On May 7, 2016 over 600 people will come together at the scenic Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie, New York for the Hudson Valley AIDS Walk & 5K Run. Caring community members will gather to help raise funds for the HIV/AIDS programs and services at Hudson Valley Community Services (HVCS), the region’s largest community-based HIV service provider. Funding from this year’s Walk/Run will go directly to the emergency food pantries, nutrition programs and housing initiatives–100% of funds raised will stay local!
The Walk/Run takes place on the Walkway Over the Hudson and the Dutchess Rail Trail, and both components start from the Poughkeepsie side of the Walkway. On-site registration for the 5K run starts at 8:30 am, with a race time of 9:30 am. On-site registration for the 2.5-mile walk begins at 10:00 am, with a fitness warm-up provided by Orange Theory at 10:45 and a walk start time of 11:0 am. There will be plenty of free snacks from Stop & Shop, coffee from the Crafted Kup, and water, plus vendors, a massage tent, a haircutting station, a kids’ tent, and a special tent devoted to HVCS’ thirtieth anniversary. Jason Gisser provides live music and Superior Sounds will supply family-friendly dance music, too. Walkers and teams are encouraged to dress in fun costumes, with best-dressed prizes up for grabs—including best dressed dog. Awards in age brackets will be handed out to runners.
Walkers and runners can register in advance and collect donations from friends and family. There is a $30 registration fee for 5K runners. Runners receive a special commemorative run shirt.
There is also an official afterparty on May 7th at 7:00 pm at River Station in Poughkeepsie. The annual “Heels for Hope” party includes a buffet dinner, drag performances and dancing.
For more information, contact (914) 785-8277 or aaccomando@hudsonvalleycs.org.
This article appears in April 2016.
