Giving back
This year take your AIDS Walk right at home
Participants in the 2019 AIDS Walk in Central Park. PHOTO BY DONNA ACETO
BY PAUL SCHINDLER
For the 35th year in a row, GMHC is
hosting an AIDS Walk to raise funds
for the group’s prevention, care, and
advocacy work as well as that of several
other HIV/ AIDS service organizations
that participate. AIDS Walk is the group’s
largest annual fundraiser.
COVID-19, of course, has thrown the
group a curve ball given the ban, through
June at least, on large group gatherings
in the city. In past years, the event has
featured a 10k walk through Central Park
and the Upper West Side accompanied by
an alternative 5-mile run through the park.
As with so many events this spring, the
AIDS Walk will now be a virtual happening
— on June 7 rather than the originally
scheduled May 17. Beginning at 10 a.m.,
the event will be live-streamed on several
online platforms, uniting, in the group’s
words, “walkers” from their homes “to be
with one another -— and to be there for one
another.” The webcast will feature remarks
from elected offi cials, AIDS advocates, and
celebrity guests as well as performances
and a DJ-led dance party.
Last year’s event included appearances
by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, MJ Rodriguez
and Billy Porter from “Pose,” Brian
Stokes Mitchell from “Shuffl e Along,”
“Ragtime,” and many other Broadway
shows, Bonnie Milligan from “Head Over
Heels,” and Selenis Leyva and Dale Soules
from “Orange is the New Black.”
In addition to GMHC’s customary programming,
AIDS Walk proceeds this year
will also help fund the special efforts the
group is making in response to the coronavirus
crisis. With many of its clients facing
food insecurity and accustomed to visiting
the agency for its weekday meals program
and to secure packaged meals through its
pantry, the agency is delivering thousands
of meals to its clients’ homes through its
“GMHC on the Go” effort. And through
regular wellness calls to its more than
1,200 clients, it is delivering mental health,
substance use, workforce development,
supportive housing, and other services.
In its 34 previous AIDS Walks, GMHC
has engaged nearly 890,000 participants
and raised just under $155 million. Last
year, more than 15,000 walkers and runners
raised in excess of $4 million.
Participants for this year’s AIDS Walk
can register at ny.aidswalk.net.
BY BETH DEDMAN
Because homeless New
York City residents
are at a higher risk of
exposure to COVID-19, the
Center for Urban Community
Services is calling on volunteers
to donate sewn face masks.
On March 20, CUCS called
for fabric face masks on their
social media pages and since
then have had masks pouring
in from across the country, said
Mary Taylor, chief development
and communications offi cer of
CUCS.
“We are amazed at how
people responded to our call
and are really helping us help
the most vulnerable people in
our city right now,” Taylor said.
“It is truly awe-inspiring and
we are truly grateful.”
This nationwide effort has
helped distribute 1,500 face
masks to street outreach and
medicine programs, 450 face
Center for Urban Community Services
allocates face masks to homeless
masks to CUCS staff, 800 face
masks to homeless New Yorkers
in CUCS shelters.
People from all over the
country have mailed in handsewn
face masks from all across
New York State, the east coast
and from as far away as Alaska,
California and Washington
PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
state. This has led to CUCS
raising their goal to distribute
5,000 masks.
“We had someone living in
Anchorage who was a New
Yorker, and she loves Alaska,
but she is homesick,” Taylor
said. “She wished she could do
more. She sent 20 masks that
she sewed.”
CUCS is one of New York’s
largest social services and
serves 50,000 people annually.
They are responsible for
housing for individuals living
on the streets and run three
shelters and safe havens. They
provide social service and care
to 2400 units in 13 permanent
housing sites.
CUCS has many frontline
workers in their medicine and
shelter programs, such as doctors,
offi ce managers and case
workers. Many of these masks
go to keep their CUCS staff
equipped in adequate PPE.
“The more masks we get,
the more we can get them out
there,” Taylor said.
More information for how to
donate is available at Cucs.org
cucsinfo@cucs.org
Central Park
Conservancy
invites New
Yorkers to
share their
#mycentralpark
story
BY BETH DEDMAN
The Central Park Conservancy wants
New Yorkers to share their personal
experiences in Central Park during
the time of COVID-19 with the hashtag
#mycentralpark.
Many New Yorkers have fl ocked to the
park during the pandemic to get some fresh
air and exercise while still maintaining
social distancing regulations.
PHOTO BY BETH DEDMAN
The conservancy is asking people to
share how the park has helped them deal
with the crisis and will feature some of the
stories and photos on their Instagram and
Twitter.
The My Central Park page also contains
resources for taking a virtual tour
of Central Park, as well as digital backgrounds,
coloring pages, word scrambles,
puzzles and quizzes, all of which feature
the park.
Updates and information on Central
Park during COVID-19 are available at
www.centralparknyc.org.
14 April 30, 2020 Schneps Media
/Cucs.org
/www.centralparknyc.org
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