APLA Health Launches AIDS Walk Los Angeles 2021 Hosted by Ongina of RuPaul’s Drag Race
“The Walk Show” is the theme for AIDS Walk LA 2021
July 7, 2021 – Today, AIDS Walk Los Angeles 2021 is officially off and walking! APLA Health opens registration and fundraising for AIDS Walk LA at aidswalkla.org
APLA Health has partnered with Ongina to host our new weekly online video talk show, The Walk Show. Every week Ongina will “walk” participants through weekly challenges, community stories, fundraising tips and much more! She will also join ABC7’s televised Localish LA AIDS Walk Special airing in September. This year’s AIDS Walk LA concludes on Sunday, October 3rd.
Ongina, contestant on the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, emotionally disclosed her HIV-positive status after winning a challenge on the show. Her subsequent work as a vocal HIV activist makes her the perfect choice to host The Walk Show. Beyond the fun, each episode will feature firsthand accounts of how AIDS Walk fundraising efforts support the vital work of APLA Health as well as other HIV/AIDS service organizations.
Now in its 37th year, AIDS Walk Los Angeles is tied to the communities in which we serve. We have pulled together some of the most scenic, iconic and walkable places in LA County in the form of Road To Stardom challenges that AIDS Walk LA participants can complete in-person on their own or with friends, family, teams and co-workers. Follow along and learn more at aidswalkla.org/stardom
“While COVID-19 continues to prevent AIDS Walk Los Angeles from being an in-person gathering for all of our community, the purpose of the event remains unchanged,” said Craig E. Thompson, CEO of APLA Health. “In this moment of pandemic fatigue, we must be united in our efforts to end the HIV epidemic as well. Through the use of tools like PrEP and PEP, the science of Undetectable = Untransmittable, and working to ensure broad access to healthcare, we can make a real impact and create a steeper decline in the number of new HIV diagnoses in Los Angeles County.”
This year’s AIDS Walk Los Angeles is supported by more than thirty generous sponsors. Premier Sponsors include Gilead Sciences, Inc., Starbucks Pride Network & Paul Hastings. Grand Sponsors include ABC7, Paramount Pictures & ViiV Healthcare. Principal Sponsors include Latham & Watkins, Quest Diagnostics, Anthem Blue Cross & Playboy. Major Sponsors include Capital Group, Albertsons, Premier Pharmacy Services, Crown Media Family Networks & Mattel. Supporting Sponsors include Oaktree Capital Management, Royal Bank of Canada, Northrop Grumman, Room & Board, Janssen, Tito’s Handmade Vodka & AT&T. Event Sponsors include KPMG, Hathaway Dinwiddie, Amgen, City National Bank, Genoa Healthcare, Klawiter and Associates, LADWP, The Dietz Agency, Parker Brown & Bank of America.
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About AIDS Walk Los Angeles: Since 1985, AIDS Walk Los Angeles has drawn hundreds of thousands of supporters to walk, and millions more to donate, raising more than $91 million to combat HIV and AIDS. The funds raised at the event remain a vital lifeline that sustains APLA Health’s care, prevention, and advocacy programs for those living with HIV in Los Angeles County. Proceeds also benefit other HIV/AIDS service organizations that participate and raise funds through the Community Coalition Initiative (CCI). For more information, visit aidswalkla.org.
About APLA Health: APLA Health’s mission is to achieve healthcare equity and promote well-being for the LGBTQ+ and other underserved communities and people living with and affected by HIV. We remain committed to ending the AIDS epidemic in our lifetime. We are a nonprofit, federally qualified health center serving more than 18,000 people annually. We provide 20 different services at 16 locations throughout Los Angeles County, including: medical, dental, behavioral health and HIV specialty care; PrEP counseling and management; health education and HIV prevention; and STD screening and treatment. For people living with HIV, we offer housing support; benefits counseling; home healthcare; and the Vance North Necessities of Life Program food pantries; among several other critically needed services. Additionally, we are leaders in advocating for policy and legislation that positively impacts the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities and conduct community-based research on issues affecting the communities we serve. For more information on APLA Health visit aplahealth.org
