Dear friends,

Most of you have been supporting my AIDS Walk efforts for many years. You all know why I walk: to remember the dead, to support the living, and to help prevent new infections. I walk because I need to: since my very first AIDS Walk in 1988, this event has given me the feeling that even I - one little person - could make a difference in this ongoing battle.

I walk because I need to, but I also walk for all of you. Not everyone can be in Golden Gate Park with us on July 16, but by supporting my efforts, we are all walking together. I carry your loved ones' names with me; I carry you in my heart. We are in this together.

It is my duty, my passion, my privilege to walk for you, for all of us who remember what we have lost, and see what still needs to be done.

Thank you for your generosity, and for continuing to care after all these years. Our work is not done.

With gratitude and hope,

Joanie


(Walking, as always, with my dear friend and mentor Bruce Smith in my heart. A fierce & passionate AIDS warrior and top-level AIDS Walk fundraiser, Bruce always insisted "Ask everyone!!" XOX)