Coco Alinsug
Photo: AIDS Walk and 5K Run
Courtesy of AIDS Action Committee
Coco Alinsug is a very happy AIDS Walk team captain.
“Team Fenway has over 110 Fenway Health staff and friends signed up to walk with us in this year’s AIDS Walk,” he says. “Last year, we had 20 people on Team Fenway. So this year, we have grown quite a bit and everybody is excited!”
In his role as Outreach Manager at Fenway Health and Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center, Coco is known as somebody who leads by example. So he jumped at the opportunity to be the organization’s team captain.
“Not only is this cause important to Fenway Health, but it is very important to me, personally,” he says. [pullquote]“Not only is this cause important to Fenway Health, but it is very important to me, personally,” he says.[/pullquote]
Born in the Philippines, Coco grew up in Los Angeles, CA, and came of age at the tail-end of the crisis. As a young gay man, many of his friends got sick. Coco counts himself among the lucky ones: lucky to have known these amazing men, and lucky to be able to keep their memory alive in his work.
Coco moved to Boston 11 years ago and got right to work. It started with an outreach position at the Gay and Bi Men’s Health Program on the North Shore. He was trained in community health education and found his calling in doing essential community outreach in LGBT nightlife spots and community hangouts.
His work on the North Shore connected him with NAGLY, the North Shore Alliance of GLBT Youth. Over the past eight years, Coco has served as NAGLY’s Executive Director. He now also sits on the MA Commission on LGBTQ Youth. Coco often refers young people in need of a safe space for counseling and support to one of AIDS Action’s five locations. [pullquote]“Young people rely on AIDS Action and the incredible help it provides to all people who are trying to stay healthy and positive,” Coco says. “That’s why we at Fenway are so happy to support our new partner AIDS Action and help make the 2014 AIDS Walk a huge success.”[/pullquote]
“Young people rely on AIDS Action and the incredible help it provides to all people who are trying to stay healthy and positive,” Coco says. “That’s why we at Fenway are so happy to support our new partner AIDS Action and help make the 2014 AIDS Walk a huge success.”
Registration is now open for the 29th annual AIDS Walk Boston & 5K Run, which will take place Sunday, June 1, 2014. The event, which regularly draws 10,000 to 15,000 participants, is AIDS Action Committee’s largest annual fundraiser. The Walk is 6.2-miles. The 5K Run is a competitive, timed event fully sanctioned by the USA Track & Field Association.
The AIDS Walk & 5K Run will begin and end at the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell on the Charles River Esplanade in Boston. Registration and check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. The Walk begins at 10 a.m.; the 5K Run begins at 9:50 a.m. WCVB-TV Eye Opener Newscaster Randy Price will emcee the event, which also includes a Wellness Festival, a post-walk celebration of healthy living. Participants can register for the AIDS Walk & 5K Run at www.aidswalkboston.org. There is neither a registration fee nor a minimum fundraising requirement to participate in the Walk. There is a $25 registration fee for the 5K Run. AIDS Action expects to raise approximately $1 million from the event.
[From a News Release]
