The Filipina as a Fundraiser for AIDS LifeCycle

Only in San Francisco — and my heart skips a beat whenever I hear about a social cause a San Francisco Bay Area resident is advocating for. Take Edna Flores and her “bike for a cause” commitment every year, for example. Edna is one young Filipina American professional whose athletic activities always take my breath away. I met her a few years ago at a Filipina Women’s Network event so we promised to stay in touch. Whenever I received her email every year about her fundraising causes, it somehow stuck, you know. Just like they say in advertising, “top-of-mind.”

This time, I asked Edna who authored her fundraising letter. In my work as a messaging specialist, I understand the value of my emotional response to the spoken and written word. This time, what caught my attention was the subject of the email: RED DRESS.

Edna replied, “I totally wrote this letter as a fundraising appeal for AIDS/LifeCycle. I give you permission to reprint it.”

Let’s learn a thing or two from this remarkable Filipina woman of substance.

From: Edna Flores
Date: Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 11:35 PM
Subject: Red dress
To: Lorna Dietz

Dear Lorna,

Fifty two more days from now, I will be taking off with my fiance Rich and thousands of other friends on a seven day, 575 mile journey towards Los Angeles from San Francisco. We will be using our strength and legpower to get there. Along the way, we will encounter communities who may have minimal services for fighting the AIDS pandemic. We will make lifetime friends with those whom we just met. We will be a community of cyclists making a stand against HIV and AIDS.

Some of you may or may not know that I made a little bet with Rich at the beginning of the year. I told him that if I raised $5,000, he would have to wear a red dress on Red Dress Day. Some of you may wonder and scratch your heads in thinking, “What is Red Dress Day?” and “Why would Edna want to make Rich wear a red dress?”

Red Dress Day occurs on Day 5 of AIDS/ LifeCycle. People either wear red as Rich has done in the past or wear a red dress. I think the original intent was Dress in Red Day but it has turned into Red Dress Day. A lot of people go out of their way in finding a sexy or pretty or sometimes frumpy red dress to wear as they pedal their way down California. If one were to take an aerial photograph, it would look like a long AIDS ribbon winding down the state. Usually the straight men would not even think of wearing a red dress their first year of riding. By the second year, they are in on the fun of wearing a red dress. For the past two rides, Rich has been reluctant to wear a red dress but he is willing to do it if I am to make my fundraising goal.

I am a little under $1,000 of making the minimum $3,000 I need to particpate in this ride. Please consider giving whatever amount you can. No donation is too small or too large. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and loved ones as well. I promise to have a photograph of Rich in his red dress (which I already have in my hot little hands) to show for my fundraising efforts.

Thank you so much in helping me support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Your generosity gives critical help to those who need it in preventing the spread of HIV and those who are affected by HIV and AIDS.

All you need to do to help me out is to click on the link below and give what you can.

Again, thank you.
Click here to visit my personal page.

If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.tofighthiv.org/site/TR/AIDSLIFECYCLE9/AIDSLifeCycleCenter?px=1168574&pg=personal&fr_id=1210&et=pUXnjR3U11z6kezkqtOs9g..&s_tafId=21160

If you no longer wish to receive email messages sent from your friends on behalf of this organization, please click here or paste this URL into your browser: http://www.tofighthiv.org/site/TellFriendOpt?action=optout&toe=233a77653886a6701bda817bc2a6a89a1ccd4c50a5c00593