Bright and early on Sunday, June 3^rd, 2018, the members of Team Ragon arrived on the Boston Common for the 33^rd Annual AIDS Walk and 5K Run. Representing the Ragon Institute with more than 30 walkers and runners and a combined team fundraising total of $66,145.66, Team Ragon secured its place as the event’s top fundraiser for the second year in a row. In addition to more conventional fundraising efforts, Team Captain Gaby Berger organized the third annual Team Ragon Trivia Night, generating an additional $500 for the cause.

 

For over 20 years, the Ragon Institute has been an active participant in Boston’s AIDS Walk and 5K Run, the largest HIV/AIDS fundraising and awareness event in New England. The fundraiser benefits the AIDS Action Committee, an organization which has been dedicated to providing crucial services to people living with or at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS throughout Massachusetts since 1983. In the years since its inception, the AIDS Walk has raised over $40 million for the programs and services of the AIDS Action Committee, including HIV counseling and testing, housing assistance and legal support, and the second largest needle exchange program in Massachusetts.

 

With such necessary services being offered, it’s no wonder that the Greater Boston community comes together year after year to participate in the AIDS Walk. Ragon Institute Director Dr. Bruce Walker raised over $50,000 this year and shared his thoughts on the importance of this event in the fight to end HIV/AIDS. Dr. Walker noted, “Despite dramatic advances in treatment of HIV, the epidemic is far from over.  The funds raised from the AIDS Walk make an immediate difference in the lives of people affected by HIV. We are proud that our team has been able to support this effort and are extremely grateful for the generosity of our donors!” Jonathan Urbach, Bioinformatics Specialist in the Walker Lab and long time supporter of the AIDS Walk and 5K Run, raised an impressive $8,131.66 this year, earning him a spot as one of the top three individual fundraisers. For Jonathan, “the walk itself is also its own reward. It has a symbolic value to me: an affirmation of life, and a demonstration of what can happen when people work together for a greater good.”

 

Other notable accomplishments from Team Ragon include stellar results in the 5K run, including a first-place overall victory in the women’s category for Clinical Coordinator Alex Millström. Ragon Institute donor Susan Ragon also finished first in her division.

 

If you didn’t get a chance to donate to Team Ragon before the Walk, but are still interested in contributing, donations are being accepted through June  30, 2018. Click here to be taken to the Ragon Institute’s fundraising page, and help the AIDS Action Committee reach their goal!

 

Photos courtesy of Bruce Walker, Jonathan Urbach, and Caitlin Cunningham Photography