Photo by Matt Hennie, courtesy gaytlsports.com
May 10, 9 a.m.
Main Pavilion of Decatur Square. $25 in advance $30 at the event
www.rungeorgia.com
May 12, 8 p.m.
AIDS Memorial Quilt Building
637 Hoke Street
May 12, 11 a.m.
Holiday Inn, Decatur
130 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur
May 14, 9 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Hopewell Baptist Church
182 Hunter Street, Norcross
May 16, 7 p.m.
SisterLove, Inc. Mother House
1237 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd.
May 17, 7 a.m. through May 18
Starts at old train depot across from
Means Hall on the Emory University campus
www.actioncycling.org
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ROB BECK | 5.7.2008
fundraising events benefiting the Emory Hope Clinic’s efforts to find an HIV/AIDS vaccine, are all about looking at where we’ve been, while forging the way to where we’re headed. In addition to the organization’s annual 200-mile bike ride from Atlanta to Athens that raises hundreds of thousands each year, this year's event also includes a reading of “The Normal Heart,” Larry Kramer’s 1985 play about creating the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, a film screening, a run/walk, as well as educational events and "state of the crisis" symposiums.
The reading of “The Normal Heart” boasts an all-star line-up, with participation from gay actors Mitchell Anderson (“Party of Five”) Dan Butler (“Frasier”), Peter Paige (“Queer as Folk”) and Amanda Bearse (“Married with Children,” "Big Gay Sketch Show”).
Todd Wiggins directs the Action Cycling ride, and he says that he’s not only excited about the cast, but that it’s the play itself that should bring the most impact.
“The play came out in the ‘80s, and the things they’re talking about — trying to find a cure, a vaccine, they’re talking about the government’s response to the disease, talking about healthcare and access to healthcare — you listen to it, and it’s still current,” Wiggins says. “All these issues we’re still worried about 25 years later.”
on us fast, but Wiggins says it’s never too late to sign up and participate. They’re accepting riders up until the day of the ride. The fundraising minimum of $500 may be daunting to some, but Wiggins says it’s not as hard as you might think.
“A lot of our riders raise that much money with just one email to their friends and coworkers,” he says.
Riders can also consider the option of participating as part of a relay team, which carries a lower fundraising minimum of $350 a person. To pledge or to find more information about registering, visit www.actioncycling.org.
Wiggins says the play, the ride and the other Week of Hope events work well together to frame the struggle against HIV/AIDS within its past and its future.
“With 'The Normal Heart’ reading, it’s kind of like honoring the past and history of the AIDS epidemic and all the mistakes that we made in the beginning when the disease was allowed to just kind of spread rampantly, and it just gives us time to reflect on what’s happened,” Wiggins says. “The ride is all about raising money for the vaccine research, so that’s kind of about looking towards the future and finding the vaccine that’s going to stop AIDS in our lifetime.”
Wiggins is confident that, even with recent setbacks in the search for a vaccine and an ensuing feeling of hopelessness among some researchers, events like the Week of Hope will help get us safely across the finish line.
“We always say, ‘You can create a world without AIDS,’ and we believe that,” he says. “We believe it’s possible and it’s going to happen sooner than later, and that’s why all these people volunteer their time. It’s something we believe in.”
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