***UPDATE!!!!***
I am at a loss for words and blown away by all of you! In less than 24 hours, I reached my goal and earned my ticket to ride!!!!
If you did not have a chance to donate yet and you still want too, good news! I raised my fundraising goal and there is still plenty of time to donate. What does your donation do now? It still helps in all the ways mentioned below -- in the fight to end AIDS/HIV and provide medical help to those who cannot afford it.
If you want to donate, but wanted it to go towards helping me -- great news! I still need tons of help! As you can imagine, there is a big cost for this trip that comes directly out of my pocket. Those expenses include bike maintenance, new riding shoes (mine broke), a new more advance helmet (safety first), team riding kits (we are on the road 7 days...I can't wear the same outfit everyday!), a Garmin GPS for my bike (this is how we preload the routes so we don't get lost), spare tires and tubes (I am bound to get flats!) and my flight and hotel room in SF the day prior to riding.
If you would like to donate directly to me for the funds mentioned above, you can do so at my venmo @hillieb and state "LifeCycle Funds!"
Again, thank you thank you THANK YOU! I cannot say this enough. I feel so lucky to have so many wonderful humans that believe in me as much as you do.
Love Love Love!
H
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Family, friends, loved ones...maybe strangers. If you've made it this far...thank you!
In June, over the course of 7 days, I'll be cycling (riding my bike) from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Yes, you read that correctly; I will be cycling 550 miles across California to help in the fight to end AIDS.
To do this, I've signed up to participate in the 2022 AIDS Lifecycle! In order to ride, I have to fundraise $3,000. That's my ticket in!
This money goes directly to AIDS/Lifecycle and the services provided as a result of my fundraising efforts include counseling, HIV/STD screenings, linking youth experiencing homelessness and people living with HIV to housing, and so much more. By supporting this cause, you take a stand against stigma, helping to create a world where health justice is a reality for everyone.
These services mean the world to those who receive them, and your support means the world to me.
This has long been a dream of mine. One of those bucket list items I thought, "That would be something incredible to accomplish, for an incredible cause" and I am proud to say I am officially committed to making this dream a reality.
I won't lie though...I am terrified and have had lots of self doubt. To put it in perspective, I am one of the last of my team members to start fundraising...and I signed up for this ride in SEPTEMBER!
While I am asking for your monetary support at the moment and although your donation goes directly to AIDS Lifecycle...what it really says is that you believe in ME. And I need that more than ever right now. What will drive me those long days on the bike, in the California heat over rolling hills is reminders of all of YOU who supported me to get my pass to ride -- and your belief in me.
I know not everyone has the means to donate and please know that is okay! If you can't donate at this time, one other thing that would be a huge help for me is a letter from you cheering me on. Any word of encouragement or positive reinforcement I plan to print out and take on the ride with me. So you'll be with me every step, or every pedal, of the way.
And if you were able to donate? I plan to make a T Shirt with all of your names on it to wear on one of those 7 days when I need extra encouragement to push through.
To kick off my fundraising goal, I've donated $100 and I hope you can join me. Because if I don't believe in myself, how can I ask you to?
Every dollar goes to this cause. None of the money comes to me. And every donation is tax deductible ;)
Thank you for believing in me and joining me in this journey! The training starts now...and the ride is soon to come! Be sure to follow along on my instagram in June.
Happy riding!