Wichita AIDS Walk celebrates 25 years
by Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief
Wichita’s Positive Directions, Inc. (PDI) is gearing up for a big celebration. On Saturday, July 20, from noon till 10 p.m., they will commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Wichita AIDS Walk at the Wave in Downtown Wichita.
Wichita’s Positive Directions Executive Director, Brett Hogan said the event was in the works from the day the organization started.
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“But really, we’ve been working on it for several months,” he said. “It’s not an overnighter type of thing; you have to get organized and plan.”
Hogan said the Wichita AIDS Walk 2019 Music Festival & Market plans are pretty simple.
“There’s the big walk in the late morning, at 11,” he said. “This is our support base; those that walk for a reason, not just supporting us, but for lost loved ones, those living with HIV, and the big picture of ending this virus.”
The walk is about a mile and starts at 11 a.m. sharp, and all are welcome to walk.
“Right after the walk, we move into an all-day music festival filled with amazing local bands, and a local market, full of vendors, games and, yes, testing! We cap the night off with the Adam Capps band, a local favorite.”
He said the event is open to the public, and tickets may be purchased for $15 at www.positivedirectionsks.org. One hundred percent of the funds raised from the walk will go directly to the purchase of a mobile testing vehicle so they can engage and test the community more easily.
Hogan began working with the organization in 2015 and assumed the role of executive director in the fall of 2016.
“I’ve been a huge HIV advocate for most of my life,” said Hogan. “I grew up as the country [while the] the world went through the early stages of the crisis. I watched friends pass from it. I watched it decimate the community. It freaking matters to me!”
He said PDI and the Wichita AIDS Walk are important to Wichita because as the city grows, so does the incidence of HIV.
“Our youth are not being educated on how to stay safe, and they are getting infected, and I cannot sit by and watch them suffer,” Hogan said. “We also need to look at our past, acknowledge those that have lived with and through it, and move into the future with the knowledge and ability to end it.”
The organization receives its primary funding through grants through the Kansas Dept. of Health and Environments and the Ryan White foundation. But as most people know, particularly those working at AIDS Service Organizations, those funds are not enough to cover all of PDI’s needs.
“We do accept private and corporate donations, usually through our major events like the AIDS Walk, Winter Gala, World AIDS Day events, Final Friday, Pride and more. But we have begun a monthly ‘Friends of PDI’ recurring donation system, as well as we receive several estate donations.”
Hogan said in 2017 they tested 207 individuals, in 2018, 549, and so far in 2019, 341, well on the way to continue to increase. They just began using the Insti one-minute rapid test, yes, that means you get your result in one minute, and you only wait three weeks from exposure to receive accurate results.
This past June 27 for National HIV Testing Day, they partnered up with Community-A Walgreens Pharmacy to test as many individuals as they could in one day.
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“Counseling/education comes in many forms,” Hogan said. “Direct when someone comes in for a test where we can educate on all subjects from the basics of HIV, to safe sex, resources throughout the community, and so forth.”
PDI’s outreach has been evolving and increasing as the need for their services grows. “We begin with ‘at risk’ groups, which are CDC researched population demographics that over time, show the greatest risk of possible infection. Many factors are considered when selecting these groups.
“If you do the math, all of us will fall into at least one or more of the categories. But through these groups, we engage social groups, businesses, and individuals to test and link positive individuals into care.”
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Hogan has even done outreach at a family reunion. “Yes, I went to a big family reunion and spoke to an entire family about safe sex. Grandma even got involved in the condom relay (it’s not what you think, but it’s fun!).”
Get ready to celebrate with PDI and the Wichita AIDS Walk this July 20, from noon till 10 p.m. at the Wave, 650 E. 2nd St. in Downtown Wichita. For information, visit the FB event page by searching the moniker, Wichita AIDS Walk 2019 Music Festival & Market, or visit www.positivedirectionsks.org.
Copyright The Gayly. 6/29/2019 @ 8:29 a.m. CST.