Carson Kressley, Jai Rodriguez of 'Queer Eye' Join Singer Deborah Gibson & Actors Hal Sparks, Wilson Cruz to Kick Off AIDS Walk/Ft. Lauderdale, April 30th

Carson Kressley, Jai Rodriguez of 'Queer Eye' Join Singer Deborah Gibson & Actors Hal Sparks, Wilson Cruz to Kick Off AIDS Walk/Ft. Lauderdale, April 30th

Sponsored by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Walk Benefits Local HIV/AIDS Service Organizations, Raises Awareness of Broward County's Increasing AIDS Epidemic

what: AIDS Walk/Ft. Lauderdale Pre-Event Media Availability with AIDS Walk Celebs

when: Sunday, April 30th OPENING CEREMONY BEGINS @ 9:15AM

where: Huizenga Plaza, Downtown Ft. Lauderdale

who: CARSON KRESSLEY, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy JAI RODRIGUEZ, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy DEBORAH GIBSON, Singer HAP SPARKS, Actor (Queer as Folk) WILSON CRUZ, Actor (My So-Called Life, Rent)

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the rising incidence of HIV in Broward County, Craig R. Miller, MZA Events and AIDS Healthcare Foundation proudly present AIDS Walk/Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday, April 30th, 2006 starting and ending at Huizenga Plaza in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. A diverse crowd of thousands of walkers will be joined by celebrities, including Hal Sparks (Queer as Folk, Survival of the Richest), Deborah Gibson, Wilson Cruz, Jai Rodriguez (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), Carson Kressley (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) and Jessica Care More (Poet, Author and Activist) to raise awareness and funds to fight the AIDS epidemic in South Florida. AIDS Walk Ft. Lauderdale, the first in Broward County for some years, comes on the heels of a study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cementing South Florida as a major epicenter of the disease in the U.S. with a sizable increase in new AIDS cases in 2004. Despite updated data showing a small decrease in new AIDS cases in 2005, an increase in new HIV cases in the county indicates that the epidemic is continuing to spread in South Florida.

AIDS Walk Ft. Lauderdale will focus on funding vital services for people living with HIV/AIDS in Broward, as well as dramatically increasing prevention efforts throughout Broward County. The event benefits AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the nation's largest AIDS organization which operates free AIDS treatment clinics in the US, Africa, Central America and Asia; Minority Development and Empowerment Inc.; Mount Bethel; Mount Olive Development Corp.; and Broward House. All of these organizations' dedicated staff and volunteers provide services to men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Broward County. For more information, to make a donation, or to register as a walk participant go to: www.AIDSWalk.net.

"As the rate of HIV cases continues to increase in Broward County, we at AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Positive Healthcare/Florida appreciate this opportunity to bring a renewed awareness to the community to help reverse this alarming trend," said Joey Wynn, AHF Community Affairs Manager, Florida Division. "The AIDS Walk has always been a symbol of collaboration as people come together to fight HIV in their communities and we are grateful to be a benefiting organization of AIDS Walk/Ft. Lauderdale. We look forward to continued collaboration with the communities of South Florida as we seek to address the epidemic head-on, expanding not only our prevention efforts, but also the HIV/AIDS medical services we provide to HIV-positive Floridians who urgently need care."

In addition to operating an HIV/AIDS treatment clinic in Florida, AIDS Healthcare Foundation also runs a Medicaid disease management program serving 10,000 Floridians living with HIV/AIDS. Positive Healthcare/Florida, is the most successful disease management program in the state, as well as the first and only HIV/AIDS disease management program in the United States to have received Full Accreditation by the prestigious National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). AHF outreach efforts have succeeded in bringing hundreds of untreated HIV-positive Floridians into care who urgently need it.

Source: AIDS Healthcare Foundation

CONTACT: Ft. Lauderdale, William Archer of AIDS Walk/Ft. Lauderdale,
+1-866-883-WALK; or Los Angeles, Lori Yeghiayan, AHF Communications Specialist
of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, +1-323-860-5527, or cell, +1-323-377-4312

Web site: http://www.aidswalk.net/

NOTE TO EDITORS: To schedule an interview with a celebrity participant, please contact William Archer in Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1-866-883-WALK.

-------
Profile: intent