May 8, 2009

Vice Mayor Simplot Commends Cross-Country Bicyclists for HIV/AIDS Awareness

Lorenzo Rascon and Justin Johnson will embark on “La Xornada,” or “The Journey,” at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, May 10, at the Community Church of Hope, 4121 N. Seventh Ave. The two men will bicycle around the United States for an entire year on a 12,000-mile journey to bring awareness to HIV/AIDS and wellness. With little more than the clothes on their backs, they will depend upon the kindness of strangers for food, shelter and networking.

Johnson, who has been living with HIV since 2004, and Rascon plan to reach out to local organizations such as PFLAG (Parents and Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and speak to community and advocacy groups across the country. Their plan is to make human connections at every stop and network contacts for their next destination.

Vice Mayor Simplot commends Rascon and Johnson for their effort to bring awareness to HIV/AIDS in this unorthodox way. “This trip will be a test of their physical and spiritual endurance. It’s a new way of connecting with people, one-on-one, albeit the old fashioned way,” said Simplot.

Rascon hopes that “some stones will be dropped in the water sending out ripples of inspiration. Each of us I think hopes to make a difference. Justin and I both feel you make that difference by connecting one person at a time.”

For more information about “La Xornada,” visit laxornada.com.

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