Date: Mon, 30 Jan 1995 10:03:50 -0500 From: David B. O'Donnell To: Multiple recipients of list GLB-NEWS Subject: Correct phone for RAIDS [ Send all responses to EdPitts@AOL.COM only. Any responses to the list or list-owners will be returned to you. ] Racers Against AIDS's correct phone number is (619) 497-4586. An incorrect number was supplied in some messages I sent out about 10 days ago, and I do not have access to the copy to verify who got the wrong number. Following is a complete message similar to the one I originally sent: Who says auto racers have no time for a social conscience? Thad Tinney an SCCA club racer lost his brother to AIDS in 1991, and has come up with a way to combine racing and the promotion of awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS. With the help of Lance Mears (cousin to Indy driver Rick Mears) they have founded Racers Against Aids, a non-profit organization. I discovered Racers Against Aids (R.A.I.D.S.) last week in the January newsletter of the San Diego Region of the Sports Car Club of America. My wife and I sent in a donation, thinking it would also be neat to wear their racey logo on a T-shirt, cap and car decal while we race (for a $20 donation and $3 s&h they are providing a white or ash T-shirt or a black or grey/black wool hat). I was surprised to get a thank-you call from Tinney who told me they already have tentative commitments from Emerson Fittipaldi and Robby Gordon to do an HIV/AIDS press conference during the Long Beach Grand Prix this spring. Maybe this will help reach some young race fans with a message that will save their lives. Of course Tinney and Mears are not just waiting for the TV coverage. They are going around to schools with their formula cars and video footage of some pretty hairy racing scenes. While the kids' eyes are still bulging out, Tinney points out that all the guys walked away from these crashes for only one reason -- they had the proper safety equipment on. I'm going to wear my R.A.I.D.S. shirt, especially where kids can see it. Maybe it's not cool to be concerned about AIDS, but racers *are* cool in the eyes of many impressionable young people. We can help prevent what happened to Thad's brother. There's a lot more they are doing, and you can get a brochure from them if you want the full picture. If you want to lend a hand, you can contact Racers Against AIDS at 293 E. Orange Ave., #120, Chula Vista, CA 91911. Phone 619 497-4586. Ed Pitts Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA