All my armor comes from you (an AIDS Walk Austin diary – there’s another match Wednesday)

So, first thing, there is another $100 match Wednesday, and another chance to win South By Southwest wristbands if I raise $250. If I get to $250, and if I win the wristbands (2 big ifs) I’ll put the names of all of today’s donors in my own drawing & give someone the other wristband, since I can’t use 2.

Here is my AIDS Walk Austin page.

There is an amazing, empowering new song out by Sara Bareilles, called Armor. Here’s the chorus:

All my, my, my, my armor comes from you
You make me try, try, try, try harder
Oh, that’s all I ever do, ever do
Oh, no no, my, my, my, my armor comes from you
You make me stronger, stronger
Now, hand me my armor
(Hand me my armor, hand me my armor)

I am asking for donations in this diary, but also saying thank you. All the people who’ve donated through the years, and this year — you make me stronger; make me try harder to raise more money for this, the cause of my heart.

And here’s a gorgeous video, with women of all ages, sizes & races. It makes me feel great watching it:

As they say on the Walk website:

A $100 donation means that the AIDS Services of Austin Helping Hands Food Bank can provide over 6 bags of groceries to clients in the community.

So, the $1,200 I’ve raised so far means just over 60 bags! Also — my first $100 will be matched today. If you donate $50, not only am I halfway to getting matched, but:

A $50 donation will cover the cost of a client’s co-pay at the Jack Sansing Dental Clinic that specializes in dental care for HIV+ people in the community.

So, if you can donate on my AIDS Walk Austin page, I would be really grateful, and so would the clients of all the agencies that benefit. It would probably take a miracle to get to my goal of $5,000, but we can see a change we all want to if we help out people living with HIV/AIDS, and the good people working to get the Austin area to ZERO new infections. Yep, that really is their goal — zero new cases. I know it seems like a crazy lofty goal, but that’s why I set my crazy lofty goal. I have a head full of dreams, of a world where people get the care they need, and there are no new cases of this disease. Which brings me to another song I’ve been listening to a lot. With the shitstorm that is the world we live in, I try to listen to happy, positive music as much as I can. Here’s Coldplay with Head Full of Dreams — and even if you hate Coldplay, listen to the 1st minute & a half of this, it’s a great speech from the movie The Great Dictator. It will lift you up, I promise:

And speaking of positive & uplifting — I can’t let this one go without including my beloved boys. Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way. Because it is. (and isn’t Adam – the bass player – just the cutest?)

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