[WestMALocals] Riding to Support HIV/AIDS services in Western Mass

[Suel Bartone]

Dear Greens,

If you're like me, you probably didn't think much about AIDS in western
Mass. Then through my work I met a young man and his wife who both had AIDS,
who became too ill to care for their children. He couldn't find a bed in a
rehab hospital; her AIDS doctor was two counties away; there were no
openings for counseling and support services for them and their children.
That's when I realized how serious AIDS is in western Mass, and how we lack
even the most basic services for all those affected by AIDS (note:
information changed to protect identities).

I promised that the next time I had a chance to do something about HIV/AIDS,
I would commit myself to it. That's why I'm taking the challenge to raise
funds for AIDS organizations throughout Massachusetts through the Mass Red
Ribbon Ride.

On August 14, I am going to ride my bike 100 miles, from Northampton to
Weston, MA (outside Boston) to raise money for HIV/AIDS services. But to
achieve this I need your help. I need to raise one thousand dollars ($1000)
to complete this ride.

I hope you will consider supporting me as a Ride Partner for the Mass Red
Ribbon Ride. In addition to raising visibilty for HIV/AIDS, the main goal of
this event is to raise funds for the programs and services of thirteen
agencies throughout Massachusetts. Your sponsorship allows the Mass Red
Ribbon Ride to give more back to the participating organizations (at least
80%) so they can continue their important work in the HIV/AIDS community and
helps raise awareness about the disease.

Our beneficiary organizations offer a wide spectrum of services, all of them
for those affected by  HIV/AIDS. In Western MA, the Ride supports:
-AIDS CARE/Hampshire County-- providing confidential and comprehensive
support services to people living with HIV/AIDS throughout Hampshire County
-Tapestry Health-- serving women throughout Western Massachusetts with
direct services such as food and transportation
-American Red Cross Berkshire County Chapter--providing case management and
prevention education to those throughout Berkshire County
-Community Research Initiative-- serving people throughout the state by
supplying life-saving drugs through its management of the Massachusetts HIV
Drug Assistance Program and its clinical trials at the Springfield office

All the organizations involved make a real impact on the individuals they
serve and the communities they are located in.

These are just a few examples of the work your involvement as a Ride Partner
enables me to do. I am committed to making this event a success and creating
a sustainable fundraising stream so these AIDS organizations can continue
their valuable work. I hope you will consider joining me as a Ride Partner
this year--it will mean so much to our collaborators and the thousands of
clients they serve.

You can  support the Mass Red Ribbon Ride by donating online on my personal
ride page via this link: http://home.earthlink.net/~sbartone/aidsride.html.
Click on "Sue's Ride Page" to get to my personal ride page. Then click on
"Support Sue" to make an online donation. You can also donate by mailing a
check, made out to "Mass Red Ribbon Ride", but mailed to my address at 66
Clark St. Easthampton, MA 01027. I will forward the check to Mass Red Ribbon
Ride in Boston so that it is credited to my donation account. If you need
help with the online or mail donation, please call me immediately and I'll
help you complete the donation. Call me at 413-210-2527, or email me at
sbartone at earthlink.net.

Thank you for supporting HIV/AIDS services in your community. I look forward
to working with you as a Ride Partner and fellow Green.


Sincerely,


Sue Bartone