PROVIDENCE – A well-known activist and philanthropist is to receive a posthumous honor from the AIDS Project Rhode Island this week.
The late Carl John “Guy” Abelson III, who died in 2015, will receive a Community Hero Award for his work on the AIDS Project’s Walk for Life and World AIDS Day events. Abelson, who served as events manager for Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, also worked closely with the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and City Year Providence.
Family members of Abelson plan to accept the Community Hero honor at the AIDS Project’s Red Ribbon Cocktail Party at the Ballroom at the Providence G on Feb. 20.
The event will kick off the nonprofit’s yearlong celebration of its 35th anniversary.
Abelson lent his fundraising connections and abilities to the group for years, its leaders say, and was a cheerful presence during the worst of the AIDS epidemic.
“Guy was positive, upbeat, worked hard and he showed up,” said Annie Silvia, executive director of the AIDS Project Rhode Island from 1984 to 1988. “He always offered up his restaurant space and his talent and any other resources he had to help the Project.”
In addition to his volunteer projects and work at the hospitals, Abelson previously spent time as an interior designer, restaurateur and event planner.
