I'm a little late on the whole Ronald Reagan centenary thing, but I was way too angry on Sunday, it would have made for a bad diary. Hearing all the love heaped on him all weekend made me slightly crazed for a couple of days, but I'm feeling much better now. Heh.
A lot of you are too young to remember the Reagan years. Clarknt67's diay tells of the total heartbreaking neglect of the issue of AIDS in the early years of the outbreak. It still makes me physically ill when I think that we could have done something to prevent the spread if AIDS back then & didn't. For that reason and because there are people who I love dearly who are HIV+ and who need our help, I always do what I can when it comes to fundraising for this cause.
Before I tell you about the cause so close to my heart, let me share some musical tributes to Mr. Reagan. This is a great one (thanks Floja Roja) from the Austin Lounge Lizards, the Ballad of Ronald Reagan:
my personal favorite anthem to him, Bonzo Goes to Bitburg, by the Ramones:
and this one's about his Central America policy & actions, but it still a powerful statement about the legacy he left us (Bruce Cockburn's If I Had A Rocket Launcher):
Now that I've provided some entertainment, let me tell you about the Hill Country Ride for AIDS. It is an annual fundraising event that has taken place annually since the spring of 2000. The Wise Giving Alliance, a program of the Better Business Bureau states that events should "return at least 60% of money raised for program activities." The Hill Country Ride for AIDS returns an average of 76%.The Ride was voted "Best Bike Ride" in the 2010 Austin Chronicle Readers Poll. A Hill Country Rider summed it up for many when he said "The fellowship and commitment to the cause is so strong on this Ride, and the money goes where it belongs. I am so proud! I’ll be back."
So have I told you enough to persuade you to donate to my effort to raise money for the Hill Country Ride for AIDS yet? How about if I say that I've only raised 5% of my goal? Yes, it is a crazy high goal, but if schools & libraries are being gutted in Texas, imagine what is happening to funding for AIDS agencies. Please, donate if you can -- this ride raises money for services to people - education, food bank, legal & case management sevices. Direct help to real people who really need help. So please donate if you can, even if it is just a little bit, every dollar helps. Thanks in advance!