Countywide : AIDS Walk Takes in Only 30% of Goal

Sponsors of Sunday’s AIDS Walk benefit took in barely 30% of their $100,000 goal, leaving AIDS Care Inc. officials seeking new fund-raisers to make up the difference, board president Doug Halter said Monday.

More than $30,000 will have been collected when all the pledges are received, Halter said. But the shortfall means other events will have to be organized to generate the $300,000 or more the group says it needs to care for its clients.

The second annual “Walk and Run for Life” drew 300 walkers and about 75 runners, who toiled 10 kilometers along San Buenaventura State Beach to raise pledge money for the nonprofit organization, Halter said. Organizers had expected up to 1,000 walkers.

“We did have fewer people than we expected,” Halter said. “However, the dollars-per-walker was up. We should have gotten on the bandwagon sooner to publicize the event.”

A combination of mild weather, daylight-saving time and holding the event Sunday rather than Saturday contributed to the lower-than-expected turnout, Halter said.

AIDS Care officials said their client list will probably double this year compared to its 1992 caseload. The agency predicts it will need more than twice the $154,000 spent last year to fund its counseling, education and other services for people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome and those infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

In June, the agency will sponsor a celebrity auction of donated clothing and other memorabilia. An “Art for Life” auction will be held in September, and the stage production “Celebration of Life” is planned for November.