LOS ANGELES—Led by adult superstar, sex educator and Wicked Pictures contract performer Jessica Drake, Team Wicked has raised a total of $106,735 for AIDS Walk Los Angeles since it first began participating in the annual marches in 2012. This announcement comes as Team Wicked begins preparation for the 2018 annual benefit.
Comprised of adult stars, sex workers, and advocates, Team Wicked has been a mainstay at AIDS Walk Los Angeles, which will return this year on October 21 at 10 a.m. beginning at Grand Park in Downtown Los Angeles.
"Leading Team Wicked and bringing so many folks together each year to support this amazing cause has become one of my passions,” Drake said. “Being able to raise more than $100,000 since we started on this quest is mind-blowing. HIV and AIDS research and prevention is a cause close to my heart, and doing this walk as a team not only raises money, it also raises awareness. Also, the walk happens on or near my birthday each year, so it's my favorite way to celebrate! Like many other accomplishments in my life, it wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing support and teamwork of so many people on Team Wicked throughout the years. I am grateful for each and every one of them, and invite everyone interested to join us this year.”
Having raised between $13,000 and $22,000 each year, Team Wicked won’t slow down this year. It always seeks to be among the top fundraising teams at the annual benefit presented by AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA).
“I am very proud of Jessica, Team Wicked and the supporters for their longstanding commitment and dedication to this great cause,” said Steve Orenstein, owner of Wicked Pictures.
Besides her ongoing work with Team Wicked and other charitable causes, Drake is a frequent contributor to a variety of media outlets as well as being a highly sought-after sexual wellness speaker and educator who lectures at universities and leads seminars and workshops around the world. She is the writer, producer, and director of the video series Jessica Drake's Guide to Wicked Sex, which has received critical acclaim from industry stalwarts AVN, Fleshbot.com and others, as well as mainstream outlets like The Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and many others.