positive focus Fall 2008
www.stapinc.org
Serving Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga & Tompkins Counties
The 10th Annual AIDS Ride For Life The 10th Annual AIDS Ride for Life took place on September 13th, 2008 and there are many wonderful things to say about this year’s ride. We need to acknowledge that there was one incredibly sad and tragic event. One of our riders, Jason Becraft, had a heart attack while riding and although EMT’s and doctors worked feverishly, they were not able to resuscitate him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Our hearts go out to all of you who knew Jason and to all who were affected by his passing. The outpouring of kind words, donations to Jason’s children’s education fund and encouragement you have shown has been and continues to be amazing. We also want to thank everyone involved with the ride, as you have shown tremendous courage, thoughtfulness and compassion on Ride day and throughout the days following the Ride. The following is a report from Armin Heurich on his ride experience: First of all, I want to thank you all so much for your generous and thoughtful support of the Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP). Team El Camino raised a total of over $5309. STAP provides education and client services to an eight county region of the southern tier with a staff of 40 professionals. I found out yesterday that they will be losing some state dollars as a result of the budget cuts, so STAP needs these donations more than ever. On Friday at registration we saw posters all around us with brief stories of people in the region who are living with HIV and AIDS and their very moving stories reminded me of my friends and acquaintances who have been so devastated by this terrible disease. STAP has really made a difference in so many lives, and these posters really brought that point home.
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Yesterday morning all the riders congregated at Stewart Park to prepare for the send-off. The roads glistened with the morning rain and it was still dark, but bright enough to see the fog lifting off of the lake. There was so much nervous energy, as riders made their last minute preparations. I must say that even though I have ridden many centuries in my life, this kind of event still makes me anxious. When I ride alone I set my own pace, but when I'm in such a large crowd, I tend to tag along with riders whose pace is slightly faster than mine, resulting in a certain amount of pain later in the ride. At the send-off, we were greeted by Kim Conrad, this year's organizer who did such a phenomenal job. It's hard to believe that this was her first year organizing this incredibly complex event. Following her, we heard from Becky, who was diagnosed with AIDS over a decade ago. She spoke of how supporting STAP has been over the years, and now she is on the STAP board of directors, doing great work for this agency that has made such a difference in her life. The last speaker was Rachel Maddow, one of my favori t e Air America radio talk show hosts, who did the radio show live from State Theater the previous night. Maddow speaks truth to power like few others, and I'm thrilled that she now has a show on MSNBC. She introduced the ceremony of the riderless bike, a tribute to those people diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS who are no longer with us. continued on page 7
10/26/08 3:27:57 PM