Seattle AIDS Walk raises $400,000

About 3,500 people participated in Seattle's 16th annual AIDS Walk and Fun Run on September 22, raising about $400,000. The number of people was down by about 500 from 2001, and fund-raising was off by more than $250,000 from last year. Celebrities who participated in the event included out actor Sir Ian McKellen, who is filming the X-Men sequel in Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as Seattle SuperSonics player Gary Payton. About 9,000 people in King County, Wash., become infected with HIV each year.