Beverly Hills High School and Team UTAC join to raise awareness on Worlds AIDS Day, December 1
Santa Monica, Calif. – On Sunday, November 30 at 6 p.m., Cyclist and AIDS Activist Brian Hodes will begin a 24-hour bicycle ride to raise awareness around prejudice and stigma associated with AIDS and HIV. The event will take place at Beverly Hills High School with the help of the faculty and student body.
“The students and the faculty of Beverly Hills High School have embraced this beyond my wildest expectations,” said Hodes. “From the moment I pitched the idea to Principal Guidetti, they ran with it. I’m happy to say tolerance is alive and well at Beverly Hills High.”
Hodes’ daughter, Sophia is a senior at BH High who along with the 2,500 plus student body will participate in the World AIDS day event on Monday, December 1st. Students will hear from people living with HIV at a special Monday assembly and panels from the original AIDS quilt will be on display. The Service Learning Class is promoting the event, hanging posters on campus, creating red AIDS ribbon pins, and recruiting students to walk 28 laps around the track along side the cyclists to commemorate the 28 years of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
“My dad is the most amazing man I’ve ever met,” said Sophia Hodes, “He stands so passionately for doing what’s right. I’m so proud of him and thank God everyday that he’s my dad.”
Also on Sunday morning, Hodes and Team UTAC (Until There’s A Cure Cycling) will host the second annual World AIDS Day Ride (WAR) in Los Angeles. For last year’s inaugural ride Team UTAC mobilized cycling groups around the world to ride in hundreds of cities around the world including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Portland, Tuscon, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Montreal, London, Sydney, Malaysia, Ghana and more.
This year’s Los Angeles Ride will start at 8:00 a.m. at Beverly Hills High School and will be traveling 28 miles through Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Santa Monica. Cyclists are requested to wear red and all are welcome. The ride has grown this year to include community supporters including the House of Blues, Cannondale Bikes, Bonk Breaker Energy Bars and POM Wonderful.
Several rides will also take place in the San Francisco Area. The largest is being organized by the “Positive Pedalers,” a national nonprofit organization of HIV positive riders who raise money for AIDS research and services. For more information visit: http://www.Pospeds.org.
World AIDS Day, observed December 1 of each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 33 million people, with an estimated 38.6 million people living with HIV, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, HIV remains a leading cause of death world wide.
Until There’s A Cure (UTAC) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating HIV/AIDS by raising awareness and funds for vaccine development, care services, and youth education. For additional information about Until There’s A Cure please call 1-800-88-UNTIL or visit: http://www.until.org.
Contact: Brian Hodes, 310.666.9922, email@example.com or
Day of Contact: Jen Moore, 323.919.7949, firstname.lastname@example.org