The UCSF School of Pharmacy is the first winner of the UCSF AIDS Walk Trophy and Jack Webster will take home the new Apple iBook G4 as the event's top fundraiser.
Chancellor Mike Bishop will present the trophy to Mary Anne Koda-Kimble, dean of the pharmacy school, next month. Webster will be awarded his new wireless computer, a gift from Campus Life Services, soon.
The school's victory over other campus groups capped the completion of the first-ever UCSF competition to rally the troops and encourage participation in the annual trek to support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and other service organizations, including the UCSF AIDS Health Project.
"The school is thrilled to win the bronzed trophy in the AIDS Walk," said Koda-Kimble. "We have a passionate, active school family that consistently walks the walk."
"While the competition was great fun, it was not the end goal," she added. "Our purpose is to keep the public light on HIV and AIDS and not let up until we outwit the virus. Everyone from UCSF who walked shares this goal -- our friends in the medical center, nursing, dentistry and medicine. The power of partnerships is what makes UCSF great and that power was in full force at the AIDS Walk."
Money raised by the UCSF community during the friendly campus contest, the brainchild of Cindy Lima, director of administration for UCSF Medical Center, exceeded last year's total. This year, 290 walkers raised $56,240, surpassing the 2004 total of $47,176, according to UCSF event organizer Orlando Elizondo of Community and Governmental Relations.
For Webster, who works for Information Technology Services at UCSF, winning the computer prize is a bonus, but his real incentive is walking for his many friends who have lost their lives to the disease. He raised $9,236 in this, his 17th year of walking in the event. Over the years, Webster estimates he has raised about $50,000 for the cause.
"It's a wonderful surprise," Webster said. "It was an honor to be part of the process. This year's AIDS walk committee did a fantastic job organizing the event."
As for the trophy, Koda-Kimble says the bronzed running shoe formerly worn by the Chancellor will take a victory lap around the pharmacy school. "The trophy will travel throughout the school to be enjoyed by everyone at all of our locations, ending its journey in the Dean's Office."
Source: Lisa Cisneros
