WALKERS RAISE MONEY FOR AIDS EFFORT

A cold, steady rain at times increasing to a downpour didn't stop about 50 people from sloshing through Cape Girardeau's first Walk for Life Saturday morning.

The walk, shortened to about half the scheduled six miles because of the weather, was a fund-raiser for the Southeast Missouri Effort for AIDS. The organization provides support to HIV-infected people living in the 26 counties of the region.

Don Miles, a microbiologist at St. Francis Medical Center, was there to walk because he thinks people don't realize that AIDS has hit home.

"There are a number of HIV-positive people in the community that the general public is not aware of," Miles said.

His job involves diagnosing some of the opportunistic infections that attack the AIDS patients who are hospitalized from time to time.

"The average citizen is not as aware as we are in health care," Miles said. "Some people would like to close their eyes and wish it would go away."

Some people aren't doing that. There were 169 tests for AIDs given at the Cape County Health Department clinic from Jan. 1 through the end of March.

Cape County has had 21 AIDS cases reported since 1982, when statistics were initiated. Scott County has had nine cases.

AIDs activists say the statistics are skewed somewhat by the fact that a number of local people travel to St. Louis or Memphis for testing, afraid people they know will find out.

Cumulatively, Missouri has had 4,360 diagnosed cases of AIDs and 1,095 deaths.

The walkers, who included men, women, teenagers and children who each donated at least $5, carried balloons and wore Walk for Life T-shirts as they set out from Cherry Hill in Capaha Park.

Southeast Missouri Hospital, St. Francis Medical Center, Southeast Missouri State University, I.V. Care and Custom Screen Printing helped sponsor the walk.

The Jackson High School Future Homemakers of America gathered more than $200 in pledges. Many of the FHA members participated in the walk.

The total pledges for the walk exceeded $1,700, including $100 apiece from four sponsors.

SEMO Effort for AIDS, formerly called the Southeast Missouri Regional Consortium for AIDS, was organized in the early 1980s and has about 100 members. Its purpose is to raise money for educational programs and to help HIV-infected people in the area who may need money to pay medical bills and buy prescription drugs.

"We've even helped people with their utility bills," said Sherry Beodeker, fund-raising chairman for the organization.

The group works with the HIV coordinator for the state Department of Health, and with the Eastern Missouri Action Agency.

In the past, the organization raised money by selling buttons. The first-time walk is a more visible expression of the members' caring.

"We hope to make it an annual event," Beodeker said.

Paula, a Southeast Missouri State University student who is a lesbian, said fighting AIDS "probably is my main priority."

She belonged to AIDS organizations when she and her partner lived in St. Louis. They walked Saturday to draw attention to the disease.

"A lot of people are not aware in this area," she said.

Providing donations to the walk were Shop N' Save, Wal-Mart, Cape Toyota, Cape Budget Inn, Sands Motel, Trisha's Bed & Breakfast, Toys R Us, Toni's Flower House, Bloomin' Balloons, Eurotan, Finishing Touch, Spanky's Texaco, Professional & Therapeutic Massage Services, and the Southeast Missouri State University Information Station.