Amazing Aven's Quest for Amoeba Awareness

10/07/2026

28/06/2026

Many places will tell you they test for amoebas regularly and that their water is safe to swim in. This is in fact not possible!! To date there is no rapid test available to test for the presence of amoebas in freshwater. There is also no data currently on what concentration of amoebas may lead to infection. When Aven was confirmed to have been infected with Naegleria Fowleri I begged the state of NC to test the water. They flat out refused and told me that they knew amoeba would be present so testing would be irrelevant. We are currently funding a large grant that will hopefully make rapid same day testing a reality. For now Naegleria Fowleri must be assumed to be in ALL freshwater. Know the risks. One swim is not worth losing a loved one.

19/06/2026

Today’s Naegleria Nugget shows how the amoeba gets into the body and causes an infection. Naegleria Fowleri only enters the body through the nose where it travels up to the brain. It does not discriminate based off of age, gender or race however most cases have occurred in younger children or teens due to the nature of activities (jumping, splashing, wake boarding, inflatable obstacles courses, etc) in fresh water. Anyone who swims in freshwater is susceptible to infection and therefore taking a risks. Do not become another statistic.

12/06/2026

Naegleria Fowleri is in ALL freshwater. Lakes, rivers, ponds, hot springs and rock quarry water parks!!! Contrary to what some may say there is currently NO way to rapidly test or treat freshwater so anyone that says so is not being truthful. Temperatures are hot and Naegleria Fowleri is thriving. Do not become another statistic. Have fun this summer but Swim Safe. One swim is not worth losing a loved one. PAM is 99 percent fatal and 100 percent preventable!

05/06/2026

Our first “Naegleria Nugget” of the summer. Have fun this summer but swim safe and protect your loved ones. #

22/01/2026

A little recap of our 5th Annual toy drive and our first benefiting Neighbor to Neighbor. So many smiles, so much joy and so much goodness in honor of Aven. Thank you again to all of our donors and volunteers for helping us pull off this incredible event. With your generosity we made Christmas brighter for so many and our donations will continue to support Neighbor to Neighbor and their programming all year long.

19/11/2024

Our 4th Annual Amazing Avens Quest for for Amoeba Awareness Toy Drive is well underway! Scan the QR code or visit the link in the comments to have an item shipped directly to us.

In the last 4 years we have donated over $40,000 in gifts to children in the hospital at the holidays. Donate today to help us bring a smile to those in the hospital this Christmas in memory of Aven.

04/09/2024

We are gearing up once again for the "Cowboy Extravaganza" in support of Amazing Avens Quest for Amoeba Awareness. Aven's New York friends and family and Diamond D Performance Horses are teaming up to host this incredible event that will include Ranch Sorting and a Calcutta in addition to numerous chances to win some incredible prizes while also supporting the foundation.

The event will take place in Groveland, New York on September 21st and will include raffle items, auctions, and a chance to win 5 incredible raffle items with the purchase of a $10 raffle ticket.

If you are in Western NY we would love to see you on the 21st for what is certain to be a fun day! Join us in person to expereince the thrill of ranch sorting!

If you are unable to attend in person you may purchase $10 raffle tickets anytime leading up to the event. A $10 ticket provides you the chance to win 1/2 Angus Beef, Colorado Log Cabin Star Quilt, Wi******er 20 Gun safe, Yeti Roadie 32 Cooler and a Batavia Downs Gaming Getaway. Please reach out to me directly or any of our NY family if you would like to purchase a ticket.

We all know that Aven loved NY and loved farm life. There is no doubt in my mind that he loves this fundraiser more than just about anything that we do. Thank you to Diamond D performance Horses and our NY friends and family for your support! The funds raised at the Cowboy Extravaganza will help support us on our mission to prevent future tragedies caused by the amoeba naegleria fowleri. We hope to see many of you on the 21st!

09/08/2024

Aven's Acts of Kindness

Over the past 3 years on the anniversary of losing our Aven we have asked friends, family and total strangers around the world to spread joy and happiness through "random acts of kindness" in our sweet boys memory bringing a smile to someones face and helping to spread awareness about the deadly amoeba naegleria fowleri.

To participate its easy... 1st decide what you want to do to brighten someone's day. The possibilities are endless. We encourage you to get your families involved and come up with ideas together. Maybe its buying a stranger an ice cream cone after you pick your kids up from school, maybe its sending a note to an elderly neighbor to brighten their day, maybe its delivering cookies to the fire department or maybe its cleaning up a local park or greenway. Once you have decided on your act download and print the act of kindness cards from the link (found in the comments). Then cut off the small sheet on the left and leave it with your random act of kindness helping to spread awareness and letting others know the reason for the act of kindness. Then fill out the form on the right and upload a picture of your act and the card to social media at or email it to [email protected]

Over the last 3 years hundreds of acts of kindness have been completed in memory of our Aven. It truly brings a smile to our families face during what is undeniably a very hard week. We cant wait to see how many acts of kindness are completed this week in his honor.

Anyone who knew Aven knows he was always making people smile. It is our hope that through random acts of kindness this week many will smile and a life just might be saved by the awareness that will be spread.

01/08/2024

Friends, family and those local to the Raleigh area... Head on over to SONO SUSHI from now until the end of August!! This month they are featuring a "Quest Roll" and a Watermelon Mojito with $ from each purchase being donated back to our foundation to support our mission!

At the age of 6 Aven LOVED sushi and Sono Sushi was his most favorite restaurant! We are so honored that they have partnered along side of us the last few years to bring awareness to the deadly amoeba naegerlia fowleri and to help us raise money to support research and early diagnosis.

Throughout the month we hope you will enjoy a "Quest Roll" and a Watermelon Mojito at Sono and share stories about our sweet boy as we remember and honor Avens life and legacy. Thank you Sono for your support!