Well, here we are at the end of summer. Seems like just yesterday I was putting my fur in cold storage after the brutal winter we had. Now, here we are getting ready to scrape frost off of the wind- shield and build a fire in the fireplace … oops, I forgot, I’m not back home again in Indiana.
But, let’s not forget that it’s time to prepare for The SMART Ride. For those of you who may be new to sunny South Florida, The SMART Ride is a bicycle trek from Miami to Key West which will bring more than 500 participants for two days, cycling 165 miles with 100% of donated money going to six statewide HIV/AIDS charities. Those charities are Broward House, AIDS Help, Comprehensive AIDS Program, Metro Wellness and Community Centers, Miracle of Love and The Center for Positive Connections.
To participate, all you have to do is go to the website www.thesmartride.org,
and register. Then, contact your family and friends to support you.
Riders must raise a minimum of $1,250 but most riders raise much more than that.
There is a registration fee of $85 but just take a night off from going out and you’re there.
Not a biker? You can still participate as a crew member helping by distributing water, helping with those who do get injured — and believe me, it does happen. The great thing too about The SMART Ride is that it is not a race. It is designed for individuals of all degrees of experience to participate. One other great thing is that participants have control of 50% of the money they raise in determining which of the agencies the money is distributed to. Since 2003, over $2.2 million dollars have been raised and distributed to various HIV/AIDS service organizations.
Participants come from all over the state of Florida from as far south as Key West to as far north as Jacksonville — from Tampa and Palm Beach and nation- ally as far as from Hawaii to as close as our neighboring state of Georgia.
A few more interesting stats regarding the Southern-Most AIDS Ride is that riders range in age from 18 to 73. 19% of riders are HIV positive, 36% have lost someone to HIV/AIDS, 50% know someone living with HIV/AIDS but the one common denominator is, 100% believe it’s the right thing to do. Want to get involved with this life-changing experience? Call (866) 696-7701 or visit their website at www.thesmartride.org.
