Bill Vallier

Bill Vallier, chairman of AIDS Walk Michigan in Detroit, said, "We don't look at it like an adversarial relationship between the two of us."But, he added, "it would be absolutely wonderful to have one walk."

Vallier, who also worked on the Royal Oak event in past years and took part in Sunday's walk, said no organizers recently have pressed to combine the walks.Vallier is also executive director of the Friends Alliance, a nonprofit AIDS service organization that provides mental health support to people with AIDS.

Participation in the Detroit walk is up this year, from 40 teams signed up before last year's walk to 98 teams so far.But some have complained that having the Royal Oak walk a week before the Detroit walk -- and calling it AIDS Walk Detroit -- has taken away from the event in Detroit, which has the largest number of HIV/AIDS cases in Michigan, according to the state Department of Community Health..

Bill Vallier, Executive Director4513 E. Nine Mile Rd.Warren, MI 48091586-759-5940 MI PWA Support Line 800-350-7927Fax: 586-759-3313

Bill Vallier, Executive Director

Bill Vallier will become the new executive director of Friends Alliance in Detroit on June 24.As the community & prevention initiatives coordinator for the Detroit Health Department, many have known him for his long time involvement with the Michigan Women and AIDS Committee.Vallier also brings with him 10 years experience in an Infectious Diseases HIV/AIDS Outpatient Clinic at the Detroit Medical Center working with Dr. Lawrence Crane of Detroit Medical Center, involved with the HIV/AIDS Community Program for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA).