E-mail address: agenser@aac.org

Occupation: I'm the manager of the Mass Red Ribbon Ride, a grassroots AIDS fundraising bike ride which is a collaboration of 13 AIDS organizations throughout Massachusetts.

Points of origin: I was born in Long Island, New York, and was raised in North Woodmere, Long Island, right on the border between Queens and Nassau. Always loved sports growing up. I have one younger brother who I've always been very close to, and parents who've always been very supportive of me. I went to Hewlett High School, then to college at Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, That was as far as my parents felt comfortable having me go. And so I went there - looking to be away and on my own. That was a great experience - 1969. Kent State. A very radicalizing time. I started to study engineering and quickly changed to teaching high school, and then decided that I wanted to work with younger kids, to really have an impact.

How did you end up in Boston? I got married to a man who was studying to be a doctor, and started my career as a public elementary school teacher. What moved us to Boston was his internship at Boston City Hospital. Soon after moving here, I fell in love with a woman, realized I was a lesbian, and got divorced. At the same time I was introduced to child care through my graduate work at Wheelock College. For the past 30 years I worked in the child care field. I ran a childcare center, a childcare resource and referral agency; conducted research, cofounded and ran a national institute based at Wheelock College. At Wheelock I was also involved in co-founding the Wheelock Family Theater - by the way you should catch the Wheelock production of The Sound of Music, which opened on February 4.

What are you doing now? I'm working to establish this grass roots fundraising bike ride, the Mass Red Ribbon Ride (Mass Red Ribbon Ride) as a successful yearly event. I've been riding my bike for AIDS since 1997, from Boston to New York, across Alaska, from Montreal to Portland, Maine, with Ride FAR, and others. On each ride, I carried the names and pictures of the many friends I lost to the disease on my handlebars.

How did the Mass Red Ribbon Ride come about? With the loss of the Palotta Team Works AIDS rides, folks in Greater Boston approached the AAC to get a new ride going. After a successful pilot with the leadership of our Executive Director, Rebecca Haag, we have created a collaborative event produced by AAC and benefiting 13 AIDS organizations. We think the Mass Red Ribbon Ride is the perfect venue to raise funds, awareness about HIV/AIDS, to create a new funding stream for these organizations and to provide an outstanding experience for a diverse group of participants. People can ride 50, 75, 100 or 175 miles along our route from Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield to Regis College in Weston, on August 13 and 14.

You have a lot of people with AIDS riding? Yes. Last year about 10 percent of our riders that I knew of were HIV positive, and for many of them this is a ride of hope. And for many of the volunteers who are HIV-positive but not well enough to ride, it's an inspiration.

What do you dream of in 10 years? Not having to have a bike ride for the disease - because it will have been cured. I dream of living on Cape Cod and riding my bike any time I want.

What do you do in your free time? I like taking photographs. I often take my camera on my bike ride and take amazing pictures of the scenery I see.

Do you have a partner? I do. Nineteen years in April.

Is she a rider? No. She's into African drumming and yoga. We've just been really fortunate to have all these years together. We also have a 19-year-old daughter.

Have you considered getting married? We did! We got married on May 17. We were on the front page of the Harwich Oracle, as the first couple to get married in the town. It was totally spontaneous. We knew we were going to get our license that day, but we didn't know when we were going to get married. And then we just did it. Eloped after 18 years.

What attributes of yours do people most comment upon? My high energy and my passion.

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