November 29, 2004
World AIDS Day: Americans Walking for Orphans
From Appalachia to China’s Great Wall,
people matching steps to number of children affected by pandemic
SEATTLE -- On World AIDS Day (December 1), as on every day, 6,000 children will lose their parents. This year, several hundred Americans will take action to help these children with both their hearts and soles - the soles of their feet, that is.
At malls and other venues in cities across the United States -- and on the Great Wall of China -- people will walk "6,000 Steps for 6,000 Orphans" and raise funds for World Vision’s AIDS programs. Organizers estimate it will take one hour to walk those 6,000 steps.
"There’s increasing awareness of the AIDS pandemic, and increasing willingness of people to do something," says World Vision President Richard E. Stearns, who will walk the 6,000 steps -- about two miles -- in a suburban Seattle shopping mall. "But we still have a long way to go."
Groups have organized to take 6,000 steps in Pittsburgh, Seattle, St. Paul, Jacksonville (FL), Albany (GA), Cleveland, Indianapolis, Sacramento, Wheaton (IL), Elkins (West Virginia), Dallas, St. Louis, Monterey (CA) and other cities. Three people will walk on the Great Wall of China.
Their motivation? The United Nations estimate that every 14 seconds another child is orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Every day, more than 6,000 children join the 15 million children worldwide who have already lost one or both parents to this disease.
CONTACT: | Sheryl Watkins | (253) 815-2246 (office); | (888) 787-3056 (pager) |
| Gardi Wilks | (798) 366-8389 (office); | (708) 205-5020 (cell) |
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World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. World Vision serves the world’s poor - regardless of a person’s religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org/press
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