Today, it is more clear to me than ever that things that truly make a positive impact on the lives of others require the efforts of many. The idea that it takes a village … rings very true.

As we watched Mayor Jerry Sanders stand up for social justice last week, we know that it took not only his tremendous courage, but also the work of many people, over many years to bring about such an historic moment. So it is with AIDS Walk San Diego.

HIV/AIDS is the pandemic of our generation. It has been our heartbreak and our challenge. It is our mission to educate others to prevent the spread of this disease; to provide services and compassion to those infected; and to never forget the uncompleted lives of those we’ve lost to this plague.

Our mission continues, with a particularly important event that helps fuel it, Sunday, Sept. 30. AIDS Walk San Diego will take place in Balboa Park, and the entire San Diego community is invited to participate in this amazing and life-affirming event. If you haven’t yet registered, you can still do so on the morning of the event and be a part of this wonderful day.

AIDS Walk San Diego has a rich and telling history, beginning back in 1989. Two years before, this event took place as the Walk for Life, during a time when the stigma associated with the disease was so great, it couldn’t even be part of the event’s name. Since then, courageous and dedicated walkers have made a difference in the lives of San Diegans impacted by HIV and AIDS.

Today, AIDS Walk is San Diego’s largest one-day HIV/AIDS fund-raiser and the largest non-governmental financial provider for HIV/AIDS service organizations in San Diego County. Dozens of agencies – serving thousands of clients – rely on funds raised at the annual AIDS Walk to help provide essential prevention and care programs to thousands of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS.

In San Diego, we are fortunate to have a unique funding partnership with the San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative, which enables AIDS Walk to increase the impact of the dollars raised at the event. Funds from the Walk are combined with donations from other philanthropists and foundations to qualify for matching funds. Since 1989, AIDS Walk San Diego has raised more than $6.5 million. In partnership with the San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative, more than $400,000 was distributed last year to more than 30 community-based HIV/AIDS service organizations in San Diego County.

Each year, thousands of committed San Diegans take part in this special event to remember those we’ve lost and to show those living with HIV/AIDS that we care. AIDS Walk participants are part of a local, national and international response to the AIDS crisis. Every year, people leave AIDS Walk feeling like they’ve truly made a difference in the battle against this global pandemic. And they have.

They’ve made a difference as walkers, as volunteers, as supporters and as corporate sponsors. It literally takes hundreds and hundreds of people to make this event happen every year, and it is clear that the efforts of all involved matter tremendously.

One of the most moving sites on the day of the event is the line-up of all the times, just before everyone steps off. This is easily one of the most beautiful and diverse displays of San Diego’s greatest – our greatest efforts, our greatest compassion, our greatest hopes. There are school teams, work teams and teams of friends. There are families who walk together, sometimes wearing T-shirts or carrying signs that honor a loved one they’ve lost to the disease. On foot, in strollers and in wheelchairs, San Diegans come together on this day to show we care, and to remember those we’ve lost.

You can register online and get more information at www.aidswalksd.org. You can also call (619) 291-WALK (9255) for more information or to volunteer.

Please join us on Sunday, Sept. 30 for the 18th annual AIDS Walk!