Bay Area Young (BAY) Positives Receives $2500 eBay Foundation Champion A Charity Grant For Live-Chat HIV Prevention and Education Program.

San Francisco - November 7, 2006 - eBay Foundation recently awarded BAY Positives a $2500 "CHAMPION A CHARITY" grant in support of the agency’s innovative youth focused HIV prevention and education live-chat program.

BAY Positives became the first known HIV youth agency to incorporate a live-chat feature to its website in April, 2006. The live-chat feature is popular among young adults since they can have a confidential real-time chat with a trained health educator who will respond to them in a non-judgmental, sex-positive manner.

eBay Foundation’s "CHAMPION A CHARITY" program encourages employees to become involved with and advocate funding for non-profit organizations that work to improve the quality of life for all. Andy Veluswami, an eBay employee and former agency board member "championed" for the new program.

Since 1990, BAY Positives has been committed to reducing the number of new HIV infections in young people. BAY Positives became the world’s first peer based non-profit agency to support HIV positive youth 26 and under. The agency pioneered youth focused internet outreach in 2002 in response to the increase in HIV/STD infections stemming from online encounters.

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