Almost 50 people crowded into Georgetown’s ALDO shoe store Wednesday to catch a glimpse of actress Ashley Judd and “American Idol” finalist Kimberly Locke, who stopped by the store to promote AIDS awareness.
Judd and Locke sat behind the store’s counter to sign autographs for fans who purchased $5 “empowerment” dog tags, the proceeds of which went to benefit the international Youth AIDS organization, which seeks to educate and protect people from the ages of 15-24 from the global pandemic of the immune disease AIDS.
“I just wanted to support a good cause,” Georgetown University junior Catherine Lally said. “I think the whole campaign is a great idea.”
The tags are part of the Youth AIDS international campaign in partnership with ALDO stores around the world. The campaign features support from celebrities such as Judd, Locke, L.L. Cool J and Christina Aguilera, in an effort to dispel the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS, and protect the world’s youth from contracting the disease.
The store is selling four different versions of the tags, each of which is engraved with the words “see,” “hear,” “speak” or the AIDS ribbon, based on the proverb “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” ALDO employee Israel Geddi said the Georgetown store has been selling out of the necklaces, which have been on sale since the campaign kicked off in August.
“We’ve been selling,” Geddi said. “People come in and ask about the tags and we explain that the proceeds go to AIDS and sometimes they buy four or five.”
While some people stepped into the store to see a famous face, others came by to support the Youth AIDS cause.