Why I Walk: Michael Sebring

Why I walk...

To support my friends affected by this stigmatized disease and help find a cure! I walk for my friends: Steve, John, Chris and Jeremy

The walk is important to me because I want people affected by this disease to know they are loved, have a chance at a quality life and to bring awareness to others that this disease affects all walks of life.

I have been walking for over 10 yrs.

I spread the word through donating money each year for the walk, sponsoring CAP at work so I could get them a grant, I am the Regional Chair for our Employee Resource Group at work for LGBT issues and support CAP through all its fund raising events, I have partnered with Michael Sorenson to find models for fund raisers and I have introduced several experts in the field of non-profits to help CAP find philanthropy and financial solutions as well as banking benefits to the employees of CAP.

Most of all, CAP provides support in so many ways to those affected by this terrible disease. I am so impressed by the abilities, caring and vision of Cascade AIDS Project and will continue to do all I can to support this great organization.

Why I Walk: Kevin Cook

Why I walk...

I walk because I can; I feel like it’s my duty to walk for all who cannot.

While I lost many close personal friends whom I keep in my heart and mind, especially on AIDS Walk day, I walk for those who had no one during their final days, whose friends and families turned their backs on them. In the late 80’s and early 90’s, I witnessed a lot of that--and surely there were many whom I never met or knew very well, but who deserve nonetheless to be remembered.

When our Community first was hit and we started losing friends and loved ones, the Drag Community jumped right in and began raising funds and awareness. To date, sadly, I can list over 100 drag performers who we have lost, among those my closets and dearest friends who created and shaped the entertainer I have become. Most of what I do these days in my “career” is dedicated to them--being a successful full-time drag performer and emcee is possible because of their guidance and inspiration. The many times Poison Waters has emceed the AIDS Walk has been my “toast” to these “ladies”.

I walk for my ”sisters” Misty, Rosey and Lady Elaine Peacock.
I walk for those we’ve lost who had no friends and family.
I walk because it’s the very least I can do for those who cannot.

I love the sense of Community the Walk provides. When I was a teen I wanted to do ANYTHING I could to help raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and show support for my Community. The Walk allows everyone to participate through this very simple act of joining. No matter a person's age or financial situation, everyone can be a part of this very important Community event.

While I’m sure I’ve been walking since the early 90’s, I know this will be my 11th consecutive year on the Camp Starlight Team! My birthday is September 17 and I always get most of my donations around that time. I send messages and reminders to my friends and family via e-mail, Facebook and texting, asking for donations to AIDS Walk instead of birthday gifts.

Why I Walk: Drew Picard

Why I walk...

I walk for those that cannot, plain and simple. It's a somewhat cliche and cheesy response, I know; however, I feel as though it is one that is never expressed enough.

This ailment has affected so many people and it will be years before we touch the lives of everyone that it has changed. Our participation, yours as well as mine, shows the world how much we care and that we are not going to just stand by while it takes another life. Just as with the other obstacles we face through out our lives, this battle will be won with massive involvement. This world has yet to see what we are all capable of, if we just stand up together for what we believe in and the people we care about.

So, I walk to show even just one more person that I am here to make a difference--one step at a time!

I have many friends that are affected by HIV/AIDS and whose lives have changed because of it. Yet, I see strength in all of them. Never once have any of them stopped living. I walk for all of my friends, in their name and for my own.

This walk is important to me, for it shows that we are willing to band together and fight for the truth, and for our beliefs. We get our chance to show that we are a force to be reckoned with and that we will fight long and strong for everyone that needs our help.

This will be my second year actually walking, but third year in participation. I have enjoyed playing many roles and lending a hand when ever I can. It's been a blast so far this year, and it's only going to get better!

It's hard to find a person that is not already informed or knowledgeable about the walk or what we do. Still, I spread the word and try to get people involved any way I can. Working at my bar provides a steady influx of customers that are willing to help with donations and even volunteer to walk. It is truly awesome to see the city organize and band together to show support. Way to go Rose City!

Using the Power of Video

Walkers are gearing up for the Walk, recruiting team members and raising funds. Here are two videos that have been put together by Walkers to do just that:


Marc Kochanski asks viewers: Help Me Make It



Andrew Shayde wants you to join The Ultimate Alliance


How about you--have you come with a fun, original way to recruit and fundraise for AIDS Walk Portland 2011?

Daren Parks: Why I Walk

Why I walk...

I walk because I believe that everyone deserves to live a life free from pain and suffering. I walk for my dear friend Louie, his family and his friends. We will never forget him.

The walk has always been a very important part of my life because I am gay. In the early 90’s I was approached by one of our Health Club Members inquiring if I would be his Personal Trainer. He told me that if anyone could help save his life, it was me. He said that I inspired him.

In speaking with him about his needs and goals, he informed me that he had been recently diagnosed with AIDS. He feared that he did not have long to live. I asked him how he had heard about me and he said that he had been observing me train clients for over 6 months and finally worked up the courage to speak to me.

He told me that he was embarrassed to tell someone he had AIDS and that he was terrified that I would judge him and refuse to train him. He had been turned down by 3 other fitness professionals. I began crying and assured him that his search was over.

I trained Louie for over a year and a half before he lost his battle with the disease. Our time together was much more than Personal Training. There were times that I trained him at home because he was too physically weak to get to the gym. I remember holding water for him so he could drink because he didn’t have any strength to hold the glass. I remember getting blankets for him to stop him from shivering. And there were times that I held him while he cried himself to sleep. I wanted him to know that he was loved.

Ironically, at the end of it all, it was his will to live and bravery that inspired me.

I began walking in the mid 80’s in Albuquerque, New Mexico by organizing a team, speaking at the event and leading the warm-up. I continued my involvement with the walk in Phoenix, Arizona and in Denver, Colorado. In all cities, I was instrumental in ensuring that our Health Club was a major sponsor and promoter for the event. Our Club served as a platform for meetings and kick-off parties.

I communicate my passion for the walk through work, social media, email, volunteer time and by giving back to the community.

We all have an opportunity to make the world a better place. The decision you make to help others must we done with diligence, commitment, passion and be relentless! It must come from the heart and be unselfish. There is always something you can do.

Andrew Shayde: Why I Walk

Why I walk...

I walk because Americans still die of AIDS. This is my 2^nd Walk.

I was born in June 1981, the exact month that CDC released its first official statement about AIDS. I have never known a world without HIV/AIDS and I think people have grown complacent about the subject. Up to 80% of those living with HIV/AIDS are still gay/bi men and I want to walk to educate so that my friends don’t add to this statistic. I want to change the tide on this disease and lead the way to a decrease in infections by reminding people that HIV still lives here.

I walk for ‘Mo’ my first friend that I lost to AIDS. I went to his funeral where they said he passed of cancer because saying the word AIDS was apparently too controversial. I thought, people keep getting sick because we can’t say the word AIDS out loud.

Because, in America, up to 18,000 people still die of AIDS each year. More than 279,000 gay and bi men have been lost to the virus.

I am the Team Leader for The Ultimate Alliance: Superheroes for HIV. We are raising funds and dressing as our favorite Superheroes in the attempts to gain more attention back on the important topic of HIV/AIDS in Portland and to create a fun energy to help decrease the stigma placed on the words HIV/AIDS.

I work in HIV testing and counseling and I would LOVE to put myself out of a job by playing my role to help eradicate this disease. I’d rather flip burgers all day in a world without HIV.

Dale Hottle: Why I Walk

Why I walk...

My story began 13 years ago as a boy, raised in a conservative home and barely out to himself. A good friend disclosed to me that he had recently tested HIV positive. I was shell-shocked, frozen. I only knew HIV/AIDS as a death sentence--and one that only “wrongdoers” could be afflicted with. My own fear and ignorance were my shield and my sword that night, and they cut me from my friend. I silently turned my back on him and walked away. I will forever regret that moment.

I started volunteering with the Colorado AIDS Project a year later--and when I moved, I continued, volunteering with the Utah AIDS Foundation and then Cascade AIDS Project. My motto became “if I can reach out and make a difference to one person then everything is worth it.” I wanted to raise awareness and hopefully prevent someone from shunning another the way that I had in my ignorance. That friendship--a person to laugh, cry and smile with--can make a big difference to someone living with HIV/AIDS, a lesson that I learned well over time.

I tested positive three years ago and it fractured my life. While I had advocated ending the stigma to others, I still harbored it within myself. This great hypocrisy could have destroyed me--and nearly did. I resorted to drinking and shoved my friends away, isolating myself; I was so fearful that others might shun me that I alienated them from myself first.

Then, two strangers that I had only recently met became my guardian angels. They helped me turn my life back around, so that I could see past the disease to a life beyond. I was fortunate enough to receive the gift of understanding that I had once denied my friend. I can only be hopeful that he and others will be as lucky as I was.

So why do I walk? Well, the short answer is selfish: to find a cure and end the stigma that surrounds the disease.

But the long answer is that I walk for a cure to end this pandemic. I walk to educate others so that they may protect themselves and be accepting when someone else imparts their status. I walk to say thank you to the guardian angels that have provided aid and support for me and so many others through our darkest hours. Finally, I walk for Aric, the friend that started this journey; he changed my life in more ways than he will ever realize.