Hundreds gathered in Wilton Manors for World AIDS Day Thursday, marking 30 years since the disease was identified.

"I think that we have crossed bridges. I think that we have built bridges," said activist Naomi Parker.

More than 1,000 people went to Hagen Park before walking in silence down Wilton Drive.

"I'm here for personal reasons. My brother died in 1995," Parker said.

Marc Dickerman clutched photos of his former partner as he marched.

"This is my friend Daniel Hoffman, who was a friend and a lover. He passed away a year ago April from AIDS," said Dickerman.

Florida Department of Health statistics show that South Florida leads the county in cases of HIV and AIDS per capita. A speaker at the Wilton Manors event said people in Florida are on longer waiting lists for AIDS medication than anywhere else in the country.

The Broward House takes care of about 6,000 people affected by HIV and AIDS. Terry DeCarlo, the public relations manager at Broward House, said the economy has taken a toll on donations.

"It's really hard. It's really rough," said DeCarlo.

In what seemed like a miracle, though, DeCarlo was handed a $250 check at the end of the march.

"They just walked up and handed it to us," he said through tears.

Even comedian and activist Margaret Cho made a guest appearance at the Wilton Manors event. Cho said a friend of hers recently died from complications of AIDS. She led the group in blowing out their candles to honor a loved one who has been affected by the disease.

"AIDS is killing every single day. People don't realize it's here and killing. And, days like today hopefully bring that back into the forefront of everybody's minds," DeCarlo said.