It is with great joy that I take my Smart Ride experience into the Joy Ride. Each year I have dedicated my ride to someone in my life. This year I will be dedicating my ride to a dear friend who passed this year - Nancy Lindeberg. Her challenge was not HIV/AIDS, although she was there in NYC through the darkest days of the epidemic supporting friends and mourning too many loses. But she did heroically face cancer. And did she teach me something about courage and endurance. Even now as I debate whether I have it in me to do another ride to Key West, I have her voice in my head cheering and challenging me onward. In tribute to Nancy, I will be making a personal donation to a breast cancer charity in Nancy's name. It will be 10% of whatever I raise for the Joy Ride up to 10% of my $3000 goal. I would love to give $300 in Nancy's name. Thank you for any support that you can give.
Additional thoughts: Now that Election Day has come and gone, my commitment to this ride has intensified. I will not be surprised if helping to fund the work of these agencies does not become more essential when the future government starts neglecting the most vulnerable and the marginalized.
