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Photograph by George Sakkestad

Saratoga's Lauren Young is working to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic in Africa through Face AIDS, an organization she co-founded. To raise funds, the group sells on school campuses beaded pins made by Zambians.

Young is facing AIDS epidemic with Face AIDS

By Michele Tjin

Lauren Young is out to save the world. At the very least, she's working to save lives in Africa from the scourge of AIDS.

Young, 21, cofounded Face AIDS, a grassroots organization designed to raise awareness at schools to combat AIDS in Africa. The 2003 Saratoga High School graduate has spent more than a year mobilizing students for that fight.

"We're changing how our peers think about the epidemic and showing young people they can do something," she said.

Originally, Young had no intention of tackling such a big global health issue. In 2005, the Stanford University student traveled to Zambia to volunteer at a refugee camp. Her goal was to work with humanitarian projects dealing with issues such as literacy, but what was supposed to be a seven-week trip has evolved into a calling.

Young's inspiration for Face AIDS was Mama Katele, the only person in the Zambian village who was open about her HIV status. The woman had been sick for eight years, and at 45 years old she weighed just 85 pounds.

"She was very proud and never asked us for money for medication," Young said.

Struck by what she saw, Young, along with two other Stanford students who also went to Zambia, formed Face AIDS to raise awareness. As a fundraiser, they sell beaded pins made by Zambians to school campuses throughout the United States. Young and her two cohorts took a year off from school to give presentations to groups, seek funding and share their passion and optimism to other students.

"We're not done until the epidemic turns back," Young said.

So far, the group has raised $650,000 and has a presence at 150 schools, mostly colleges. Proceeds go to Partners in Health, a group that operates health clinics in Rwanda. Financial donations go far in Africa; $140 buys an individual medication for a whole year.

"Medication can bring people back from the brink of death. It can battle stigma in a big way," she said.

Young may be soft-spoken, but she exudes charisma and passion that come out loud and clear. Her drive to fight AIDS has garnered her hometown support. Young has spoken to philanthropic groups, her mother's book club, even those she used to baby-sit. Through her contacts, the Saratoga Rotary Club encouraged about 10 other Bay Area Rotary Clubs to contribute to a $25,000 grant.

"She's a local girl," said Diane Stoiber, a Saratoga Rotary Club board member who voted for the grant for Face AIDS. "One of the requirements of our foundation is to help people in our local community."

Young has been able to attract former classmates and Saratoga residents to join her cause. Jhanvi Shriram remembers when Young made a presentation last year at a National Charity League meeting, of which both were members. Shriram, who graduated from Saratoga in 2006, is now at Stanford, where she serves as the mid-Atlantic regional campus coordinator for Face AIDS.

"I've learned everything from how to organize and manage a group to how to best tell people on the phone how AIDS is treated on the ground in Africa," Shriram said. "Being involved with Face AIDS has lent itself well to my interest in human rights and pharmaceutical patent law issues related to AIDS."

Face AIDS coordinators ship the beaded pins to other schools, and Debbie Wang is one such student leader at UCLA who is part of the effort. Wang graduated from Saratoga with Young and heads the UCLA Face AIDS team.

"After seeing how Face AIDS was so unique in that each pin comes with a personal biography about its maker, there was no doubt in my mind that getting involved would be a worthwhile experience," Wang said.

During Christmas break, Young came back to Saratoga to meet with Scott Dwyer, her high school economics teacher. Young credits Dwyer for shaping her views about global poverty.

"We do sometimes have kids who go to Wall Street and become investment bankers," Dwyer said. "There are other kids like Lauren who get out and involved with an organization like Face AIDS. There's tremendous value in that."

Debbie Willrett, Young's mother, was initially nervous when her daughter told her she'd be taking a year off school to pursue Face AIDS. But seeing how Young is blessed with the gifts of personal drive, public speaking and persuasion, Willrett put aside her fears.

"I'm really glad that she's found something," Willrett said. "All you ever want for your kids is for them to be excited. The best thing for a parent is to see them working hard about something they care about."

Young is now back at school, completing her junior year and majoring in international relations. When she graduates, she said she'd like to get more experience working in Africa. She has no hesitation in tackling a global issue, even if measurable results are years away.

"People are realizing how crucial global health is," Young said.

Face AIDS is looking for financial support, including funding for summer interns. To find out more information, visit www.faceaids.org.