Ariel Rosado was killed in a traffic accident but his memory lives on. Rosado, who was a stellar young cyclist in Belize in the late nineteen nineties and early 2000, made a name for himself by capturing big titles in the cycling world. He was pursuing his tertiary education up to his untimely death. Earlier this year, a foundation in his honor, The Ariel Rosado Memorial Foundation was formed to provide high school scholarships and sporting opportunities for deserving young Belizeans. On Saturday the foundation carried out its main fundraising activity; a ride on the Western Highway. Doctor Alvaro Rosado said the ride was a success.
Alvaro Rosado, President, Ariel Rosado Memorial Education Foundation
"We came down to Galen. The ride started off at 6:20. We had scheduled six o'clock but with all the registering and the handing out of power bars and water; took longer than we thought. So we started out at 6:20 with about eighty-six riders-the head count was eighty-six when we left. We arrived in Belmopan at seven-forty; it took us an hour and twenty minutes to Belmopan from Central Farm. We were met by Mayor Simeon Lopez and the team from UB with Mister Selwyn King. They hosted us at the UB campus and they served juices and a fruit salad. The riders rested for a while and then we headed out from the UB Campus in Belmopan at around twenty minutes after eight. We arrived in Hattieville sometime around ten-thirty. We turned off into the Boom/Hattieville Road and rested for another ten, fifteen minutes before heading into Belize City. On the way into Belize City, Ariel's mother, Doctor Dorla Rosado and his aunt, Miss Carmen Cawich, placed a bouquet at the spot where Ariel had his accident and then the riders continued on into Freetown Road, took a right into St. Thomas Street, another right into Princess Margaret Drive-I'm sorry those are lefts-left into St. Thomas Street, left into Princess Margaret Drive, right into Coney Drive, and then right again into Blue Marlin Boulevard where some hundred strong-because riders were joining us on the way in. About a hundred riders or so rode into the finish at Bruce Bike's Shop which is also near BIM, the Galen University Campus in Belize City. And there we had music and refreshments, barbecue on sale and that sort of thing."
Jose Sanchez
Alvaro Rosado
"I know there is a fundraising effort that went along with this. The funds that you received, what will you do with it?"
Alvaro Rosado
"The fundraising effort, the whole thing, is to raise funds to assist kids who are needy and deserving. We have worked very hard, we have had a lot of support from businesses and individuals and we have raised enough funds now to state without any fear that come this school year in September, the Ariel Rosado Foundation will be offering five scholarships at the Associates level, five scholarships at the secondary level, five scholarships to primary school students to learn how to sail with the Belize Sailing Association and we have also committed partial funding to a summer camp for youths that will be held somewhere in the South Side."
Jose Sanchez
"This will be an annual event?"
Alvaro Rosado
"We hope it will be-well we don't hope, we know it will be annual. The continuity is there. As a matter of fact, we have some very, very dedicated people there. I must commend the Sanchez's-the entire Sanchez family from Bruce's Bike Shop-they have been one of the major driving forces behind this. And I have no doubt that if I were to be out of the picture now; that the continuity will be there. So yes it is going to be an annual event. We only started three months ago and we have already accomplished a lot of things I think and certainly we expect to do much more."
Channel 5
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