Martie Gillin, founder of AIDS Alive and SpeakUp!, began her life in public service after the loss of her son Robert M. Gillin, Jr. (Bob). Together with friends, her husband and nine surviving children, Mrs. Gillin turned a personal tragedy into a vibrant vehicle of hope and comfort for HIV/AIDS patients and their families with the founding of her non-profit organization AIDS Alive. Since its inception, AIDS Alive has undertaken the simultaneous goals of raising awareness about the disease, while also supporting organizations that provide psychological, emotional and spiritual support for those infected and affected by AIDS.

In the process of delivering the AIDS Alive program to youth for over ten years, students consistently communicated to us a need for another program to help them better engage with parents and educators and develop the skills to deal with the issues that they confront on a daily basis. Accordingly, Martie, along with friends and family, developed the SpeakUp! model to confront their concerns. This began as a large group experience, which drew over 3,000 people over 3 years and evolved into a smaller onsite workshop and follow up series designed for each school. SpeakUp! brings together youth, educators and parents/guardians and promises to be one of Martie Gillin's most memorable contributions.

To read more about Martie Gillin’s education, awards, and achievements, click here.