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Thursday/March 15, 2001- Page 10 ; FEATURES) AIDS Walk to raise money for local health department KATE EsPOSITO would be a good way to raise money for the dent organization, Circle K, decided to get Said Ramphal enthusiastically, "We don't SeniQr Writer AFCC and would also help educate the involved. Circle K is a community service really have to pay for anything except the Many new options have recently become Carroll County community, bringing AIDS organization affiliated with Kiwanis Inter- shirts. If we can get about 500 walkers, that available to improve the lives of people liv- back into the forefront. national. will be about six or seven thousand dollars ing with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syn- Owen, along with Mohindra Ramphal, "Since our membership has been low for the AFCC." drome (AIDS), including new drug therapies treasurer of ASAP and co-coordinator of the lately, we thought it would be good to help Signing up walkers has now become the and greater social acceptance. WMC stu- event, began calling organizations in Mary- another organization out with something," first priority, with the walk less than a month dents, however, are finding yet another way land to find out what others had done to raise said president Megan Martin. "The AIDS away. to fight the virus; with their feet. money to combat AIDS. "We called two walk was also something we wanted to work Registration packets are being distributed On Sunday April 1, WMC will hold its [groups] who on because throughout the community. These packets first-ever AIDS walk through the streets of had done a walk AIDS research include a registration fonn, pledge form, and downtown Westminster. Beginning last fail, b e for e , " is in desperate team registration form. Groups of six or more rvany small steps had to be taken to get the Ramphal said. need of fund- can walk at a discount; there is also a re- project up and running.". From there ing." duced rateof$15 for students. They are look- Senior Erin Owen'came up with the idea o-theybegan look- o ing to see a large turnout from the WMC for the walk in the spring of 2000 when-she ing through the Circle K became the president of Aids Support Aware- yellow pages try- stepped in as ness and Prevention (ASAP), a group on ing to find places co-sponsor of campus that educates students and the com- to sponsor the the walk and munity about being safe and protecting one- event. Culver began sending selffrom·gettingAIDSandotherSTDs. The was invaluable mailings to group also works to break. stereotypes and during this pro- potential provide support for people living with the cess. "I really sponsors and virus. don't know the recru itin g Owen decided that ASAP needed to do area or the kind w a Ike r s more in the way of sup port for people living of people that live in the area. I had no idea, Through the network of area Circle K clubs, with AIDS instead offocusing solely on pre- but she helped me out," said Ramphal. Martin hopes to have a large turnout of mem- vention. She learned that over 300 people in At the beginning ofth~ fall semester, the, bers.er the event. Carroll County are currently infected with actual organization of the walk began. Owen, "Circle K will be going out to other Circle the disease. Ramphal, and other members of ASAP K clubs in the area recruiting walkers and So Owen contacted Bernice Culver of the started contacting local businesses, asking also asking for small donations," Martin said. Carroll County Health Department, who told for their support. . We will also be contacting our sponsoring her about the AIDS Fund of Carroll County This was especially time consuming be- Kiwanis Club and our local Key Club at (AFCC). cause, "in Carroll County you have to talk Westminster High School for support." I The AFCC is a division of the health de- to the people [at businesses] personally; you Each person whq .walks will receive a partment that provides support for people can't just give them a call," said Ramphal. shirt, along with foodandentenainmem pro- living with AIDS and HIV, including cover- "You have to be a pretty good speaker to try vided after the walk itself. Some of the en- i:a.IIo..ho"'Oit.al..tav~_ medication costs .....and to advocate what you're standing for or what tertainment includes the band, Room 402, sometimes even rem, rooc, and Clothmg, if ycusre trytng-to he\l="the"ooml1jlu,nlty.--u~~ndra U'YCjD;J. The shins, all~glJ l)9f,:..dp needed. stand and get involved in." nated, were ordered at a discount and will Thus, the idea for the walk was born. It Around October of last year; another stu- only require $3 of the $20 registration fee. SIIAUNK DOMINGUEZ Also, her mother's diagnosis has "made FedturesEdi/Qr [her] grateful for everything" that she has. Everyone has a cause or two they believe '" She added that she has a "much greater ap- in, and for one WMC student, the cause is preciation for [her] friends and family." the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day. "I never realized my mother's strength' The Avon 3-Day is a 60-mile journey until recently. It was her courage that kept from Frederick, Maryland to Washington, me from ever expecting anything but it posi- DC and will span the weekend of May 4 tive outcome," said Genova. through May 6, 200 I, hence the name "3- Since she signed up, Genova has been Day." busy raising money and training for this ex- Approximately 3000 people will be walk- traordinary event. Genova tries to walk be- ing to raise money for the fight of breast can- tween 15 and 25 miles a week in order to cer. The money raised will go towards non- profit breast health programs across the country as well as towards breast cancer ~;i~;;;~~~~~~=~~~~1'~~~~;::li~~:~~~~~" Breast cancer may not seem like such a medical research. big deal to some people, but it is a disease Ma.ry.-Kate. that affects over 180,000 new women-and-eu .....,~!lflJ1P.l.gsession r~ . camera ".In order to walk the 60 miles in May, the their families 8 ye'ar:'~ :..' two have been trammg as much as possible. Without the help of friends and support- b'-;OveF40,600 of those infected women ers, she would not have raised this money. will die from the disease (American Cancer done the Avon 3-Day in New York. tion than I ever thought possible of a human But she is still a ways from her goal, so she Society). Genova researched the walk on the being." still needs the help of generous people. The student who believes in this cause internet and registered almost immediately Genova is proud of her mother's cour- On campus, pledge forms can be found at and is doing everything she can: Mary-Kate with the $55 registration fee .. age and determination that she feels she will the information desk. Also, Genova can be Genova. Genova is a junior business-eco- Genova found inspiration from more than be well enough by May 4 to do the incred- reached at 410-751-8253 for questions or nomics major from Martinsburg, West Vir- just her family members. ible walk of 60 miles. form requests. ginia. "I have found that I am inspired daily Genova has promised herself to panici-! She asks that, because the deadline is so Genova was inspired to do this walk be- by the generosity and kindness of both pate, by walking or volunteering, in one of near, that donations be mailed directly to her, cause it has touched her personally. friends and complete strangers," she said. the nine annual Avon 3-Days for as long as instead of to the address on the form. Both her mother and her father's mother She later added, "It is amazing to me to she is able to. The reason for this is that the money takes have had the disease. Her grandmother died see how many lives have been affected by If it is not apparent already, Genova is a while to show up in Genova's account with at the age of 41 (when Genova's father was this awful disease. Their stories are my in- highly serious and passionate about {his Avon, and if the $1,900 goal is not met by only 16) and her mother was diagnosed with spiration." cause. It is important to her for several rea- day I of the walk, Genova must payout of breast cancer this past September and has Several of Genova's family members will sons, and it shows. her own pocket. since undergone both surgery and chemo- be joining her in the walk, and among them Finding out her mother had been diag- However, she can take pledge money with therapy. will be her mother. nosed with breast cancer made Genova re- her, and this is why she asks that donations She first heard about the walk when she To Genova, this is "just [another] re- alize how prevalent breast cancer is and she be campus-mailed to her. was in her mother's hospital room after her minder of her determination. She has . now wants to inform as many people about More information on breast cancer can be .-~ surgery, and her aunt told her how she had handled this disease with more derermlna- the disease as she can. found at www.thebreastcancersite.com .