Dear Pastor, Brothers, and Sisters of the Chapel of the Cross,

Your special gift and your continuous support is a blessing for us.

As vicar of La Eglesia El Buen Pastor, on behalf of the congregation, I acknowledge and thank you for your donation of $500 to relieve the damages caused by both theft in September and the flood in October 2002. We lost all that we had downstairs in the hall, even the supplies for Christian education. With support like yours ... we will be able to repair the building and make it ready to reestablish our normal activities.

Thanks again for being a good friend of (The Church of the Good Shepherd) La Iglesia El Buen Pastor and especially thanks for showing your faith to our congregation through your continuous support.

Sincerely,
Nicolas Menjivar

I have been a social worker for HIV/AIDS clients for 12 years. During this time many drugs have been developed to slow the progression of the disease. The infection rate is continuing to increase and there is still no cure. As a parishioner I have received support from the Chapel of the Cross. I have been able to utilize the chapel and the courtyard to conduct the funeral for a client who had no family. He had informed me to let the state bury him but I could not let that happen since I knew him. It would have been too impersonal and disrespectful for me to allow him to have no service. I am thankful for our church and its acceptance that made this possible.

As I continue in this vocation I have decided to take on another challenge. I have registered as a rider in the Tour de Friends. This is a four-day bike ride from Raleigh to Washington, DC, that will benefit the Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina. I have made a commitment to raise $2,500 to support the fight against AIDS. If I meet this goal by May 21, I will join almost 2,000 others to raise awareness of the on-going needs for services for HIV/AIDS clients. Why am I riding this year? This year the Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina, which provides services for over 1,000 clients in Orange, Durham, and Wake counties, will receive the money raised. Two other charities along the way, Fan Free Clinic in Richmond and Food & Friends in Washington, will also receive funds. I will ride in memory of my clients and friends who have died from this terrible disease (I stopped counting after two years when I reached 100). I will also ride in honor of the 200 clients I have now who are living with HIV.

Today I am asking for your direct support. Will you help sponsor me by a donation? Checks can be made to Tour de Friends and mailed to me so that I can complete the donor form. You can also donate over the Internet at https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent. My rider number is 249. Your donation is tax deductible. If your company has a matching donation program, please consider utilizing it.

I want to thank you in advance for your contribution. It means a lot to me personally to have your support in this important challenge. I will keep you in my mind while I ride.

Gayle Hartis

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