort of funding," she said.
Grants will be announced in December.
"We try to do it as close to World AIDS Day as possible," she said.
So far, compassion burn-out hasn't hit past supporters of the annual march, Paul said.
"They got re-energized this year," she said.
Paul attributes some of that renewed interest to media reports noting that 2007 marks the 25th anniversary of the emergence of AIDS.
If this year doesn't bring a cure, Mindas hopes people won't forget their brothers and sisters with HIV in 2007.
"Get out there and walk," he said.
For more information about the walk, visit http://www.aidswalkdetroit.org or call (248) 399-WALK.
