Sacramento's Premiere HIV/AIDS Cycling Event Celebrates Success at Hot Italian

By NCAC Board Member Heather Rowan

NorCal AIDS Cycle (formerly NorCal AIDS Challenge) puts on an annual 2 or 4-day bicycle ride that participants produce and take part in each May. In May, 2010, NCAC had nearly 60 cyclists and 35 crew who took to the roads of the Greater Sacramento Valley, the foothills, and cycled through the scenic Cache Creek area. Participants raised funds through grass-roots efforts and with the help of our generous sponsors, the ride was a fabulous success. Riders and crew alike reported that the NCAC was a life-changing experience and they have forged friendships that will last a lifetime.
 

NCAC is excited to announce that on August 2, 2010 at Hot Italian in Midtown, all the hardwork, hundreds of training miles, and dedication will be celebrated and shared.  NCAC will be distributing over $100,000 in grants to local agencies and organizations that provide services to those in our community who are affected and infected with HIV/AIDS. Among those organizations that will receive grants are:

Sierra Foothills AIDS Foundation
HARM Reduction Services
NorCalPride
Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center (Strength in Numbers Group)
Shasta Trinity Tehama HIV Food Bank
Under One Roof
CARES Clinic
Breaking Barriers
AIDS Housing Alliance

This year's grants are particularly important in a time of budget cuts and revenue shortfalls. NCAC Board Member Jim McCann is "proud of all the hard work that people put into this ride. Giving $100,000 in grants to our community members who are most in need and will use these funds to keep their services active is what this Ride is all about." Grant recipient HARM Reduction Services of Sacramento, for example, will replace the lost funding dollars and continue its focus on prevention and health. CARES Clinic in Sacramento will be able to further its goal of "no new HIV/AIDS transmissions within 5 years" by funding its on-going testing program. CARES' "Strategic Initiative" includes: 1) every person knows their status and 2) early detection is the norm. The grant from NCAC will support that program and help it realize the goal of testing 2500 high-risk individuals and 600 HIV+ partners.

For the Shasta Trinity Tehama HIV Food Bank, the NCAC Grant means keeping the doors open. Last year, the Food Bank accepted two grants from NCAC, which meant being able to give out meals during the holidays when it would have otherwise turned off the lights and locked the doors for the winter.

For the first time, NCAC has increased its reached to welcome organizations from the great Bay Area to apply for a grant. This year, Under One Roof, San Francisco-based, will be supporting its own community with an NCAC grant. Jerry Mitchell of Under One Roof worked closely with the NCAC organizing committee of the 2010 ride, and says: "NCAC's commitment to outreach in Northern California and the welcome that it offered to Under One Roof participants is more than I imagined -- I am already planning next year's team to participate in the 2011 Ride!"

NCAC Check Presentation
Monday, August 2, 5:30pm-7:00pm at Hot Italian - 1627 16th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

To find out more about the NorCal AIDS Challenge/NorCal AIDS Cycle visit www.norcalaidschallenge.net. Registration is now open for May, 2011.