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, they are 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.

“We sent e-mail blasts to the groups we are involved with — like parent groups, school groups, and business connections — encouraging them to shop at Whole Foods that day,” Laurie says. Laurie and Tom also manned a table in the store with information about the Foundation.

“Many people stopped to ask about what we were doing and what kind of help the Foundation gives. One woman remembered Elizabeth Glaser from her 1992 Democratic convention speech, and we talked for a while about her involvement with children’s health,” says Laurie. “Another man said in a surprised voice, ‘Babies? How do babies get something like HIV?’” Laurie gave him a brief description of mother-to-child transmission and explained what the Foundation is doing to prevent it.

Tom and Laurie are invaluable to the Foundation because they work at the grass roots level, spreading the word about the Foundation’s work to one person at a time. What motivates them?

“We appreciate what we have and we feel our involvement in something bigger than us, like the Foundation and other nonprofits, enriches our lives and the lives of others,” Laurie explains. “Every person in this world deserves an opportunity for a healthy, happy lifetime.”