AIDS Walk New York 2013

AIDS Walk New York 2013

This is my second year walking with +AIDS Walk NY benefitting GMHC. Last year I walked alone, and although I had no team formed, I had a team of sponsors, amongst friends and family, but also included a celebrity. Yes! I was sponsored last year by +John Stamos. He donated $500.00 and I was the proudest walker last year. And this year I decided to make a stronger comeback by forming a team, Superhero Walkers, and beating last years' total of $950.00, which was only $50.00 from being a Star Walker. I was so close! Currently we have raised $1,385.00 thanks to all my sponsors and my Team Co-Captain, which made the Star Walkers status by the way. Although I have not recruited any celebrities yet, I have passed last years' total but I am still searching for that one celebrity to surprise me with their kind generosity. So please tick above or here, Superhero Walkers, to donate and be our hero.

John Stamos--my Champion Donor

I named my team Superhero Walkers 'cause I am a fan of them myself. My favourite one being Superman, but I do love them all, I brought the theme to the team 'cause when one is walking for a cause or one is donating for a cause, I believe they are being a hero. My team members who are walking, since I also have a few "Virtual Walkers" who, while not walking are still dedicated friends who are helping me achieve my goal from other states such as Florida and Pennsylvania, will be wearing superhero T-shirts on the day of the walk. I, as the team leader, will be wearing a Superman T-shirt, no surprise there, and my Co-Captain will be wearing a Captain America T-shirt, so you get the idea. 

 Go Co-Captain America !

The AIDS Walk New York will be held on Sunday 19 May, 2013 starting at Central Park's Columbus Circle entrance and heading up to the end of it at 110th Street and then coming back down on Riverside Drive and passing by my old High School on 84th Street, Louis D Brandeis High School, and ending back at Central Park for a total of 10 kilometres, rain or shine of course.

Now, it is hard raising funds but I also make it fun, I have offered my team members free $25.00 gift cards to the first 3 team members who raise $250.00 that I'll get from my rewards programs and just last Sunday I held a raffle for all current donors as of last Saturday who can win cool prizes that have been given away at functions to all team leaders. Watch the video to see them and the raffle itself. By the way there will be another raffle next Sunday 12 May for those of you who are in the procrastination stage so make your donations this week to be in the drawing!  

So hopefully these incentives and also this post can gather some more donations and hopefully some celebrity sponsors to help us achieve our team goal of $2,000.00!

"AIDS Walk Raffle"--Richard Michael

Cheers and Good Luck !

Not Myself

Not Myself

"Not Myself Tonight"--Christina Aguilera

Now I picked this personal favourite of mine because this post is about not being what others want us to be but to be ourselves. And I know +Christina Aguilera says she does NOT want to be herself, but listening and reading a little deeper we can find that maybe we should be this "Not Myself" more often than one night and that that side is more our truer side and we should not care to be any other way every day, and like she says, if they don't like it then F*** you !

I watched CBS This Morning and saw that this photographer had made it from the net to the news on TV. Her name is +Haley Morris-Cafiero and she is overweight and goes around the world taking pictures of herself, but the real subject of the photograph is the person directly behind her in different locations along with their reactions to her weight and her look. Check out her own website for more pictures of her project "Wait Watchers."

She is a very brave girl and I give her all the support and credit for doing what she does because I know others will have trouble finding it in themselves to look past society's judgemental eye and break free from what society sees as "normal" and "what should be," and just be themselves. And 'tis quite embarrassing, not only to her subjects after finding their facial expressions plastered all over the net, but to society as a whole that is so quick to judge and mock but with such outward display and disregard for the human heart. 

Haley has no control of her weight gain. It's contributed to a thyroid problem that cause increase in weight. She is like any other human that eats the sweets she desires. She holds a MFA in Art from University in Arizona, a BFA in Ceramics and BA in Photography from University of North Florida, and she is currently an Associate Professor and Head of Photography Department at Memphis College of Art. A curriculum that would put me to shame, I'd say, since I only have an Associates in Accounting and Business Management, so she is to be respected and not looked upon as an uneducated individual. If anything, the uneducated humans here are her subjects, and ignorant, had they any curiosity about our fellow humans and try for healthy interactions I dare say they might be saved from perils of idiocy. 

Cheers,

And be kind to one another.