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UGA H.E.R.O.s Auction Themselves To Benefit Children with HIV/AIDS

by Katie Raines
03/08/2007

A University of Georgia campus organization raised $5400 Tuesday night at its annual date auction fundraiser to support children in Georgia affected by HIV/AIDS. Hearts Everywhere Reaching Out for Children Inc. hosted the event at the Georgia Theater in downtown Athens Tuesday night at 8:30 pm. The event offered entertainment, such as a DJ, a performance by the UGA Dance Dawgs and mascot Spike, and a prize raffle.

The atmosphere was light and energetic as the crowd bid on fellow students to raise money for the H.E.R.O organization. Emcees Sharla McBride and Austin Williams were enthusiastic and kept the energy up throughout the night.

The highest bids were for Erin Beasley, Pan-Hellenic President at UGA, and Ryan Hunt, a H.E.R.O. executive board member. The students were sold for $600 and $500 respectively.
H.E.R.O. for Children is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2003 by two 2003 UGA graduates, Ryan Gembala and Garrett Gravesen.

The organization strives to enrich the lives of children in Georgia who are infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. With 9,000 children infected by HIV/AIDS in Georgia, the state ranks 9th in pediatric AIDS cases in the United States. Ninety percent of the children in the H.E.R.O. program come from households with an annual income of $10,000 or less.

Currently, H.E.R.O. for Children is the only organization that provides quality of life care for children affected by HIV/AIDS. UGA H.E.R.O. is committed to raising the necessary funds to provide care for Georgia's children affected by HIV/AIDS. The date auction and the H.E.R.O. philanthropist program are ways in which the organization raises money to achieve its purposes.

Former executive director of UGA H.E.R.Os, Chris Hobson, 23, from Marietta, said the event was a huge success this year. "This is the second year of the date auction, and we were able to raise about $2000 more this year than last year," Hobson said.

Specifically, the funds raised in the date auction go towards funding the SuperHEROs program. SuperHEROs is a program that places H.E.R.O.'s children into a mentorship program through Big Brother Big Sister. The program sponsors two events each year. One is a social event, and the other serves to educate the children and their families about health, financial, or social issues.

SuperHEROs is one of the five programs H.E.R.O. provides to Georgia's children affected by HIV/AIDS. Each program is designed to provide the children with opportunities to overcome the hardships of their disease and create dreams and set goals for bright futures. "After spending an entire day with these kids in 2004, I realized they were no different than anyone else, and they need to dream like all of us," Hobson said.

Hobson said the organization is also a great opportunity for UGA students to break down the stereotypes of HIV/AIDS and help provide quality of life care for our children.

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