THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 9, 1995 TAG: 9503070086
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 21 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
Norfolk bicyclist Jim Ballou is going a long way for a good cause.
On May 14, he will participate in the California AIDS Ride 2, a seven-day, 525-mile trek from San Francisco to Los Angeles to benefit AIDS victims in southern California.
Ballou says he is the only rider from the East Coast to enter the event. He wants to see how the benefit is run and hopes to start a similar ride in Norfolk next year.
``I think we could use something like this here,'' said Ballou, who has lost several friends to AIDS. ``There are a lot of cyclists in the area, and I think there would be a lot of support. We need more services in this area, and a ride could help bring them here.''
A local kickoff party for Ballou's trip will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott. The affair will feature pianist and singer Vickie Dee, hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. Ballou hopes to draw 150 guests to help him raise the trek's $2,200 entry fee. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
Ballou found out about the AIDS Ride 2 while participating in the the Gay Games in New Your last summer. He has been cycling 75 miles a week to prepare for the ride. He also has started the groundwork for organizing the local benefit, soliciting individual and corporate support through a mass-mailer. When he returns, he hopes to meet with organizations such as Norfolk's Candy House, an AIDS home for children, and the Tidewater AIDS Crisis Task Force.
Ballou, 31, a bartender at the Marriott, said that California isn't too far to go to fight AIDS.
``In the last two years, AIDS education has been my cross to bear,'' he said. ``I'm tired of watching my friends die.''
Nearly 2,000 riders, mostly from the West Coast, are expected to take part in the ride. Proceeds will benefit the Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic and other AIDS-related services of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Service Center.
For more information or advance ticket sales, call Ballou at 622-9024. by CNB