Hi everybody! I just wanna start by saying thank you for not only putting up my harrassing social media posts but for actually clicking on the link and coming to my AIDS/LifeCycle page! Welcome!
This June I will be riding in my first ever AIDS/ Life Cycle from San Francisco to LA. The ride is 545 miles long over the course of six days which, to put that number in context, is 545 miles more than I've ever ridden before. To be completely honest my experience is limited to a Soul Cycle class a few years ago and one short bike ride a few weeks ago to capture images for my fundraising efforts... Needless to say I'm in way over my head! The ride itself however is not the part that I'm the most worried about. Last year when I signed up for the ride I pledged to try and raise $1,000,000 for the cause. If you're wondering why the f**k I chose to set such a lofty goal, believe me: I'm starting to wonder the same. I think that I just wanted to be able to feel like I was really making a difference. I feel fortunate with the platform I have and I wanted to use it do good in the world. Since essentially this whole thing works like charity crowd-funding I thought I'd have the advantage of having a large crowd to pool from. I figured that if every one of my followers donated just $1 then I could surpass my goal overnight. Obviously that has not been the case and with less than three weeks until the ride I still have a long way to go. I'm proud of how much money I have raised so far but that is only part of what I wanted to do, the other part was bringing visibility to the cause. By talking about the disease, posting about it, writing about it we all help destigmatize it. Proper education and open communication is our best chance of curbing the rate of new infections and encouraging people to get tested, know their status and utilize safe sex practices. I am endlessly thankful for and appreciative of all of my generous donors but I know that we can still do more!
Even though all donations are 100% tax deductible I know that it's still hard to part with your hard earned money so I've come up with a couple of ways to make it a little bit easier for you!
- Buy one of my custom Angeles Creative biking bibs/ jerseys. 100% of the proceeds will be going straight to my fundraising efforts! Click here: https://angeles-creative.com/collections/gus-kenworthy-collection
- Or, if you're looking an easy accessory you can buy one of my custom PopSocket grips for only $15 and rest assured knowing that 50% of the proceeds will be going to my fundraising efforts! Click here to get yours: https://bit.ly/2Sh0xhx
Here's a little more info about how your donation will directly help the cause:
In the US alone there are over a million people living with an HIV+ status and many still contracting the disease without even knowing it. One way we can help is through educating people on safe sex practices and encouraging people to get tested regularly and knowing their status!
A $25 DONATION provides a Rapid HIV Antibody test at Magnet (a free community clinic located in the heart of San Francisco's Castro's district)! Tragically over 75% of the HIV+ people in the US are living at or below the poverty line making access to life-saving medication near impossible.
A $125 DONATION can provide all the resources for one patient visit to Magnet. Another constant struggle for those affected is the horrible stigma that surrounds the disease and that we as a society perpetuate. Let's spread facts, not fear!
A $500 DONATION will provide medical benefit counseling for 15 people which will allow them to obtain perscription drug assistance.
A $625 DONATION can provie a safe and stable housing situation for one HIV+ person for an entire month thanks to a partnership between the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
A $1,000 DONATION can put on two Stop AIDS Community Education Forums to help educate the masses about HIV/AIDS.
We are working together to make HIV/AIDS a thing of the past. Will you PLEASE (I made it bold, italicized and underlined it to emphasize that I'm low key begging you) support me by making a donation today? Thank you!