Stafford student organizes fundraiser for AIDS awareness

Local News

TO HELP

Anyone wishing to purchase a red AIDS awareness bracelet from Ava Van Pelt can call (607) 644-4309 in the evening.

She is also looking for help from anyone who would like to sell the bracelets. They are available for purchase at the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York office in Plattsburgh at 202 Cornelia St., 563-2437, or through the AIDS Council website at aidscouncil.org.

aids facts

▶ In 2008, about 2 million people died of AIDS globally.

▶ That same year, 33.4 million people were living with HIV and 2.7 million people were newly infected with the virus.

▶ More than 90 percent of people with HIV are living in the developing world.

▶ Women and girls now comprise 50 percent of those age 15 and older living with HIV.

▶ In 2008, 430,000 children under 15 were infected with HIV and 280,000 died of AIDS.

▶ 15 million children have lost one or both parents due to the disease.

▶ There are effective prevention and treatment interventions, as well as research efforts to develop new approaches, medications and vaccines.

Related Photos

Ava Van Pelt made wristbands promoting AIDS awareness as a project for her upcoming bat mitzvah.

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March 29, 2011

Student goes pro-active in charity service for bat mitzvah

JEFF MEYERS Press-Republican The Press Republican Tue Mar 29, 2011, 03:26 AM EDT

PLATTSBURGH — Ava Van Pelt carries an air of determination that is accented by a maturity well beyond her 12 years on this Earth.

A sixth-grader at Stafford Middle School in Plattsburgh, Ava is approaching her bat mitzvah, the point in a Jewish girl's life when she must observe the commandments of her religion.

As part of that personal and public celebration (the Jewish boy celebrates his bar mitzvah), the young girl performs a charitable service, called tzedakah. Ava had little trouble deciding what she would do for her tzedakah.

Remembering uncle

"It's something that has to be important to you," she said as she talked recently about her decision to raise money for the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York. "My Uncle George (Thomas) died of AIDS when he was in his 40s. He was one of my favorite people on Earth. He meant a lot to me."

As she began preparing for this important year in her life, she considered doing something charitable for animals, since she has always cherished her own pets and felt it would be nice to help other animals in need.

But with her Uncle George's passing less than a year ago, it became evident that her desire to help others battle against HIV and AIDS had taken center stage.

"She felt this would be her mission in honor of her uncle," said Ava's mom, Elizabeth Cohen. "One of the values of the Jewish faith is that kids take on a project that will make the world a better place. This project has become very important to her."

Ava's uncle, a former Marine and semi-pro hockey player, fought against AIDS for years but eventually succumbed to the disease when medications were no longer able to manage the virus.

"He was a kind, loving man," Ava said. "In the end, he could only stay in bed."

Ava and her mom moved to Plattsburgh last summer when Cohen took a position at Plattsburgh State in the English Department. They had previously lived in Binghamton, where Thomas also lived.

Watching her uncle grow sick was especially difficult for Ava because she had grown very close to his children, Carly and Dillon.

Selling bracelets

Becoming pro-active is a way to help others avoid this kind of tragedy, she said.

"We need a cure, and we need better education to prevent its spread."

Ava came up with the idea to design and sell bright-red, rubber bracelets with the words "Together We Can Prevent HIV AIDS," boldly printed on the outside and the AIDS website on the inside.

"Everyone wears bracelets these days," she explained. "I chose the color red because when I did research on AIDS, I learned that red is the color of AIDS."

The color red has been identified as a symbol for solidarity and strength for people suffering from AIDS. The Red Campaign is a global fundraising effort to support the critical AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Ava's project has brought her close to Diana Aguglia, regional director of the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York.

"This is a wonderful gesture," Aguglia said of the project. "Ava reached out to us and asked if she could do this. We're honored that she's chosen to help us."

"This is very inspirational," said Ava's rabbi, Emma Gottlieb. "Sometimes kids will choose a project that's easiest for them. Ava has taken on something that is very personal to her. She's taken a lot of initiative to design the bracelet herself and to promote what she is doing."

Ava has already sold about 50 bracelets at the Middle School but has hundreds more available that she is determined to sell.

She is asking for a suggested donation of $1 or more to help raise awareness as well as money.

Email Jeff Meyers at: jmeyers@pressrepublican.com