It's Even More Important Now

Everything has changed since we relished those last hugs at the 2019 AIDS LifeCycle Finish Line Festival and since the final "thank you" emails went out.  

When the 2020 AIDS LifeCycle ride was canceled, the Love Bubble had to mourn the loss of an event that inspires, motivates and connects us all.  The miles we ride, the Roadie jobs we love and the relationships that bind us were no longer a safe option in the face of a global pandemic.  But here's the thing-- the life saving and life changing services provided by The LA LGBTQ Center and The San Francisco AIDS Foundation are more critical than ever.  So, as hard as it was, we did our best to continue fundraising. 

Now that we've had a break, and are still for the most part living our shelter-in-place lives, the AIDS LifeCycle we know and love has been reimagined for 2021.  

To keep our community safe, connected and active #TogetheRide was created. TogetherRide is a charity cycling event challenging cyclists globally to pedal 1.2 million miles (representative of the 1.2 million people in the United States living with HIV or AIDS), while we raise critical funds for necessary services.  As a Bearded Lady, I am committing to riding 500 of those miles from Oct 27, 2020- June 30, 2021 on a stationary bike and/or road bike.  

While this experience is different than the previous ones I have had with AIDS LifeCycle, this is a small thing I can do to help the community during a global pandemic. As I ride my 500 miles I will honor and send love to the community I miss Roadie-ing for, the community I miss hugging, to the community I miss serving. 

In the last five years, as a team, The Bearded Ladies have raised $180,675, thanks to the generous support of people like you.  We know that we are within striking distance of that next step-- raising over $200,000 for HIV/AIDS testing and services.  I have set my fundraising goal of $5,000.  Please consider clicking that donation button today to sponsor some of those miles.  

I know this is true, I won’t be riding these miles alone—it’s you, donors (friends, family and community) that will inspire me to do my very best. Your donations will fund services like HIV rapid testing and counseling, outreach, support groups, medication assistance programs, harm reduction programs and so so much more. Your donations, your encouragement and your support give us riders the strength to go mile after mile, year after year and will go especially far in helping us feel a little less solitary as we pedal towards that 1.2 million mile goal. 

Humbly, in a year that has been so hard in so many ways, I ask for you to support me, to support the Bearded Ladies, and to help us work towards creating a world without HIV/AIDS.

Will you support me by making a donation today?