PHILADELPHIA – The annual AIDS Walk in Philadelphia was the held on October 20^th this year, a 12K walk that circles around the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. As always, the Thespian Troupe was an active participant, bringing 31 students to walk for the good cause.

Taryn Murphy, one of the coordinators, explained why Thespians choose to participate in this walk specifically: “The AIDS walk is an event that helps raise awareness and create passion within Thespians to fight for a cause very closely advocated by the theatre community. It’s a fun bonding event for Thespians that also inspires some competition with a best T-shirt contest.”

The day started for the Thespians with an early rise to a chilly morning, meeting at the school at 6:15am. They then traveled to the museum where several TV and radio personalities spoke to them. Some of the key points announced were that in every nine and half minutes, one person in the US is infected with HIV/AIDS. After a heartfelt opener and a Zumba warm-up, the walkers were off on their journey.

“My favorite thing was crossing the finish line while holding hands with my group and watching random people cheer for us,” Jackson Simpson, a junior who went on the walk said. “I’m glad that I was able to be part of something for such a great cause, which is especially important here in Philly because the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS is 5 times the national average.”

The Thespian Troupe raised $1,019 for AIDS this year and will continue with this tradition, as Taryn Murphy said, “It’s a fun, inspiring event which not only helps support the cause but unify Thespians early in the school year.”