Kendra Castleberry - the First Gold Star Walker of 2012!

A big congratulations to Kendra Castleberry, the first participant of this year’s AIDS Walk Los Angeles to reach the $2,500 mark and attain Gold Star Walker™ status! Kendra began participating in AIDS Walk Los Angeles in 2001 soon after moving to the area. It has been her tradition ever since!

How does she raise the money? She does all of her fundraising through her AIDS Walk Los Angeles web page! She collects emails from friends, co-workers, and family throughout the year and adds them to her address book. As soon as she registers she sends her first email asking for donations, letting people know that they will hear from her once a month until the day of the Walk! She has almost 1,400 people that she emails every month.

When asked why she walks, Kendra says:

“HIV/AIDS is an epidemic that arose during my childhood and it was all anyone talked about.  There was a lot of fear back then. [HIV was] a death sentence that could claim anyone.  We've come a long way since then.  We're much more educated, we know preventative measures we can take to limit exposure, and we have drugs to help treat those who already have the disease.  But we don't have a cure.  I will walk every year until we do.”

Kendra sets a wonderful example of the kind of compassion and dedication necessary to bring an end to AIDS.

Thank you so much, Kendra, keep up the great work!

Want to support Kendra in her fight against HIV/AIDS? Please click here to sponsor her today!