Roughly 45,000 Take Part In 27th Annual AIDS Walk New York To Raise Money, Awareness

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - 45,000 people walked up to 6.2 miles in the 27th annual AIDS Walk New York on Sunday to raise money for AIDS research.

Many of those roughly 45,000 walked simply to support the cause in the abstract.

1010 WINS' Terry Sheridan reports

"[I'm walking] so I can support the AIDS group and support their foundation, and raise as much money as we can to find a cure for AIDS," one woman told 1010 WINS' Terry Sheridan.

"It's like the silent epidemic," another woman added. "We know that it's there, but we put it on the back burner. It's affecting us here, but across the world it's the number-one killer. It's just going to continue."

But for others, it was personal.

WCBS 880's Monica Miller reports

"It's for my mom, we're doing it for my mom," one woman said. "She never got to do it, so we're doing it for her. She had AIDS, and she died in 2006, and we've been walking for five years now."

It's the largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser in the world, benefiting the Gay Men's Health Crisis and other HIV/AIDS charities.

Manhattan resident Juan Nunez told CBS 2's Don Dahler that he was walking because the fight against AIDS needs to keep going.

"I know that AIDS isn't necessarily on the forefront of many people's minds, so I really think it's important to keep the fight going, keep the cause going," he said.

This year's event has already raised over $6-million.

Did you partake in today's event to raise money and awareness for AIDS research? Share your stories and comments below...