VITILIGO JAM 4 DIVERSITY

June 3-9 Community News

Local teens raise more than$30,000 for Vitiligo research

BY JEANMARIE FERRARA - Local high school students dedicated several months to raise more than $30,000 for the Miami chapter of the American Vitiligo Research Foundation (AVRF). Their efforts culminated on May 10 with the inaugural Jam 4 Diversity event on Miami Beach.

More than 150 teens from high schools in Coral Gables, Pinecrest, Coconut Grove, Miami Beach and Key Biscayne attended the event at Opium Garden, receiving an AVRF blue charity bracelent with a $20 donation at the door.

The event was organized by five high school students, all founding members of the Miami chapter of AVRF, a non-profit organization committed to finding a cure for vitiligo, a skin disease that causes loss of pigmentation in approximately 2 percent of the American population.

Student organizers included: Alana Adler, of Coral Gables, a junior at Gulliver Prep; Scott Brandon, Miami Beach, a junior at Ransom Everglades; Kyle Campbell, Pinecrest, a junior at Miami Palmetto High School; Emmanuel Stern, Coral Gables, a sophomore at Ransom Everglades, and Ariane Stern, Coral Gables, a freshman at Ransom Everglades.

According to student organizers, vitiligo is devastating to a person's physical appearance and can hurt self-esteem. To raise awareness for vitiligo and encourage acceptance of diversity, student organizers traveled around their neighborhoods and set up tables at school to sell pizza and Dip-n-dots, while spreading the word about the disease.

"My brother was diagnosed with vitiligo when he was 2 and has always had to deal with questions about his skin and if he was contagious, " Adler said. "For a long time I felt like there was nothing I could do to help him. So we started the Miami Chapter of the AVRF to change that.

"Jam 4 Diversity was organized to make people realize that everyone is the same -- no matter their race, origin, gender -- we're all human beings and we all have feelings."

Gibraltar Private Bank and Trust, CountryWide Home Loans and Rene Ruiz Couture sponsored the event.

"It's really inspiring when you see a group of teens getting involved in such a noble cause," said Coral Gables fashion designer, Rene Ruiz. "My line of work is all about beauty. But beauty within is the most important beauty there is and this event served as a great reminder of that."

Information about he American Vitiligo Research Foundation is available online at www.avrf.org.

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