AIDS Walk and Music Festival returns to Piedmont Park Sept. 27

Courtesy AIDS Walk On Saturday Sept thousands will gather to run and walk in Piedmont Park to raise money for HIV AIDS healthcare in Atlanta at the AIDS Walk and Music Festival Returning for its th year the event will kick off with a K before a festival featuring live musical performances and society celebrations CeeLo Green will headline this year s festival joined by New Orleans-based entertainer Trombone Shorty Green known for hits like Forget You and Crazy rose to prominence as a founding member of the Southern hip-hop group Goodie Mob Trombone Shorty plays both trombone and trumpet as he blends rock and hip-hop with old-school funk and brass Other featured performers include King Jai a hip-hop artist from Birmingham AL and DJ Sed the Saint a multi-genre DJ from New Orleans For years the AIDS Walk hosted by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has raised more than million a year for Atlanta-based HIV AIDS system organizations This year s benefitting organizations are AID Atlanta AIDS Healthcare Foundation Aniz Inc Bridge of Light Center for Black Women s Wellness Georgia Equality I Am Human Lost-N-Found Youth LGBTQ Institute Positive Impact Physical condition Centers and Trans Women of Color Healing Project This annual event offers a time to create a greater awareness of the impact of HIV and AIDS on the local Atlanta society as well as an opportunity to bring together thousands of individuals from across the region to raise critical funds for these worthy organizations mentioned Dr Felicia Ivey AHF Atlanta regional director AHF is proud to present this event as one of the a multitude of avenues that we educate and empower the local locality to join the fight against HIV and AIDS The event will also include on-site HIV testing so anyone attending can know their status According to a fresh account from Invigor Biological Georgia ranked the highest in the country in for new HIV cases with new cases Fulton County saw the highest volume of HIV in Georgia that year along with chlamydia gonorrhea and syphilis On July the Fulton County Department for HIV Elimination received an increase in federal funding to combat the epidemic in Fulton Cobb DeKalb and Gwinnett Counties But with more than billion cut from core HIV prevention and recovery programs in the Trump administration s proposed federal budget Imara Canady the National Communications Director of AHF notified Georgia Voice that funds raised by this year s AIDS Walk are critical The money raised for these organizations dollar-for-dollar matched by AHF are unrestricted funds meaning each organizations can use it for operating costs like rent and employee paychecks that are often not covered by grants that benefit holistic HIV care This is about ensuring that the foundation and the infrastructure of these organizations can maintain and sustain to do the tremendously impactful work that they re doing all across the metro area he explained To register for the th Annual AIDS Walk and Music Festival create a group or join a unit visit aidswalkatlanta org Related stories Georgia ranks fourth in U S for STDs It just doesn t look the same Southern HIV prevention leaders confront new political landscape The post AIDS Walk and Music Festival returns to Piedmont Park Sept appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta