Friends For Life Bike Rally - A Benefit for the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation

e-News: Feb 6, 2008

CONTENTS
1. Launch Party Reminder– Feb 13th
2. Call for Team Leaders
3. Meet the Steering Committee

1. Launch Party Reminder– Feb 13th

Fly Nightclub
8 Gloucester Street (at Yonge)
FIRE ON THE EAST SIDE ENTRANCE
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008, 7:00- 10:00 PM

As long as there’s a reason…there’s a ride.

On July 27th, 2008, the 10th Annual Friends For Life Bike Rally will hit the road to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation. For six days, our cyclists will ride over 600 KM from Toronto to Montreal while our amazing crew will transport gear, provide route support, serve nutritious food and administer a variety of wellness treatments. It promises to be another unforgettable journey.

The 10th Anniversary Launch Party kicks it all off, and WE WANT YOU to be there with us.
Come join us at Fly on February 13th to Register. Donate. Learn. Returning participants can catch up with old friends and register for this year's event. New participants can obtain more information by talking to past participants and the members of the 2008 Steering Committee. We’ll also be “unveiling” some of the exciting initiatives we are taking on for the 10th year. This party is not to be missed!

New for Year 10 – The Partial Ride

We are pleased to announce one of our 10th anniversary initiatives – the partial ride from Kingston to Montreal. This year up to 40 Riders may register to start the Bike Rally in Kingston. These individuals will receive the same supports and obligations that we offer to those doing the full ride (e.g. assignment to a team, training requirements, seminars, etc.). If you can’t commit to a full week, this is definitely a way for you to participate and be part of this amazing experience!

Fundraising Requirements

With the introduction of the partial ride comes a change to the fundraising requirements. Riders who register for the partial ride will be required to raise a minimum of $2,000 while those doing the full ride will be required to raise a minimum of $2,200. Make sure you take advantage of the materials and seminars aimed at making your fundraising less intimidating.

Registration

Registration for Crew is $20 and for Riders is $75. Register as a Rider at the Launch Party and save $5 on the $75 registration fee (VISA, MasterCard, cheque and cash accepted). The registration fee does NOT count toward fundraising totals, rather, it covers the cost of the registration kit and the official Bike Rally jerseys and crew t-shirts. Tax receipts are not issued for the registration fee. After the Launch Party registration is done on-line.

2. Call for Team Leaders

Help the Bike Rally achieve its most successful year yet by offering your enthusiasm, support and skills to riders by becoming a Team Leader. Team Leaders are experienced riders that, working, with their co-leads, provide the critical support and communication link to riders on their team.

What we ask of Team Leaders:

• A time commitment of a couple hours a week to manage team communication and support.
• A commitment to attend many of the Bike Rally training rides. Training rides are an excellent way of getting to know your team members.
• To communicate well with team members and provide a supportive environment for all riders on your team, particularly new riders.
• To ride safely at all training rides to provide a positive example to other riders.
• To participate in and share the responsibility for managing weekend training rides.
• To foster a supportive team environment.
• To encourage, support, manage and motivate fund raising progress of team and report progress to the Bike Rally organizers.
• To ensure that any questions and concerns raised by your team are addressed or passed to the appropriate individual.

If you’re interested in becoming a team leader or would like more information about the role, please come see us (Wade Borges, Chris Enoksen, Glenn Gundermann, Peter Hess) at the Launch Party. Alternatively you can This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

3. Meet the Steering Committee

The Bike Rally is driven by dozens of volunteers, both in the spotlight and behind the scenes. We'll be introducing them all in future editions of our e-News. First up - the 2008 Steering Committee.