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 lost her mother to AIDS and is now learning to grow up living with HIV. A portion of the proceeds from Positively will benefit the Foundation’s programs.

May 1, 2009, marks Cecilia Valdez’s 31st anniversary as a member of theCommunications 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 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.

But the Antonellises are always looking to do more. On December 9, they arranged to make the Foundation a beneficiary of “5% Day” at their local Whole Foods Market in Wayland, Massachusetts. Thanks to Tom and Lori’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 has also received more that $1.5 million from BI to support its work to eradicate pediatric AIDS around the world. 

On an unusually overcast day in May, more than 175 people gathered in the Rikkers family backyard in Monroe, Wisconsin, for some fun, music, and games to raise funds for the Foundation and AIDS Walk Africa. Call it a feeling, a connection, a bond. Call it innate, but call it authentic! Jennifer Rikkers has always felt a kinship with mothers in Africa. Ever since she picked up Self magazine and read about Willow Bay’s participation in AIDS Walk Africa in 2004, she has closely followed news of the Foundation as well as updates to the virtual AIDS Walk journal. 

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. But not Edie and Tom Welty.

Instead, the compassionate couple decided to “retire” by combating the AIDS epidemic abroad — and fulfill their dreams 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 health care organization that dedicates itself to providing health care to all who need it. The husband-and-wife team assists by writing grants, purchasing essential supplies and equipment, and helping the team in Cameroon get health care programs up and running.