98- GLEN WEINZIMER – Founder, Smart Ride
When Glen Weinzimer was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS in 1993, he did not expect to be one of the lucky few to survive. Glen found strength to convert his situation into support. That is how SMART Ride began, a 165-mile fund-raising bicycle ride from Miami to Key West. His creation has provided support for South Florida agencies that help people living with HIV/AIDS. Smart Ride has grown from humble beginnings into a 12-year-old annual event involving several hundred-bike riders and an equally large support crew.
100% of the funds raised by the SMART Ride go to the recipient organizations. In 2014, the eleventh year of Smart Ride, that meant $1,070,101. Among the organizations supported is the Pride Center, in Wilton Manors, who received $148,000 of the total raised in 2013. Glen promises to continue with the annual SMART Ride until there is a cure for HIV/AIDS.
