Health and Life Skills
Treasure the Children
Treasure The Children was founded by Charles Bowman with the intent to present peer to peer HIV prevention education and items and support for youth infected with HIV and other chronic illness. Charles was prenatally infected with HIV. He walked the halls of Congress advocating for increased funding for pediatric HIV research and the Ryan White Care Act, and spoke at the Ryan White Youth Conferences and AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth, and Families' Voices Conferences.
Charles was the first adolescent member of the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group (PACTG) and participated in the writing and approval process of many adolescent clinical trials. He was also very aware that a HIV prevention vaccine might never occur. He felt strongly that education was the only prevention. Commencing at the age of 17, in collaboration with the American Red Cross Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter, he spoke to his peers in schools about the consequences of risk behaviors, while disclosing his status before students. He answered the student's questions about being HIV infected and stressed the importance of being tested.
When Charles died at age 20 and seven weeks, his sister (Danielle) and mother (Charlene) continued their support of his passion to educate youth and support of HIV infected youth. Danielle became a Red Cross Instructor teaching the Act Smart program in Palm Beach County Schools while Charlene continued a project she commenced the preceding year. She had created the Snuggle Care pattern to make quilts from recycled cotton denim jeans. Youth in middle and high schools, church groups, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Palm Beach Atlantic University students collected denim and cut the items into flat pieces which are sewn into quilts. The quilts are donated to youth infected with HIV and other chronic illness to use at home and take to the hospital to brighten their hospital room and a reminder of home. In collaboration with the Department of Health, the HIV educators at South Bay Correctional Facility have sewn over 100 quilt kits made by the efforts of many volunteers. Over 200 "Snuggle Care" denim quilts have been donated to children with HIV and various illnesses requiring repeat hospitalizations.
Last year over 10,000 community service hours were earned by local students. When Charles and two of his friends were honored at a memorial in the Mailman Center on the Campus of the University of Miami Medical School, seven HIV infected youth asked Charlene to help them make a difference with their lives. They were the same youth that Charles had asked to join him in presenting HIV prevention presentations to adolescents. With the help of a social worker, Charles' Crew was formed. Currently there are 25 HIV/AIDS infected youth members who live in South Florida and ten youth living across the US who receive, support, mentoring, independent living and public speaking skills, HIV 104 certification, and continual HIV education. They learn self confidence, self esteem and continually advocate for HIV related causes and ways to reduce stigma. They are trained to teach HIV prevention, disclose their status, and answer questions by their peers. The youth choose where and when they are available to speak in middle, high school and colleges, after school programs, youth clubs, churches, health fairs, youth summits, as well as radio and television programs. The youth speak Creole, Spanish as well as English. In collaboration with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, a DVD of a typical presentation is available on the www.treasurethechildren.org.
Treasure The Children receives funding from United Way -Sylvester Consortium , Lost Tree Village Charitable Foundation. Collaborations include American Red Cross Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter, Palm Beach County Department of Health, Planned Parenthood Greater Miami, Palm Beach and Treasure Coast, Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, Glades Health Initiative, Campaign to End AIDS, and Miami-Dade School District's CDC Grant office to relate HIV/AIDS personal stories in Miami-Dade Schools.
Members of Charles' Crew want a legacy and have created a new project. A presentation for state legislators asking that HIV education be mandatory in every school in the US is being developed. This project will commence with the State of Florida and continue to every state. Whether teaching, answering questions, advocating for HIV services, reducing stigma, Charles' Crew is making a positive difference.
Thank You,
Charlene Bowman
Treasure The Children,Inc.
1128-228 Royal Palm Beach Blvd
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411
561-790-6291.