You’ll Never Have to Walk Alone: Viacom Unites With 20,000 New Yorkers for AIDS Prevention and Awareness
by Michael Valentino
Sunday, May 21 was a pleasant spring morning in Manhattan’s Central Park, and Team Viacom couldn’t have asked for a better day to unite and support the 32nd Annual AIDS Walk New York.
Stationed among other top corporate walk sponsors in the so-called “gold section,” team members soaked in the warm air, secured their fundraising rewards, and chewed on their Così squagels. After a team photo, Viacom joined thousands of other jubilant walkers in a 10-kilometer march through the 843-acre park.
AIDS Walk New York is the largest single-day AIDS fundraising event in the world. In its more than 30 years, the event has raised more than $150 million to combat HIV and AIDS (more than $3.7 million in 2017 alone). The funds raised at the event are a vital lifeline sustaining the prevention, care, and advocacy programs that the GMHC organization provides for the thousands of men, women and families affected by the diseases in the tri-state area. The proceeds also benefit dozens of other HIV/AIDS service organizations that participate as teams and raise funds through the organization’s community partnership program.
Team Viacom has maintained gold team status for several consecutive years, and is consistently ranked among the top fundraising teams.
But Viacom’s support for the walk transcends any monetary contribution. Events like these unite Viacom employees to promote awareness around important issues of vital importance to the communities where we work and live. The AIDS Walk is a fulfilling forum to celebrate how far we have come and an opportunity to recognize how far there is to go in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
As a symbolic representation of support for the cause, Viacom’s Times Square Headquarters lit up red on May 18 as part of Light Up New York, an annual initiative that encourages landmarks across the city to raise awareness for the walk by channeling their inner chameleons. Participating companies and buildings included the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, and the Bank of America Tower at near Bryant Park.
From raising money to lighting the skyline red to marching through Central Park, Viacom is proud to build on its rich history of supporting this amazing cause.
