Minnesota Cyclist Organizes AIDS Ride, Anticipates $10,000 Donation to Vaccine Research
Stephen Parish, a 45-year-old cyclist from the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., area who had planned to participate in a 500-mile European bicycle ride benefiting HIV/AIDS research, has instead organized his own domestic AIDS ride after learning that only 20% of the European ride's proceeds would go toward HIV/AIDS research, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Parish and seven other cyclists on Friday plan to embark on a three-day bicycle ride from Hinckley, Minn., to Duluth, Minn., with the goal of raising $10,000 for Emory University's Vaccine Center. The eight riders have already raised $5,000 by soliciting donations from area businesses and holding local fundraisers. Parish's planned ride follows the August closure of Pallotta TeamWorks, a California company that sponsored AIDS rides throughout the country. Pallotta was criticized by many AIDS advocates for not providing a large enough return on their fundraisers. The Washington Post in August reported that the organization's expenses accounted for 86% of the $3.6 million raised for the ride. Approximately 90% of the funds raised for Parish's ride will directly fund AIDS research, Parish said, adding that he intends to form a nationwide network of people who would host similar small bicycle rides and donate the money for AIDS research (Rogers, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 10/4).
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