We’re proud to support our Marketing Manager, Marquis Kish, on his 2019 AIDS/LifeCycle ride!

From June 2nd until June 8th of 2019, a massive group of more than 2,300 cyclists will ride their way from San Francisco to Los Angeles, California. With the help of over 650 volunteers (also known as “roadies”) in 2018 these individuals raised a record $16.6 million for the AIDS/LifeCycle organization which provides critical HIV/AIDS services provided by both the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Last year, Marquis Kish (our marketing manager) participated in his first AIDS/LifeCycle ride. We here at Lifestyle Real Estate Services couldn’t be more proud of him, and we were ecstatic to be there at the end of day 7 to help cheer him on as he crossed the finish line. Being there alongside thousands of other friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances who were also there to cheer on and congratulate riders was an awe-inspiring experience — We were all there celebrating a massive group of cyclists who had trained for months and who had just spent seven days straight biking over 545 miles in order to raise money for a great cause, and the sense of pride and community amongst everybody was remarkable.

Immediately after taking part in last year’s ride, Marquis signed up to take part in this year’s LifeCycle. After experiencing what participants refer to as “The Love Bubble” — a community of people looking after each other to make sure everyone has a safe, supportive, and fun week of cycling — he couldn’t register quickly enough. In his words:

“The LifeCycle isn’t just a fundraising event, and it’s not just a 7 day bike ride. The LifeCycle is a massive group of people who come together for a cause that we all believe in — to eradicate a disease that has led to inconceivable amounts of loss… of friends, of family, and of loved ones. It’s a group of people who struggle together, who share stories of loss and stories of hope, who watch over and encourage each other throughout the entire week. It’s a group of people of all shapes, sizes, ages, economic backgrounds, religions, political parties, genders and sexualities… you name it… and they’re all there for a common goal — eradicate HIV/AIDS so that it can’t take the life of a loved one anymore. I know I’ve only participated in the ride once, but I honestly can’t imagine not taking part in the ride every year from now on until the ALC’s goal has been accomplished”.

It was hard not to be moved by this statement, so we here at Lifestyle Real Estate Services is excited to not only announce that we’ll be supporting Marquis’ fundraising efforts again this year, but we’re excited to promote his efforts to our friends, family, colleagues, vendors, and clients. We hope that you’ll follow our lead and help Marquis reach his goal of $5,000 (up from last year’s goal of $3,000, which he exceeded with a final amount raised of $4,526.40)! With your donation, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center is able to provide these vital services:

We think it’s a spectacular organization to support, and we hope that you’ll join us in sponsoring Marquis in his fundraising efforts this year. If you’re interested, you can make a donation on his official fundraising page, where you can also read Marquis’ story on why riding for the ALC is important to him. It inspires us, and we think it’ll inspire you, as well.

A Note from Marquis: The wonderful people at ALC created a video after last year’s ride that did a great job of summarizing the experience, as well as why so many people take part in it. Please check it out here.