This year is the 22nd an­niver­sary of the Northwest AIDS Walk. A whole generation has passed. Twenty years ago, AIDS was a gay man’s disease and a death sentence. The Reagan ad­min­is­tra­tion was just beginning to ac­knowl­edge the existence of AIDS, half a decade after it had first been recognized and thousands had died.

AIDS is still a serious problem, but the de­vel­op­ment of an­ti­retro­vi­ral drugs a decade ago means that people with HIV are living longer, healthier lives than before. More than 1.5 million Americans are now living with HIV/AIDS: 9,000 of them in King County. 40,000 people are infected every year, and most new infections are among African-Americans. The U.S. is getting off relatively lightly: about one-quarter of the adults in southern Africa have HIV!

The Lifelong AIDS Alliance provides a variety of services to those living with HIV/AIDS in Washington State. LLAA cooks more than 130,000 fresh meals each year, provides case management for 1200 people, provides 1400 people with health insurance support, packs 30,000 grocery bags, and dis­trib­utes condoms and safe-sex in­for­ma­tion to high-risk pop­u­la­tions.

I’ve walked in the AIDS Walk every year since 1992 and I’ve raised thousands of dollars for AIDS. Please help me raise money again for this year’s walk on Saturday, October 4th. I aim to raise at least $750.

You can sponsor me by going to http://www.georgevreil­ly.com/aidswalk.

Note: Emma and I are having a fundrais­ing barbecue on Saturday, September 27th. Email me for more details.

I thank you, the Lifelong AIDS Alliance thanks you, and the people you’ll be helping thank you.