The Honolulu AIDS Walk, Hawai'i's largest AIDS public awareness and fundraising event, sponsored by Hawai'is largest and oldest AIDS organization, the Life Foundation, takes place April 20 at Kapi'olani Park.

The walk is an easy 5K around the park. Entertainment brackets the walk before and after, and there is a health fair and free coffee samples from Starbucks. You can register, or turn in team registration and collection forms, that morning.

The event, which just a few years ago was moribund as a misconception built that AIDS had been licked by new medical treatments, has returned full force, last year raising $175,000, which not only assists Life Foundation clients with case management and other services, but finances all-important prevention and education work (particularly peer counseling and rapid testing for high-risk persons), plus outreach to the rest of the Pacific, work with other AIDS organizations in the state and partnership with other stakeholders in the fight to prevent the spread of the disease and support efforts to find a cure.

Teams are an integral part of the AIDS Walk success, coming from schools, churches, clubs, workplaces and groups of friends who band together, collect pledges and then enjoy the walk in each other's company.

Individual and team walkers can register at honoluluaidswalk.org, call 521-2437 or pick up a registration brochure at any Starbucks or Kaiser Permanente location.

Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.