On December 1st, the Fred Says Foundation gave $215,000 to 11 youth-serving organizations to support LGBTQ young people and youth living with and/or impacted by HIV.

CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / December 7, 2024 / As it has done for more than a decade, on December 1st, World AIDS Day, the Fred Says Foundation announced its 2024 giving to youth-serving organizations in the United States and around the world.

Founded in 2013 by Dr. Robert Garofalo and his dog, Fred, Fred Says is a non-profit charity supporting U.S. and international organizations that care for or provide services to LGBTQ young people and youth living with and/or impacted by HIV. Dr. Garofalo is the Chief of the Division of Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago and Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Garofalo adopted Fred after his own HIV diagnosis. Fred Says honors the relationship with his dog that created space in his life for healing and raises awareness and funds for young people affected by HIV.

"On World AIDS Day we honor those we have lost, celebrate amazing advances in treatment and prevention, and recommit ourselves to the resolve needed to end this pandemic," said Garofalo. "Fred Says is proud to be part of those efforts helping organizations provide the care and services young people need to thrive as their best authentic selves."

In sum, $215,000 will be gifted to 11 youth-serving organizations to support a range of services including: pet therapy and adoption programs, specialized mental health and drop-in services, transportation and housing assistance, peer-led support for transgender and HIV+ youth, and HIV-prevention efforts both in the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The 2024 Fred Says award recipients are:

• Magic City Acceptance Academy, Birmingham, AL

• Center on Halsted, Chicago, IL

• Human Rights Campaign, Washington, DC

• University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL

• The GenderCool Project, Chicago, IL

• Youth Outlook Services, Chicago, IL

• Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, Los Angeles, CA

• Advocates for Youth, Washington, DC

• Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa

• VIVENT Health/TPAN, Chicago, IL

Fred Says also continues its annual tradition of distributing 500 Fred plush toys to children for the holidays in Chicago and Birmingham as well as in Nigeria and South Africa.

"Magic City Acceptance Academy (MCAA), a grade 6-12 public charter school in Birmingham, Alabama, empowers students to embrace education and achieve individual success in a brave, LGBTQ-affirming environment," said Karen Musgrove CEO of MCAA and Birmingham AIDS Outreach. "We are so grateful for the generous and ongoing support of Fred Says which allows us to provide the vital mental health and social support services that are the foundation of our students' success."

Learn more about Fred Says at www.fredsays.org.

Source: Fred Says Foundation