A year of options on the same journey. 100% of your donation makes a difference in making AIDS history. You decide how.
You know the drill. Coronavirus 2019, aka COVID-19, alters yet another planned event and cancellation is not an option. Take that tenacity, inject some creativity and the 2021 AIDS Vaccine 200 carries on, more accessible than ever.
No doubt you haven't missed the irony of a new deadly virus leading to a pandemic in desperate need of a vaccine. Sadly, it won't be the last. But did you ever imagine that every ounce of generosity you've directed to Emory HIV/AIDS vaccine research would bring us a COVID-19 vaccine at record speed? It's true! Take a minute to bask in that unexpected and wildly welcome success.
At the January AV200 2021 kick-off party, via Zoom of course, two of our most prominent Emory Vaccine Center HIV/AIDS researchers, Dr. Rama Amara and Dr. Steven Bosinger (aka Mario) enthusiastically shared Emory contributions to COVID vaccine readiness: expertise in immune system response and memory, virus blockers to halt replication or lessen its impact on the body, test methods and a massive global human vaccine testing infrastructure. And their contributions continue.
Those two researchers and their colleagues are more than AV200 beneficiaries; they are part of the community. They are family. So the inevitable question wasn't unexpected - How could the COVID vaccine be produced so quickly yet we're still waiting for an HIV vaccine? We already knew the answer and do not doubt that HIV/AIDS vaccine research at Emory has ever taken a backseat to fighting COVID, SARS, Ebola or any other globally infectious disease. Quite the opposite. The broad stroke required to achieve monumental progress against the brutally nasty Human Immunodeficiency Virus is the backbone on which other, more amateur viruses have been tamed. Yet Rama and Steven heard our hearts' speak and added theirs as well. It's important to celebrate the wins along the way, because the road is long and we will not falter; we will prevail.
2020 was an especially hard year for literally everyone in the world. As we work our way back to some sense of normalcy, we are mindful of those still struggling. I want your contribution and recognize such a gift can come in many forms, each one welcome on this road to making AIDS history. Your prayers and kind words are as motivating as your dollars. If you're able to make a financial contribution, this year you have a choice as to how to direct 100% of all you give. Click Option 1 or 2 to navigate directly to my donation page for each choice.
Option 100% - Direct 100% to HIV/AIDS vaccine research at Emory Vaccine Center
Option 2-way split - Split your donation 50-50 between vaccine research and 5 AIDS service organizations serving the greater Atlanta area. These ASOs took a financial beating in 2020 and Action Cycling Atlanta chose to include them more broadly with our 2021 ride. Do take the time to read about their good works whether or not you choose this option. If you live in another state, I encourage you to seek out ASOs near you and help them out too. We're all in this together - for the long haul!
Viruses and vaccines. Who knew we'd get more deeply personal practice. I hope what we've learned together along the way has made this round a bit easier to navigate. Stay well. Stay strong.
The 2021 AIDS Vaccine 200 ride begins tomorrow with 8 rides over 8 weeks. I'll be pedaling this new variation in a variety of ways. Follow along, come on out and pedal with me! Let's have some fun, making AIDS history!
Thank you.
