UCSF AIDS Walk Steering Committee members Diona Cox and Edgar Micua warm up with hot beverages on a cold, overcast morning.
Under gray and occasionally misty skies, more than 200 members of the UCSF community, sponsors and volunteers helped to raise $4.5 million in AIDS Walk San Francisco on Sunday.
The total raised by organizations and individuals from around the San Francisco Bay Area was just shy of the record $4.6 million raised at the annual trek last year.
For UCSF’s part, nine teams comprising some 200 walkers and those who supported them raised more than $38,000 for research and treatment in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Christine Franklin hoped to find the name of her brother, who died of AIDS in 1992, on an AIDS quilt.
Joey Convento, program coordinator for Campus Life Services’s Arts & Events, helped raise about $350 in T-shirt sales to benefit the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
In fact, those who would like to contribute to the worthy cause can do so by buying a UCSF T-shirt for $10. The black T-shirts proved to be popular with passersby, who bought the T-shirts emblazoned with the mission statement
advancing health worldwide.™ T-shirt sales netted more than $350 on Sunday. The T-shirts are available for purchase by contacting Michael Fortes, office manager of UCSF Public Affairs.
“We certainly appreciate everyone who braved the cold summer weather and contributed to the success of the event,” says Lisa Cisneros, UCSF AIDS Walk coordinator. “I want to recognize everyone: the walkers who raised money, the volunteers who worked shifts starting at 7 a.m. and ending past 3 p.m., the UCSF AIDS Walk Steering Committee who organized the campus’s participation, AIDS Walk San Francisco staff, and the many friends, family members and even our four-legged friends who took part.”
The campus team, led by Lydia Derugin, director of administration and finance for University Advancement and Planning, brought in more than $11,000, according to the AIDS Walk San Francisco website.
Enjoying lunch after the 10k walk, in left photo, are Lydia Derugin, director of administration and finance for University Advancement and Planning, and Rosyln Tuttle, coordinator of student services for the UCSF School of Dentistry. At right, Jennifer Dowd, Vendor Services manager for Campus Life Services, and Aimee Levine.
If the campus team remains in the lead after the total funds are compiled, then the campus team will again be awarded the coveted UCSF AIDS Walk Trophy. The trophy, a bronzed running shoe formerly worm by Chancellor Mike Bishop, MD, is already at home in the Laurel Heights office of University Advancement and Planning, headed by Senior Vice Chancellor Bruce Spaulding.
AIDS Walk San Francisco is a family affair for many members of the campus community, including Lisa Cisneros, assistant director of UCSF Public Affairs, Alexandra and Tom Carey and their dog Tucker.
Derugin also played a part in bringing in $471 from a three-hour bake sale held at Laurel Heights last Thursday. She and Edgar Micua, both of whom are members of the UCSF AIDS Walk Steering Committee, sold pastries donated by Copenhagen Bakery in Burlingame and other baked goods to raise money for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
When the final total figures are compiled, UCSF will announce the recipients of the prizes. The individual who raised the most money will win a MacBook laptop, generously donated by Financial and Administrative Services. Other prizes, such as two iPods and Macy’s and Best Buy gift cards, will be awarded via a raffle to walkers and volunteers. Look to
UCSF Today for news about the prizes.
Photos by Susan Merrell and Jennifer Dowd
