Friends for Life cycle through the County today

– Friends for Life fundraising participants cycle on County Road 1 in this file photo. – Sue Capon photo

Motorists are advised to show caution today as The Friends for Life Bike Rally wheels through Prince Edward County.

The major fundraiser for people living with HIV/AIDS comes through the County Monday as 185 cyclists and a 50-member support crew makes its way from Consecon, along County Road 1 and through to the Glenora Ferry enroute to Amherstview.

This portion is day two of the six-day 600km ride from Toronto to Montreal as cyclists raise funds for the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation (PWA).

The Friends For Life Bike Rally raises more than $1 million annually for Toronto PWA. Participants chose between three adventures: a 600 km, six-day ride from Toronto to Montréal; a 300 km, three-day ride from Kingston to Montréal, or a 100 km, one-day ride from Toronto to Port Hope.

The rally began in 1999 as an emergency response by two Toronto friends, for their friends, and remains a grassroots, volunteer-driven fundraiser. It has raised more than $16 million for the foundation over the past two decades.

PWA is the largest direct support service provider for people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada, providing meal and food programs, treatment access support, alternative therapy programs, educational programs, and financial assistance. PWA’s Community Access programs also connect people to community services such as government income programs, counselling, employment, housing, legal, and medical services.