Bittersweet charity. (reader forum).

I can't help but be saddened by the demise of Pallotta TeamWorks ["End of the Road for the Ride," October 1]. I was a participant in the first Twin Cities to Chicago AIDS Ride and was well aware, as were the people who supported me, of the cost of producing this ride relative to the returns.

The rides simply cannot be measured in terms of dollars. They need to be measured in terms of the face and recognition they give to the fight against AIDS. No amount of money can match the sight of senior citizens in Appleton, Wis., meeting us on the route to give each of us an apple or children in rural Minnesota lining the route to cheer us on with handmade signs and Kool-Aid or, upon entering Illinois on our last leg, having every light pole along the route festooned with signs and banners. These were awareness events as well as fund-raisers, and I for one heartily applaud Pallotta and Team-Works for not only changing my life but the lives of countless thousands of others.

David DiCorpo, Chicago, Ill.

While your story delivers a fair and unbiased view of the business difficulties of my friend Dan Pallotta, what most articles fail to cover is the human side of the man.

Dan has dedicated his life, his finances, and just about every waking moment to helping other people. He is a kind man with a vision of a better world. For a brief and shining moment, Dan helped spark a hidden fire within thousands and thousands of people to make a difference. He has helped raise more money for AIDS causes than any other man on the planet. It seemed he was on his way to do the same for breast cancer, poverty, suicide, and unwanted and unloved children. Now who will take on this selfless act? His critics?

It's easy to tell someone to write a check; it's entirely different to make them feel like they're changing the world. Just knowing Dan makes me feel like I'm doing my part.

Damon Wolf, Los Angeles, Calif.