Our Foundation Ambassadors are a community of children and families affected by HIV/AIDS, celebrities, and scientists, all working together to raise awareness about the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the important work of the Foundation in combating this ongoing health crisis.
Foundation Ambassadors speak and advocate for the Foundation across the United States and around the world, sharing their inspiring stories and motivating others to get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
For more information on the Foundation Ambassadors, please contact Gary Karton at
gary@pedaids.org or Uma Mehta at
umehta@pedaids.org.
Meet the Foundation Ambassadors:
Celebrity Ambassadors
Family Ambassadors
Youth Ambassador
CELEBRITY AMBASSADORS
Gloria Reuben
Gloria (left) visits a Foundation-supported clinic in South Africa. |
“Spending time with the Foundation in South Africa has been nothing short of amazing. By being a part of such a force is humbling and I will continue to do my level best to be the best advocate for women and children that I can be.”
Acclaimed actress/singer Gloria Reuben is known best for her role as health care professional Jeanie Boulet, who battled HIV/AIDS in the hit NBC series ER. Gloria advocates actively around the world on HIV/AIDS and human rights issues.
Neal with Ruve and their daughter at the A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival. |
Neal McDonough
“There are kids around the world that need our help. Elizabeth Glaser taught my wife, Ruve, and me that we can all make a difference, and I’m honored to be working with an organization that fights everyday to make a difference for the children and families that need us most.”
Actor Neal McDonough has appeared in numerous television shows and films, including Desperate Housewives, The X Files, NYPD Blue, Minority Report, 88 Minutes, and Flags of Our Fathers. He and his family are regular attendees at Foundation fund raisers, including the A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival and the Celebrity Golf Classic.
Regan Hofmann
Regan laughs with a child during a visit to Kenya. |
"As an HIV-positive woman, I am proud to support the incredible work of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. I have seen the Foundation's work in the field and I know it is playing a critical role in ensuring that future generations will be HIV-free."
Regan Hofmann, 40, contracted HIV in 1996. She is an HIV/AIDS activist and the editor-in-chief of POZ, a monthly magazine for people with HIV. Regan recently traveled to Kenya with Foundation President and CEO Pam Barnes, where they visited several Foundation-supported programs.
Eric Wainaina
Eric Wainaina |
"As a father, I firmly believe that my daughter and all children do deserve a lifetime — a lifetime of hope, prosperity and well being. Pediatric AIDS can be eradicated and we can create a generation free of HIV, but we must do it together. Each one of us has the power to touch and change the lives of countless others — we just must rise up to the challenge and raise our voices as one."
Singer/songwriter Eric Wainaina works extensively on HIV/AIDS education and other causes in Kenya. Eric is a trustee of the S.A.F.E. (Sponsored Arts for Education) GHETTO, a theatre education program that travels to slums in Kenya spreading positive messages on social awakening and HIV/AIDS. He also works with Jijue One Million, a campaign whose aim is to get at least one million youth to get tested for HIV.
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FAMILY AMBASSADORS
Ben and his wife at a briefing on Capitol Hill. |
Ben Banks
"I had to face the reality that the blood that saved my life from cancer 10 years earlier gave me HIV. I went from no medications to being put on AZT. AZT was available to children because of Elizabeth Glaser."
Ben, 30, has been living with HIV since childhood. He lives in Ashland, Virginia, with his wife Kasiah, whom he married in 2003.
Julie Jones Barnes
Julie (right) with friend and fellow ambassador Tanya Torres. |
"I experienced the negativity of how HIV affects one's life, through discrimination with school peers. So I’m trying to get involved so that other kids know that what they have doesn’t define who they are."
Julie, 20, acquired HIV through mother-to-child transmission. She has been speaking for the Foundation since childhood.
Watch Julie speak about living with HIV.
The Belfiore Family
The Belfiores with Senator Chris Dodd (far left) at a briefing on Capitol Hill. |
"The medicine that our children need was made possible because of the work of the Foundation. We want to help other families and we are grateful that there is an organization like the Foundation that can show us the way."
In 1990, Bill and Susan Belfiore adopted four children from Romania, all of whom are living with HIV. They live in Princeton, New Jersey, with their five children: Ramona, Ionel, Loredana, Mihaela, and Aiden.
Joey at the A Time for Heroes Carnival. |
Joey DiPaolo
"One thing about the Foundation is that it is a family. I’ve known Elizabeth since 1993 and ever since then I’ve been blessed to be part of the Foundation family."
As a child, Joey, 29, acquired HIV through a blood transfusion during open heart surgery. He has been raising awareness about the disease as a speaker since 1990.
Jamie Gentille
Jamie with her husband Paul. |
"I’d like to thank the Foundation for helping to give people like me a chance at life. Elizabeth Glaser fought to give children access to the lifesaving medications that I received. I'm hopeful that people in our country and all over the world will have the same resources that I did to thrive in this world, living with HIV."
Jamie Gentille contracted HIV during heart surgery when she was three years old. She is now 29 and working as a child life specialist for a hospital in Virginia.
Caleb and Sylvia at the A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival. |
Sylvia and Caleb Glover
"Most people don't understand that discrimination around AIDS hurts kids and grown-ups as much as the disease itself. We need to keep educating so people understand the facts about HIV and AIDS."
As a foster parent, Sylvia has devoted her life to giving children a chance at a full life. But when her adopted son, Caleb, wasn’t allowed to swim in a public pool because he was HIV-positive, Sylvia knew it wasn’t right. And she got involved.
From left: Alee, Yonas, Clay, Mitchell, and Suzan Meredith. |
The Meredith Family
"
The difference between where we were a decade ago and where we are now is like night and day. We're not scared of HIV anymore. Thanks to the Foundation, we have hope for the future."
Suzan Meredith unknowingly transmitted HIV to both her daughter, Alee, and son, Mitchell, at birth. Suzan and her husband Clay, who live in Kentucky, recently adopted a third child, Yonas, from Ethiopia. Yonas is also living with HIV.
Marty at the A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival. |
Marty Mitchell
"Brett led a very full life, which I am so thankful for. Just because Brett’s struggle with HIV is over does not mean that I will ever stop fighting or educating about this virus, nor should any of us."
Marty's son, Brett Lykins, passed away due to AIDS in 2007, at the age of 27. In honor of her son's memory, Marty continues to speak on HIV/AIDS issues.
Florence Ngobeni
Florence and her son Alex. |
"I can tell you that losing a child to HIV is the worst thing a mother can go through. When I lost Nomthunzi, I cried for a long time. Then I decided to stand up and try to make a difference."
In 1994, Florence lost her five-month-old baby, Nomthunzi, to AIDS. Today, Florence lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is the proud mother of Alex, a healthy two-year-old boy.
Watch Florence's story.
Cristina Pena
Cristina and her boyfriend Chris. |
"Through my HIV, I’ve learned the art of balance. The beautiful paradox about my life with HIV is that it is cruel and beautiful; tough and simple; and predictable and random."
Cristina was infected with HIV at birth and has been an advocate for people living with HIV/AIDS throughout her life. She recently graduated from college with a degree in journalism and lives in Los Angeles, California.
Marilyn Rodriguez
Marilyn Rodriguez
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"
We have to keep working together and invest the necessary resources until we win the fight against HIV/AIDS. It’s not about how much; it’s about how many. There are a lot of lives to be saved."
Marilyn lost both her parents and her sister, Ana, to AIDS. Marilyn has continued speaking to young people about the need for increased HIV awareness and funding.
Cameron Siemers
Cameron with actress Courteney Cox at the 2008 A Time for Heroes Carnival. |
"We are far from done in the fight against AIDS
. This disease is smart and if we don't continue to do research, it will win. But if you don't have a positive attitude, most likely you'll lose. That's my family's motto: Keep a positive attitude."
Cameron contracted HIV through a blood transfusion when he was seven. His disease proved particularly difficult to treat: None of the limited number of HIV drugs approved for children worked for him. Only recently has Cameron, now 26, found a regimen that allows him to manage his disease.
Tanya Torres
Tanya with her son Damian. |
"I know first-hand that mothers will do anything to save their babies. We just need to reach them and educate them so they know there is hope."
Tanya contracted HIV through a blood transfusion when she was a newborn, and has been a Foundation spokesperson since she was seven years old. Tanya lives in Orlando, Florida, and has a three-year-old son, Damian, who is HIV-negative.
Jill Vargas
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Jill (right) with Jenna (center) and Mya (left).
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"Although I was devastated to find out my baby was positive when she was born, we have come to realize that this is not the end, it is just a different way that we will live our lives. Today, I do not cry because Jenna has HIV. I cry because she has so much potential."
Jill is the mother of two beautiful girls, Mya, 17, and Jenna, 4. Jill unknowingly passed the virus to Jenna during pregnancy.
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YOUTH AMBASSADOR
Talia on AIDS Walk Africa 2008. |
Talia Rosenberg
"The awareness of this disease is a frightening and powerful realization, a token of my time in Swaziland that I will not easily forget. This experience will impact my understanding of HIV/AIDS immeasurably."
As the winner of the 2008 AIDS Walk Africa Youth Scholarship Competition, Talia attended AIDS Walk Africa 2008 in Swaziland and will serve as Foundation Youth Ambassador for one year. Talia is 24 years old and currently attends the Yale School of Medicine.
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