Today, Kristen Lascoe is a Housing Advocate in Client Services at AIDS Action Committee, and the co-captain of Larry’s Team, AAC’s Walk Team, but her interest in making a difference the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS began many years ago.

When Kristen was a college freshman at Brandeis University, she was invited to attend a conference organized by the Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC), a national, Washington DC based organization working on college campuses throughout the country. During just one short weekend, her knowledge of issues surrounding the global HIV/AIDS epidemic sky-rocketed, and she couldn’t help but get involved. Kristen went on to become a chapter leader of SGAC, working to increase the level of discussion and understanding of HIV/AIDS on her campus, while also assisting on other projects such as fundraising to support AIDS orphans in Kenya, and successfully lobbying for HIV testing at her campus health center.

Eager to continue supporting those infected and affected by HIV after college, she began volunteering in the Meals Program at the Boston Living Center. Years later, you can still find Kristen there at brunch almost every Saturday, doing her part to help out in any way she can.

It is no wonder that her compassion for and interest in AIDS-related issues brought her to AIDS Action Committee. Beginning as an intern in the HIV Health Library, she was so drawn to the sense of acceptance that she experienced at AAC that she continued to volunteer after her internship ended, and went on to become a Housing Advocate in 2007.

Kristen has been a Walk team captain for 4 years, and this year she has taken on a new challenge, as co-captain of Larry’s Team. She is so inspired by the work that AIDS Action Committee does that she continues to rally friends, family, co-workers, SGAC members, and any other acquaintances she can find to participate in this cause that is so close to her heart. And her enthusiasm is contagious!

“Now, more than ever,” Kristen explains, “I am directly connected to those who benefit from the services of AIDS Action. Because I know them, I am honored to help lead an effort to support them through Larry’s Team.”

To visit Larry’s Team’s website, click here.