debating ALC5

[Bike Goddess]

liksani- I also debated last fall as to whether or not I should sign up for this endeavor. Finally I took the "bull by the horns" (my mind conversation), went to an introduction at the SF AIDS foundation office and signed up!

Two things- it's a lot of training and a lot of talking.

On the training side- I rode with my local bike club as it was difficult to ride on the AIDS training rides due to where I live and when they were scheduled. If you can do some of the training rides, I do reccommend it. I also did a few centuries before the ride to get used to the idea of long days in the saddle. All of the training paid off- I did every mile every day! Might have been tired at the end. but it was all well worth the work involved!

I found that telling people what I was going to do and asking them if they wanted to be on my team was the easiest way to promote myself and the cause. Since AIDS is a well known pandemic I didn't need to say a lot about it. I did, if necessary, explain where the money went. I didn't ask people for a certain amount, I just asked them if they wanted participate. I made sure they understood this. So, my donations went from $5.00 to $250.00 with most people putting in $20-$50. I didn't send out many letters, I found that person to person worked the best for me. The AIDS groups both from LA and SF have many ideas for fundraising as well- dinners, garage sales, etc.

The other advice- after you have reached the first goal- $2500.00 (I started with $1000. as my beginning goal) just keep on talking! This is about funding programs that make a difference in people's lives and people really do want to contribute to a worthy cause especially in these times. I decided I wasn't going to stop until the AIDS crisis was handled. I learned a lot from this experience and I was richly rewarded from it.

WE can, WE will, We must!