Rio Hondo faculty member Jose Arroyo will be participating in this years AIDS walk and is asking for donations from the community in order to achieve his goal.

Arroyo has stepped up to the challenge by walking a 10K fundraising walk in order to bring awareness and educate individuals on the treatment of AIDS, how to support individuals with the illness, as well as how to find a cure.

According to Arroyo, “I find it frightening that a large number of today’s generation of college students doesn’t believe there is an AIDS epidemic anymore, that is under control, or that you can just take a pill and be fine.”

Effective HIV and AIDS education can help prevent new infections by providing people with information about the illness and how it is passed on.

In doing so society equips individuals with the knowledge to protect themselves from becoming infected with the virus. It also helps alleviate the stigma for those who are HIV positive.

Arroyo is a part of The Thrive Foundation Team, which is an organization that focuses on ending HIV transmission by informing members with information and community connection.

Arroyo stated he joined the Thrive Group because “As an educator, I valued their mission to end HIV transmission by empowering members with information, community connection, and streamlined linkage to care and resources.”

The purpose for the AIDS walk is to target getting $79 million dollars in donations to combat HIV and AIDS.

As of right now Arroyo has raised $420 towards his personal goal, with the total amount of donations of $1,199,197 online.

Individuals interested in donating have the option of donating as much as $5,000 or any amount they feel comfortable providing.

Arroyo has a personal fundraising page, which can be viewed at https://la.aidswalk.net/josearroyo.