ORLANDO, Fla. – Over 2,000 people attended the; 21st annual AIDS Walk held Saturday morning at Lake Eola Park. News 6 which has been a proud sponsor of the agency over the years had anchor Julie Broughton and meteorologist Troy Bridges emcee the event. The AIDS Walk has become one of central Florida's best-known events during the year.
This year an announcement was made that the agency was growing and looking ahead to the future of the agency and central Florida.
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The agency's president, Bob Adams, announced during the opening ceremony that they need room to grow.
“Hope and Help is growing and we’re already seeing positive results in 2016. We are expanding our Food Pantry, added hepatitis C and syphilis testing as part of our rapid testing program, we’ve added and expanded our support and counseling groups, and have successfully partnered with our community allies at Two Spirit to launch the first and only low cost PrEP clinic in central Florida,” said Adams.
The agency also announced that they’ve outgrown their current Winter Park location and are looking for a new home.
“We are thrilled to be working with Eric Rollings, Mainframe Real Estate, on the sale and on the move to a larger, easily accessible location where eventually all services will be provided under one roof,” said Adams. “We estimate needing a 10,000 to 15,000 square-foot facility and we’re asking the community to help us find our new home.”
As part of the agency's growth, they are rebranding. Since 1988 the agency has had two logos. The new logo reflects the changing landscape of HIV in our community and also honors the agency's history.
· The shades of red and blue from our previous logo that have come to represent Hope and Help.
· The red color of the iconic AIDS memorial ribbon through the stylized ampersand
· Our growing and diversifying services with emphasis on the word “Help.”
“We have come a long way in 28 years, as an agency and as a community. Now, more than ever, we must continue to work toward reducing new infections through knowledge, through access to quality health care and through the elimination of HIV-related stigmas,” said Adams. “We hope you are as excited about these changes and the new services Hope and Help will provide to central Florida.”