I’m tired of AIDS.  I’m tired of telling people I have AIDS.  It’s not that it’s a downer- it’s just that after 22 years of living with HIV and 12 years of educating it’s starting to get... well, old hat. 

Of course, I love surviving AIDS and raising awareness.  And I try my best to honor those we’ve lost as well as those who can’t speak out about their own status.  It may seem like I’m full of myself on here but really, I do this all for the children, kittens and puppies.  Or, in better terms, I stay involved as best I can because I want to make a difference in my own little way.  My ultimate goals of why I speak out aren’t usually laid out, but they are pretty simple: help the infected not feel so alone and help the uninfected stay that way with awareness and sexual health education. 

Continuing to fight AIDS by raising awareness is cool- but sometimes the fight has to be about raising money.  That’s why it’s important for me to participate in the AIDS Walk every year with Team Supersnack.  Here’s a video of our team from the 2006 AIDS Walk NY.  Click to :50 to see Supersnack in action!




Last year Team Supersnack famously outraised Kenneth Cole in the AIDS Walk NY.  That’s like the son of Godzilla knocking King Kong off of the Empire State Building!  Having conquered New York, we decided to move our team to DC, where HIV statistics have been somewhat alarming.  Basically, the Whitman Walker Clinic needs all the help they can get.

For the last few years, the majority of my and Gwenn’s donations have come from friends and family, partly because AIDS Walk NY required a minimum donation of $20.  So last week I went to the old cash cows and sent out an email.  The result?  Only one person clicked on our donation page: my mom... and she has yet to donate.

FAIL.

I know she will.  And I know my friends will chip in what they can after I harass them with late night phone calls.  I’ve already rented a (Burger) King costume for when phone calls aren’t enough, so there could be some rude awakenings in store... or maybe I’ll feign an illness as the walk draws nearer to really get the funds coming in?  Kind of like a Save Ferris Campaign, even though none of the money would be going to me personally.

What’s really cool about the AIDS Walk Washington DC is that they accept small donations.  So you could donate $5.  I know, but you’re thinking, “Shawn, I really wanted to sponsor you for Decker’s Daily, but this seems way more important.”  And you’re right- that’s why, from now until the AIDS Walk, all $5 donations to Decker’s Daily are going to go to the AIDS Walk.  Win Win- I get the fuel I need to continue to harass my friends for the big bucks and you feel good about helping me do so.

So, if you’d like to donate please visit the Shawn and Gwenn AIDS Walk Fundraising Page.     

The AIDS Walk is on October 3, and this won’t be last you’ll be reading about it.  See that bloody tube below?  It needs to fill up to reach our fundraising goal.  And it will be really embarrassing as a thinblood if I can’t fill up a tube with blood.

Positively Yours,
Shawn


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