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Thirty years ago, Stella Pavlides discovered she had been struck
by vitiligo, a condition in which the pigment is lost from areas
of the skin, causing whitish patches that are very sensitive to
sunlight.
After her diagnosis, Pavlides began a campaign to help others cope
with the effects of vitiligo. Trained as a skin care consultant,
she created a cream to hide the blemishes. At testing laboratories,
however, Pavlides was taken aback by the treatment of animals used
for product testing. She realized that some of the treatments she
was working for were causing animals to suffer. The only existing
vitiligo charity, the National Vitiligo Foundation, sponsored animal
experiments.
Frustrated with attempts to end this charity’s support of
such experiments, Pavlides decided to begin her own organization.
In 1995, she founded the American Vitiligo Research Foundation (AVRF).
The foundation is dedicated to supporting only nonanimal research.
Indeed, the best research on vitiligo does not involve animals at
all.
The foundation’s work has earned high praise from leading
dermatology researchers at prestigious universities, including Harvard
and the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2003, AVRF persuaded
Governor Jeb Bush of Florida to designate April as Vitiligo Awareness
Month. AVRF has also been commended in the House of Representatives
by Congressman Michael Bilirakis of Florida.
AVRF now works tirelessly to raise public awareness, act as resource
for those stricken with the disease, and fund clinical and epidemiological
research to find a cure.
For more information, visit www.avrf.org.
Each month the Council on Humane Giving profiles a health charity
that displays the Humane Charity Seal of Approval on its website
or literature. Please consider showing your support by writing a
letter of thanks or giving a donation, and be sure to tell your
friends, family and coworkers about this outstanding health charity.
Humane Charity Spotlight Archive
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