Easter Seals
www.easterseals.com
For nearly 100 years, Easter Seals has been the indispensable resource for people and families challenged by disability. Their mission is to change the way the world defines and views disabilities by making positive, profound differences in people's lives every day, helping their clients build the skills and access the resources they need to live, learn, work and play. Easter Seals serves 1.4 million children and adults with disabilities and their families, offering a wide range of services at 73 affiliates nationwide. The work they do every day is redefining disability for the 21st century. In 2013, we created CAMP S.T.A.R.S – Summer Time Avril Rock Stars, a scholarship program that each summer provides low-income children with disabilities the opportunity to attend summer camp. CAMP S.T.A.R.S was inspired by Avril’s time visiting and supporting Easter Seals programs throughout the US and Canada, as well as her personal experiences growing up.
GLOBAL LYME ALLIANCE
WWW.GLOBALLYMEALLIANCE.ORG
Global Lyme Alliance (GLA) is the leading and most influential driver of Lyme and tick-borne disease research, and is dedicated to conquering Lyme and other tick-borne diseases through not only research, but also education and awareness. GLA’s current scientific strategy has prioritized funding improved diagnostic tools, innovative patient treatment pathways and GLA driven clinical studies. The Avril Lavigne Foundation’s recently created partnership with this leading organization will help accelerate their innovative and promising scientific research. Proceeds from Avril’s #HeadAboveWater charitable t-shirt campaign will fund a collaborative initiative between our two organizations.
LYMELIGHT FOUNDATION
www.LymeLightFoundation.org
Lymelight Foundation’s mission is to help young people struggling with Lyme disease access proper medical treatment and to prevent the long-term effects of Lyme disease through public awareness and education. Lymelight Foundation provides medial grants up to $10,000 to Lyme-infected children and young adults who cannot pay for necessary treatments. It is our honor to support LymeLight’s grant program through Avril’s Birthday Campaign each year. To date, Avril and her fans & friends have donated over $150,000 to LymeLight to further their mission. To learn more about LymeLight’s granting program, click HERE.
Make-A-Wish
www.wish.org
Make-A-Wish® creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. They seek to bring every eligible child's wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child's treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illness. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 35,000 volunteers grant a wish every 34 minutes, on average, somewhere in the U.S. and its territories. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted nearly 300,000 wishes to children; more than 15,400 last year alone. Since 2002, Avril and The Avril Lavigne Foundation have been supporting Make-A-Wish by fulfilling individual wishes and by raising awareness for this worthy mission.
RACE TO ERASE MS
www.erasems.org
Race to Erase MS is dedicated to the treatment and ultimate cure of Multiple Sclerosis. Funding research is the core focus of the Foundation and all funds raised support their Center Without Walls program, a selected network of the nation’s top MS research centers. This nationwide collaboration of physicians and scientists are on the cutting-edge of innovative research programs, working as a team on therapeutic approaches to eradicate MS. In addition to combating MS through research in a clinical environment, they hope to increase awareness by educating the public about this mystifying disease. Avril serves on the Board of Directors for Race to Erase MS, and we actively support the mission and work of this incredible organization.
Special Olympics
www.specialolympics.org
Special Olympics transforms lives through the joy of sport, every day, everywhere. They are the world’s largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities: with more than 5 million athletes in over 170 countries…and over a million volunteers! In Special Olympics, the power and
joy of sport shifts focus to what athletes CAN do, not what they can't. With over 30-plus Olympic-style sports, they offer adults and children with intellectual disabilities many ways to be involved in their communities, many ways to show who they really are. At the 2015 Special Olympics World Games Opening Ceremonies, Avril performed the benefit track “Fly,” which she had written especially for the games. All proceeds from the track were designated to Special Olympics, as well as proceeds from Avril’s 30th Birthday Campaign, which sponsored over 30 participating athletes from around the globe. Avril also hosted over 200 Special Olympics athletes at her shows in 14 countries, and visited with a local Special Olympics program in Shanghai, prior to the games.