On Saturday, November 6th, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS
Foundation’s held its 17th annual “Kids for Kids Family Carnival” at
Skylight Studios in SoHo
to raise awareness and funds in the global fight against pediatric AIDS. Designed as a safari theme by David Stark
Design and Production, the event was emceed by NFL star Tiki Barber and
singer/actress Gloria Ruben, and attended by the likes of Mariska Hargitay,
Sherri Shepherd, Tinsley Mortimer and Vincent Piazza.
Elizabeth
Glaser contracted HIV through a blood transfusion and passed it onto her
daughter Ariel through breastmilk, and then to son Jake in utero. After Ariel
passed away in 1988, the foundation was created to save Jake and other children
living with HIV. Jake arrived at the benefit with his father and Elizabeth’s
widower, Paul Glaser. “We’re all here today for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric
Aids Foundation for our goal in eliminating Pediatric Aids,” Jake said. “The
more awareness, the better, the more we can reach, the closer we are going to
get to finally reaching our goal. Everybody is here to have a good time. Mom
always said, ‘you can’t make a change without fun.’ It’s beautiful inside,
wonderful tasting food, and I couldn’t be happier to be here with my dad”.
“The New York welcome is always tops,” Paul
Glaser added.
The event
boasted tons of great activities keeping everyone busy. Children and adults
alike were decorating jeans provided by 77kids by American Eagle, playing
Kinect by XBOX 360 and making sock puppets with LittleMissMatched. Everyone
enjoyed the special dance and drumming workshops with the Alvin Ailey Arts and
Education Teaching Artists, and especially the food. Some of New York City’s finest restaurants provided food,
such as Craft, Delicatessen, Dos Caminos and the amazing frozen hot chocolate
by Serendipity. The event this year raised $1.2 million, bringing the event’s
lifetime total to more than $25 million.
Tiki Barber
was all smiles and having a blast decorating jeans at the 77Kids by American
Eagle tables. “I’ve been involved with the Elisabeth Glaser Foundation for
about 10 years, going back to my Giants days, and I hadn’t been to the event
for probably two or three years,” Barber said. “Hosting was a great way to get back
and involved in a very worth while cause. I love coming here because we always
have a good time.”
“Giving back is something that I’ve always done, going back to my college days,”
Barber added. “Being in New York is a great opportunity to do it.”
The
Elizabeth Glaser Foundation now has a global staff of nearly 1,300. It is the leading nonprofit organization
dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV infection and eliminating pediatric AIDS
through research, advocacy and prevention and treatment programs. Because of
the work of the foundation, pediatric AIDS has been nearly eliminated in the United States. Their goal is to eliminate AIDS
from the rest of the world by using the science and medicine that has been
proven to stop transmission of HIV from mothers to their babies.
The Kids
for Kids Family Carnival that is held annually is a great way for the foundation
to get the word out about their mission. The celebrities who contribute their
time and voices, along with the high profile sponsors have proven to be a
success and are recognized around the world.
In addition, Elizabeth
Glaser was also honored this weekend at Glamour Magazine’s Woman of the Year
gala, which celebrated some of Elizabeth’s powerful words. “Sometimes in life, there is that
moment when it’s possible to make a change for the better<” Elizabeth once said. “This is one of those
moments.”
For more information about the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, click here.
