Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation was founded in 1988 by Elizabeth Glaser, Susan DeLaurentis, and Susie Zeegen. Glaser and her husband, actor Paul Michael Glaser, learned that Mrs. Glaser had been infected with HIV through a blood transfusion. She had passed the infection along to her children Ariel (born 1981) through breast milk and Jake (born 1984) in utero. The Glasers were unable to find appropriate medicine to treat Ariel, as all existing treatments were only focused on adults.
After Ariel died in 1988, Glaser, DeLaurentis, and Zeegen created a foundation to bring hope to children with AIDS. The organization's goal was to bring in money to help researchers in the fight against AIDS and its effects on children while also highlighting the fact that AIDS and HIV could affect children. It is now the leading national non-profit organization providing funding and support for pediatric AIDS research and has expanded its mission to the worldwide AIDS pandemic.
The foundation was chaired by Elizabeth Glaser until her death in 1994. Her husband, Paul, took over until 2002, and remains as Honorary Chairman. The current chairman is Dr. David Kessler, dean and vice chancellor for Medical Affairs at the University of California, San Francisco in San Francisco, California, USA. Both DeLaurentis and Zeegen remain members of the Board.
Because of the high profile nature of Paul and Elizabeth Glaser, their efforts brought worldwide attention to the disease including a 1991 People Magazine cover, Elizabeth Glaser speaking in 1992 at the 1992 Democratic National Convention, a 2000 Beanie Baby named 'Ariel' which raised $3.4 million as a fundraiser, and a 2001 appearance before a United States Senate Committee by Paul Glaser. The foundation is a favorite cause of many celebrities including an annual celebrity golf tournament and several appearances on The Apprentice.
