3730
(1 vote, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Louis Weisberg
Oct 7, 2011
Green Bay Packers' linebacker Clay Matthews. – Photo: AP/Michael Young
For the family of Dan Gordon, a Racine native who died of AIDS-related complications at age 35, AIDS Walk Wisconsin has become an annual milestone event.
“It’s actually a joyful day, because it helps me to remember my brother,” said Rob Gordon, Dan’s brother. “I always bring my kids so they’ll remember. It’s an event we try never to miss.”
Emma Gordon, 25, Dan Gordon’s niece, first began walking to raise money for HIV prevention and care when she was 4. Growing up in the shadow of the disease, she’s seen both progress and setbacks. Now she worries that people her age have little awareness and also harbor harmful misconceptions about HIV/AIDS.
Attending the 22nd annual AIDS Walk on the Summerfest grounds on Oct. 1, Gordon saw fewer participants than when she was a kid in the mid-1990s. In those days, “Dan’s Dream Team” was the highest-grossing individual team participating in the event.
Turnout for the event and others like it across the country have been declining since new treatments began improving the course of the disease for many people, creating the erroneous perception that it’s no longer a serious problem. Today’s AIDS walks must also compete with numerous other cause-related walks, runs, bike-a-thons and other events that didn’t exist 20 years ago.
This year, AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, which stages the event and is its primary beneficiary, used some innovative strategies to bolster the event’s impact. ARCW asked the Packers’ defensive star Clay Matthews to serve as AIDS Walk’s honorary chair, a choice that guaranteed attention from Wisconsinites of Gordon’s age group as well as from the state’s large community of sports fans.
ARCW also utilized the power of new media to extend the event’s fundraising reach. By texting the name “Clay” to the number 25383 on their phones, supporters could – and still can – easily donate $10 to the event (it shows up on callers’ phone bills).
By the close of the event on Oct. 1, the walk had already raised $293,175 – 12 percent more than last year. Some of that money came through Tweets that Matthews sent to his 250,000-plus fans asking them to submit donations via their cellphones. More money was expected to be raised in this way during the days following the event.
Matthews, who was preparing for the Packers’ 49-23 victory over the Denver Broncos the next day, was unable to attend the walk. He addressed the crowd via a message that was videotaped in advance in the Packers’ locker room.
In a phone interview several days before the walk, a charged-up Matthews told WiG it was “fantastic” to be able to “lend my celebrity and face” to AIDS Walk Wisconsin. It’s part of his commitment to giving back to the community, he said.
Matthews also backs CureDuchenne, which supports research to find a cure for muscular dystrophy.
“Hopefully, bringing a younger athlete like me on board opens up a lot of people’s eyes who wouldn’t be open to researching (HIV),” Matthews said, adding that he hoped his involvement would help break down social barriers that still surround the disease.
Matthews isn’t the first sports celebrity to lend his name to AIDS Walk Wisconsin – Magic Johnson, Paul Molitor and Bud Selig served in the role before him. But he’s a unique attention grabber. As a member of the defending Super Bowl champs, who also happen to be the home team, he’s very much in the limelight.
As a spokesperson, Matthews is a commanding presence. His flowing blond locks contrast a six-foot-three-inch, 255-pound frame that’s proven to be the nemesis of many an opposing quarterback.
He’s also comfortable and even self-effacing on camera. Shortly after the Packer’s Super Bowl victory, Matthews appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” where he took a good-natured ribbing about his hair and lowered his pants to show the audience a pair of boxers DeGeneres had given him.
“So your tight end is covered?” DeGeneres asked.
“My tight end is covered,” Matthews said.
Matthews told WiG he doesn’t have a close friend or family member who’s dealt with HIV/AIDS, so serving as honorary chair of AIDS Walk was largely an educational experience for him.
“When I initially signed on, I heard so much about how devastating this is, but doing my own research has put it all in perspective,” he said. “Looking at the numbers puts it all in perspective. You come to realize the destruction this has had on people worldwide.”
Matthews said he’s heartened every time he walks into a restaurant and sees an AIDS Walk flier with his image on it. He said it’s important to him to be part of a sports franchise that makes an effort to give back to its community.
“I think that’s one of the things we pride ourselves on,” Matthews said of the Pack. “Having individuals on this team who don’t get into a lot of trouble and aren’t about drama but being good people. The community outreach here presents new opportunities each and every week to give back to the community. That’s one of the things we take pride in here.
“The amount of positive support and encouragement I’ve received from my teammates and the public by doing this is fantastic.”
