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Makanda resident Steven St. Julian will never forget the friends he lost to HIV/AIDS.
St. Julian was one of more than 100 people who marched in the 14th annual AIDS walk Saturday in downtown Carbondale. The awareness walk wound from the Newman Student Catholic Center north on Illinois Avenue to Walnut Street and back to campus. Marchers waved signs for HIV testing and cheered when passing cars honked. Walkers included SIU President Glenn Poshard and his wife, Jo, students and community members.
“Older people who have physical memory of the dark days of AIDS prior to effective medications … have a very good sense of the reality of HIV,” said St. Julian, who has been HIV positive for 28 years and is currently working for Southern Illinois HIV Care Connect. “The younger people, unfortunately or fortunately, are too young to remember and to have any sense of loss. They didn’t lose their friends. My generation lost friends, so it will always be a part of my life.”
Phillip Shoaff, vice president of the health care association, was at the walk along with the association president and more than 20 other students his organization recruited. Shoaff said he was hoping the walk would raise awareness about AIDS.
“We still need to be careful about it and work to find a cure,” said Shoaff, a senior from Shelbyville studying health care management. “It’s something that can affect anybody, and a lot of people don’t think about how important it is until it gets too close and somebody in their family gets it. Before we get to that level we need to find something to stop it right now.”
Katy Rogers, a graduate of SIUC, participated in the walk with four other members of the Southern Illinois Roller Girls. The club members, dressed in black with bright yellow shirts, were walking and roller-skating to show their involvement in the community.
“We want to do stuff for the community,” Rogers said. “We have it written into our handbook that we want to come and support the community and help raise awareness for these things in any way we can.”
Glenn and Jo Poshard kicked off the event with a talk and $1,000 donation to the AIDS Christmas Project. Wally Paynter, project chairman, said the walk and fundraising concert held Saturday night raised more than $6,000 for the project. The largest student donation came from the Student Health Care Management Association, which raised more than $1,200 for the project.
The money will go toward buying grocery gift cards for 150 southern Illinois families below the poverty level who are affected by AIDS. Last year there were enough donations to get $25 cards for each family, Paynter said.
“When we see a brother or sister in a distressing condition, it’s our responsibility to do what we can to help them get well,” Poshard said. “I would love to see our university be that safe place for people.”
Ruth Moon can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 255.
