Don't forget to ask everyone you meet to support you in your walk-a-thon. Ask them for $10 or $20 - small amounts can make a difference! Ask not only your co-workers, family and friends, but your hair dresser or barber, your mailman, your kids' teachers, your clients, your baker, your favorite store owners and others you interact with regularly....

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Carey E. Marten Designs

Ms. Carey E. Marten designed the Northwest Ohio AIDS Walk 2010 logo. 

Ms. Marten is a full-time Commercial Art Instructor in the School of Arts and Sciences at Owens Community College in Toledo and also a freelance graphic designer.  She holds a Master of Education in Career and Technology Education and a Bachelor of Science in Visual Communication Technology both from Bowling Green State University. She has experience designing websites, brochures, and company logos among other things. You can contact Carey at: carey_marten@owens.edu or careyema@yahoo.com.

Walk Honorary Chairpersons: Brandi Browne, Louis Escobar, Pastor Cheri Holdridge, Steve Reamey, Tiffany Tarpley

Brandi Browne reaches the Toledo Urban market unlike anyone else in the Toledo area. Brandi’s loyal following every weekday from 10a-3p reaches an estimate of 23,000 listeners. Brandi Browne grew up in Louisiana and after starting her career in Louisiana she went on to Texas to work for KTCX as a midday personality/promotions director.  In 2003, she joined the Urban Radio Family as the midday announcer and Music Director. In 2006 she was promoted to market program director of WIMX (Mix 95.7/Wjze (Hot 97-3). Each weekday from 10a-3p Brandi mixes music and talk, with the thought provoking statements like “The Thought of The Day”, Information that Empowers, Educate and Encourages women “Today’s Black Woman”, and “The Old School Lunch Café”.  In addition to AIDS Resource Center Ohio,  many community organizations have her host events on every scale including  the Mayoral Debate, The Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Celebration, hosted the Toledo museum of arts Juneteenth Celebration since it started in 2004. Brandi also helps to raise money for the “Children’s Place Homeless Shelter” and every New Year’s Day Brandi helps serve dinner to the less fortunate in the area.

Louis Escobar, a board member of AIDS Resource Center Ohio has “spent his life working with those that others have refused to serve.”  He recently received Adelante's Lifetime Achievement Award: The Cesar Chavez Humanitarian Award for his leadership, commitment to social justice/civil rights and unrelenting efforts to cultivate community empowerment. Mr. Escobar was the facilitator/director of The Wellness Group, a self help group for people living with HIV/AIDS in the late 1980's and early 1990's, an EAP specialist for Owens Corning, director of La Posada, a homeless shelter and Director of Adelante Inc. a social service/substance abuse agency, he went on to serve the people of the City of Toledo..  Louis the former president of Toledo City Council for 3 years and Councilman at large for 8 years started his work with HIV/AIDS as a Risk Reduction Specialist with the Toledo Area AIDS Task Force in the mid 1980's the early years of the epidemic.

Cheri Holdridge is the Pastor of The Village Church, a new urban church plant that is a partnership of the United Church of Christ and United Methodist Church in Toledo.  She is a member of the Equality Toledo Board and involved with the Religion and Faith Program of the Human Rights Campaign.  Cheri and her husband, Kurt Young, have two children, Rebecca and James.  Cheri and Kurt want to raise their children in a world where there is no discrimination based on gender identity, class, race, sexual orientation or any other factor. Cheri writes:  "I became aware of the AIDS epidemic in the late 1980's working with the homeless population in Atlanta, GA, and while attending seminary. As a pastor for the past 20 years in the urban setting I have continued to see the devastation this disease causes; I am grateful for the work of the AIDS Resource Center to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.”

Steve Reamey is Director of Business Acquisition and Marketing Associate for Charles E. Boyk Law Offices, Morning Show Personality “Gay Steve” 92.5 Kiss Fm on Andrew Z in the Morning, and Men’s Program Director at Sunrise Gymnastics Academy Toledo.

Dubbed “Toledo’s Charity Guru” Steve has lived in Toledo nearly 36 years. He spear-headed the Love For Lupe project and it was there that he understood how rewarding it really is to give back and help those in need, and lives by the phrase ‘what you give comes back to you’. Steve says, “Being involved with the morning show has given me the tool and the confidence to try new things and to never say no through charity and completing different projects.  For me getting involved in charity and making a hands on difference is almost a  high for me cause its very rewarding to accept the challenge and make it come to like. My only problem as I am told is to know when to say no!”  In addition to AIDS Resource Center Ohio, he is involved in several efforts including the Fuller Group of Northwest Ohio, Hanna’s Socks, and helping a local man who is dealing with cancer to be able to have his last wishes granted.

Tiffany Tarpley anchors and produces the Emmy Award winning FOX Toledo News Weekend and also reports during the week. In 2008 she was named employee of the year earning a cruise to Nassau, Bahamas and a place in Lin Television’s Circle of Excellence. Tiffany joined FOX Toledo in October 2004 as a general assignment reporter.  Since then she’s covered several stories on AIDS/HIV in Northwest Ohio including an in-depth piece in November 2009 which opened her eyes to how “real” this epidemic is, even in our own backyard.  Through research she’s learned that it is only through educating our community about the facts that we can begin to turn things around.  Tiffany is a graduate of Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and is currently a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and advisor for the newly formed BGSU Association of Black Journalists.  She is also a mentor at Chase Elementary School in Toledo, as well as a member of Friendship Baptist Church in Toledo. She completed her first ever road race, a half marathon, on April 25, 2010 here in the Glass City.  Tiffany is a native of Lorain, Ohio but has made Northwest Ohio her home for the past 10 years.