After learning about AIDS as part of a class project, the eighth graders of Tenakill Middle School in Closter, New Jersey, were moved to make a difference. On June 7, 2011, 60 students hosted the first “Field of Hope" AIDS Walk to support organizations fighting HIV/AIDS, including the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

After providing nearly 30 years of service as family/public health physicians working both with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) on the Navajo and Northern Plains reservations, most couples would have contemplated a restful retirement. Then again, most couples aren't Edie and Tom Welty.

The compassionate couple decided to “retire” by combating the AIDS epidemic abroad and fulfilling their dream of working in international health in the process. Since retiring in 1997, Tom and Edie have been working with the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board (CBCHB), a healthcare organization that serves as the Foundation's sole in-country partner for implementing PMTCT and other HIV/AIDS-related services. The husband-and-wife team assists by writing grants, purchasing essential supplies and equipment, supporting research carried out by the CBCHB, and helping the team in Cameroon get healthcare programs up and running. 

Beth Jarvie, mother of two and dedicated supporter of the Foundation, enjoys running for a cause. However, until a few years ago, she had never even been in a race. It wasn’t until one of her friends convinced her to compete in a half marathon raising funds for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy that she discovered her love for the sport. Today, Beth is a dedicated runner who competes in races all along the East Coast.

Combining her two passions, Beth participated in the Unite Half Marathon on April 18, 2010 at Rutgers University in support of the Foundation. Beth established the “Our Moment” team, and raised more than $2,000 for the Foundation.

In 1989, greeting card company owner Suzy Becker was driven to take part in the national HIV and AIDS effort. “Fueled by a sense of injustice,” Suzy and her coworkers organized Ride For AIDS Resources (Ride FAR), the first HIV/AIDS bike-a-thon in the United States. Suzy and her team of 13 cyclists made a five-day, 100-miles-a-day ride through New England to raise awareness, compassion, and funding for children and adults living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. More than two decades later, Ride FAR is the longest continuously-running HIV/AIDS bike-a-thon in the nation, and as of 2009, the biennial event has raised more than $1,100,000 to support HIV/AIDS service organizations, including the Foundation. 

Courtney Sheinmel, 32, a lifelong friend and supporter of the Foundation, is passionate about the fight against pediatric AIDS. She also has another passion: writing.

Courtney had always written stories as a child, but became more enthusiastic about writing while she was practicing law. Now a full-time author, Courtney recently published her second "tween" novel, Positively, which depicts the story of a teenage girl, Emmy, who loses her mother to AIDS and learns to grow up living with HIV. A portion of the proceeds from Positively benefits the Foundation’s programs.

May 1, 2009, marks Cecilia Valdez’s 31st anniversary as a member of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), and she couldn’t be more proud. Cecilia’s career has taken her from Mountain Bell operator to Qwest cable splicer to her current position as a network technician. 

Tom and Laurie Antonellis are among the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s strongest supporters. They are seasoned veterans of AIDS Walk Africa and have raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Foundation through that event.

However, the Antonellis husband-and-wife team is always looking to do more. On December 9, 2008, they arranged to make the Foundation a beneficiary of “5% Day” at their local Whole Foods Market in Wayland, Massachusetts. Thanks to Tom and Laurie’s efforts, the Wayland Whole Foods donated 5 percent of their net sales from that day — about $2,700 — to the Foundation’s lifesaving programs. 

As a young girl, Sally Palmbaum spent her summers at all-girls Camp Fernwood in Poland, Maine. There she met fellow camper Betsy Meyer. Though not close friends at camp, Sally reconnected with Betsy, who later became Elizabeth Glaser, at a camp reunion.

This summer, pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) decided to show its support of the Foundation in a very meaningful way. In 2000, BI introduced its Viramune® Donation Programme to help meet the needs of HIV-positive pregnant women in developing countries who wish to decrease the risk of transmitting HIV to their babies. The Foundation is the largest beneficiary of this program, and also has received more that $1.5 million from BI to support its work to eradicate pediatric AIDS around the world.