From All Walks of Life

AIDS Walk Philly was established in 1987 when volunteers from Penguin Place, a Philadelphia lesbian and gay community center, recognized a need to raise funds for local agencies and increase public awareness of AIDS. The first walk raised $33,000 and in the following 33 years the annual event has raised over $16 million dollars with proceeds funding disease prevention, HIV/AIDS public awareness campaigns, and services for those living with HIV/AIDS in the Philadelphia region. Initially the branding for the first three walk-a-thons used only the phrase “From All Walks of Life” due to the stigma at the time surrounding AIDS, though by 1990  “AIDS Walk” was added to the walk-a-thon’s promotional materials.