Florida AIDS Walk to Include National Anthem Performed by Stoneman Douglas H.S. Students & Concert by Award-winning Artist Flo Rida

13^th Annual Florida AIDS Walk & Music Festival on Sunday, March 18th, will benefit 10 non-profits that provide HIV/AIDS services to South Florida is set to raise over $1.7 million toward the fight against HIV/AIDS. Festival will include award-winning artist Flo Rida as well as students from Stoneman Douglas High School. Last year’s Walk raised over $1.5 million.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the state of Florida continues to lead the nation in new rates of HIV diagnoses, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV/AIDS service organization, with a strong presence in South Florida, will once again host the Florida AIDS Walk and Music Festival – an annual 5K walk to raise funds for HIV/AIDS services throughout Florida. With an estimated attendance of over 3,000 participants from across the region, this annual event will raise over $1.7 million to support 10 local non-profit organizations that are working to address the increasing HIV/AIDS epidemic plaguing South Florida.

Scheduled for Sunday, March 18, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. on beautiful Fort Lauderdale Beach, the event will kick off with a very special musical presentation of the national anthem by students from Stoneman Douglas High School, the South Florida high school that recently experienced mass tragedy due to gun violence. The Walk & Festival will culminate with a high energy concert from the Deep Fried Funk Band and the internationally acclaimed, award-winning artist, Flo Rida. Presented by Wells Fargo and AHF Pharmacy, the Florida AIDS Walk, now one of the region’s highly anticipated outdoor events, is aimed at increasing South Florida’s awareness, prevention, and treatment efforts against the spread of HIV.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Media interested in covering the event should check in at the Media Check-In Table on Sunday, no later than 10:45 a.m. Journalists interested in interviews can contact: Imara Canady at 954-952-0258 or via email at [e-mail].

WHAT:	13^th Annual Florida AIDS Walk & Music Festival presented by AHF Pharmacy and Wells Fargo
WHEN:	Sunday, March 18, 2018
	• 9:00 a.m. – Pre-Program Begins
NOTE:	Stoneman Douglas students’ presentation will take place at approx. 9:45 a.m.
	• 10:00 a.m. – Walk begins
	• 11:00 a.m. – Post-Walk Concert Begins
NOTE:	Flo Rida is scheduled to perform at 12:15 p.m.
WHERE:	Fort Lauderdale Beach (Across from the Bahia Mar Hotel)
WHO:	Michael Weinstein, President, AIDS Healthcare Foundation
	Michael Kahane, Southern Bureau Chief, AIDS Healthcare Foundation
	Flo Rida, Multi-award-winning Artist
	Students from Stoneman Douglas High School
	Representatives from 10 benefiting organizations
	And over 3,000 local South Florida residents

“Since its inception, this annual event has been a great source of raising awareness of the HIV epidemic that’s plaguing our community, while also galvanizing community support, from some great corporate partners and thousands of individuals, around raising significant dollars to support 10 non-profit organizations that are committed to addressing this crisis,” said Michael Kahane, Southern Bureau Chief for AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “We are pleased that Flo Rida has agreed to join us again, and given that advocacy is a key tenet to AHF’s mission, we are honored to have the courageous students from Stoneman Douglas on the program.”

Now in its 13th year, The Florida AIDS Walk & Music Festival has featured an array of award-winning artists, including Salt-N-Pepa, DNCE, The Go-Go’s, The B-52’s and Chaka Khan. Annually, this impactful and fun-filled event attracts a diverse array of groups and individual participants and raises millions of dollars to support local, non-profit agencies in south Florida that are working to address the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic plaguing the area. Beyond its fundraising element, the event helps to remind the community that HIV/AIDS is still impacting our community by increasing the community’s awareness, education, and prevention efforts all with the objective of reducing the spread of HIV.

Organizations benefiting from the 2018 event include:
SAVE
SUNSHINE SOCIAL SERVICES, INC.
THE POVERELLO CENTER
THE PRIDE CENTER AT EQUALITY PARK
LATINOS SALUD
THE WORLD AIDS MUSEUM AND EDUCATIONAL CENTER
PRIDELINES
OASIS FLORIDA
URBAN LEAGUE OF BROWARD COUNTY

Registration for the walk & music festival is available at www.floridaaidswalk.org.

HIV/AIDS in FLORIDA:

According to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

• Florida ranked 1st among the 50 states in the number of HIV diagnoses;
• Three Florida cities made the top 15 cities nationally, when it comes to number of people with HIV. Miami is at the top of the list, with Jacksonville and Orlando at the 10^th and 11^th spots, respectively; and
• Miami-Dade and Broward counties ranked top in the nation of new HIV diagnoses.

About AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)

In 1987, a group of activists founded AIDS Hospice Foundation in Los Angeles to provide a final resting place for terminally ill AIDS patients. Three years later, as lifesaving antiretroviral medical therapy was introduced, AIDS Hospice Foundation changed its name to AIDS Healthcare Foundation in 1990 to signify its new focus on being a medical provider to people living with HIV/AIDS.

AHF funds its mission to rid the world of AIDS through a network of pharmacies, thrift stores, healthcare contracts and other strategic partnerships. Today, as the largest global AIDS organization, AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to over 885,000 individuals in 39 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us @aidshealthcare.