EGPAF: A Time for Heroes Celebrity Picnic!!!!

Sunday I volunteered with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation ... at a celebrity picnic!!! The Glaser foundation puts on a celebrity picnic every year to raise funds to help fight against pediatric AIDS. This year, I had the opportunity to volunteer at their event with my friend Kiira Johal (and last year's Dance Marathon Co-Chair). Oh and let me tell you, the foundation went ALL out for this one! It was nuts! And the coolest part, I got to learn more about pediatric AIDS from the very organization that initiated research in the area! What a treat :)

I arrived 2 hours before the picnic started to get acquainted with the my volunteer task and set up the foundation booth. During set up, Jesse McCartney and his band were practicing on stage singing Leavin' (love this song!). He sounds much better live than I expected. People started to trail in around 12pm and enjoyed the various activities offered by the foundation. Some of these activities included an African drum circle, making T-shirts with Michael Stars, decorating jeans with 77kids and American Eagle, a Kodak photo booth, and making special kit for mommies and babies in Africa and India. The kit making booth seemed to be one of the most popular activities. At this station guests had the opportunity to read more about the needs of mothers and children living with HIV and AIDS and compile a bag of goodies to help meet their needs.

Even more memorable than all the scrumptious food, the many activity booths, and meeting famous celebs, were the incredible speakers. An 11 year old boy along with his younger brother spoke about what it's like to live with HIV. I only heard a portion of their dialogue (I was working at the foundation booth) but what I did hear was extremely moving. These two boys only recently found out they live with HIV in their bodies. These two boys fear of being treated differently by their peers. At such a young age they are forced to deal with disease. Despite all of this, the boys spoke about their love for one another. The younger brother shared how having an older brother helps him through all of the tough times. He said that he is happy he has a brother going through the same thing as him. He looks up to him and loves him very much. Hearing these brothers speak brought Pediatric HIV and AIDS into reality for me. Its children like them who reinforce the importance of the Elizabeth Glaser foundation. Without this foundation, these two brothers would not have access to the medication they need. The EGPAF gives them hope. They make a generation free of HIV possible.

Later on Elizabeth Glaser's son, Jake Glaser, spoke about his mother and her legacy. Elizabeth Glaser contracted HIV from a blood transfusion and unknowingly passed the disease on to her two children. When she went to seek help, doctor's told her that no research had been done on HIV in children and no medication was available for her daughter. After her daughter passed away from AIDS, Elizabeth Glaser started the foundation to continue her fight against Pediatric AIDS and to save her son's life. Now Jake is 25 years old and carries on her legacy. Jake spoke about the foundation today... it started out with Elizabeth Glaser and her three friends sitting at a table brainstorming and now the foundation has prevented transmission from mother to child in over 9 million women! How incredible?! There is so much beauty to Elizabeth Glaser's life. I suggest reading more :) http://www.pedaids.org/About-Us/Our-Foundation

Overall, my experience at the EGPAF celebrity picnic was pretty awesome!

I ate great food, met celebs, and most of all, deepened my understanding of Pediatric AIDS. Not to mention, the event raised 1.3 million dollars! Crazzzzziinesssss :)

If you would like to know more about the celebrity picnic, here is a page you should check out. http://www.pedaids.org/getdoc/8ca68563-f814-48f2-9fc7-d7768fc141df/A-Time-For-Heroes-2010

Much DM Love,

Jen Devries

Berkeley Dance Marathon Outreach Director 2010-2011