1108SmartRide

www.ambiente.us NOVEMBER | NOVIEMBRE 2008

The SMART Ride| Hope on a Bike
By Stephen Gaskill

I won a bike in a raffle a few years ago, just before
Christmas of 2006. It’s a really nice bike. My partner
Donald had been pressing me to get a bike, and I was
dragging my feet, so I bought a raffle ticket from the
SMART Ride people after dinner one night at Rosie’s in
Wilton Manors. I thought that would be the end of it
and I could say to Donald, “Well, I tried to win the bike.”

So, I was really surprised when I got a call from the
SMART Ride people telling me I won the bike.   First I
was surprised in the “I never win anything” way. Then
I was surprised in the attitude change I had over the
next few weeks as I thought about the SMART Ride
and what it represents.

First, a definition: the SMART Ride is the Southernmost
AIDS Ride in the US. It’s a two-day, 165 mile bike ride
from Miami to Key West. This year is the 5th ride, and
has more than 600 participants, from riders to crew.
Last year’s ride raised nearly $400,000 for six
participating HIV/AIDS service organizations in Florida.
SMART Ride staff works all year to plan, organize, and
produce this major, moving event.

It’s a shame that in 2008 we need the SMART Ride.
We've all seen the statistics about rising HIV and AIDS rates, and how alarming that is. According to the
Centers for Disease Control, throughout the AIDS epidemic Florida has consistently ranked third in the nation
in the number of reported cases and second in the number of pediatric cases. The Florida Department of
Health reports that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Florida has disproportionately impacted minorities – 49 percent
of the 89,000 cases of people living with HIV are among African Americans, 31 percent among Caucasians,
and 19 percent among Hispanics. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in Florida for both black males and
black females. Access to health care, including HIV diagnostic and treatment services, is key, especially in
minority communities.

                                   The six organizations that benefit from the SMART Ride represent the many
                                            communities – geographic and demographic -- affected by this
                                               disease. They receive fully 100 percent of the funds raised. These are:

                                                   •        Broward House, with multiple onsite service locations
                                                              throughout Broward County
                                                   •        Center for Positive Connections (TCPC), based in Miami, which
                                                              provides services that complement traditional medical care
                                                   •        AIDS Help, Inc. in Key West, Florida’s oldest continually
                                                              operating AIDS service organization
                                                   •        HUG-Me (Help, Understand and Guide Me), serving Orange,
                                                              Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Polk, St. Lucie and Brevard Counties, the
primary source of care for infants, children, youth, women and families infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS in
Central Florida
•        Metropolitan Charities, Inc., serving the HIV+ community in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties
•        COMPASS, the LGBT Center in Palm Beach County

These are the groups that care for and serve people with HIV/AIDS, provide housing, medication, love and
support, and educate many different communities and many different types of people about prevention.

The work they do is hard. It makes riding a bike for two days easy.

“I could never ride 165 miles from Miami to Key West on a bike,” I used to think.

But I did it last year. And it was one of the best things I’ve ever done.

I’ve been involved in numerous political campaigns for candidates and issues. I’ve experienced the
emotional attachment to the cause, getting wrapped up in the moment, and riding the rollercoaster of highs
and lows, shedding tears of joy or sadness depending upon the outcome.

But it’s nothing like being a part of a community that travels down a long highway to show its commitment to
help those in need.

Day One is a 100 mile trek from Miami to Marathon Key. Day Two is the remaining 65 miles into Key West.
The riders gather for lunch, and then take a lap around the Last Key to the closing ceremony. Along the way
the island comes out to watch, cheer, applaud and remember. For the riders, exhaustion, relief, pride of
accomplishment, and a spirit of fulfillment take over.

The closing ceremony is a touching, heartfelt reminder of why hundreds of people participated in the ride and
thousands contributed to the cause: it’s about the people – whether they’re standing right there, or are only
there in memory. It’s about the organizations that desperately need the money raised by the SMART Ride to
fulfill their missions.

And it’s about hope that what this small group of people in South Florida has done will contribute to a much
larger cause: finding a cure for HIV/AIDS.

_____________

Smart Ride 5 is November 14 and 15. If you’d like to participate or contribute to the SMART
Ride, please log on to www.thesmartride.org.

Stephen Gaskill is Rider #417 in this year’s SMART Ride.

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