Red Ribbon Re-Route Report

Abstract

With the Ride being in its seventh year, past participant feedback indicates the Ride’s route is becoming stale. For individuals who frequently participate in the annual event, the sights have gone generally unchanged. Though some individuals may find comfort in a well-established routine, consistent feedback indicates that change is needed. Having a static route does not go far towards accomplishing the mission of MN-FAB of educating the public about HIV/AIDS. The towns on the current route have seen and heard the Ride’s message since the first Ride. A reroute would provide a mechanism for outreach into greater Minnesota. Being an organization that relies exclusively on volunteers, human resources necessary to reroute the Ride are scarce. The time and effort needed to perform such a re-route is outside the current capabilities of the Ride. The purpose of this report is to bridge this gap. The intent is to lay the foundation for the eventual complete re-route of the Ride. This is a first step in that process. This document outlines the re-route of the first two legs of the Ride while leaving the last two legs generally intact. Re-routing only half the ride helps reduce the burden associated with a route change. Changing the route is complex and goes beyond merely picking a different road. New vendors for water and ice need sourcing. Schools and pit locations needs identification, new contracts need to be signed as well as understanding municipality needs for permits associated with such an event. In this context, this document may help provide the beginnings of a model for establishing yearly route changes to support of the Ride’s mission of expanding awareness of HIV/AIDS.