Spotlight on Shelbie Bruce

Acting and Beyond
What it’s like to act, sing and serve the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation.

by Shelbie Bruce

When I started modeling at 6 years old, my family and I had no idea that it would lead to a starring role in a major motion picture, my own perfume and an accessories line that I helped design.

The last few years have been an exciting whirlwind starting with shooting the movie Spanglish with Adam Sandler. In Spanglish, I play Cristina, the daughter of a Mexican housekeeper. My role doubles as, basically, the mother’s designated translator, as mother-daughter duo attempts to understand the American employers and their lavish way of life.

While getting a role in any movie is an honor, to land a lead role in a James L. Brooks’s film was incredibly special for my first movie. Additionally, I truly identified with my character. My grandparents don’t speak English, causing me to spend a lot of time translating for them as Cristina does for her mother. I also had to move from our simple life in Texas to our new life in Los Angeles, so I can relate to how overwhelmed Cristina was by her new surroundings.

Adjusting to life in Los Angeles was difficult because it is very different from San Antonio, where we had lived for nine years. My parents were worried about the move. But, in the end, they decided that my brother and I wanted the opportunity to pursue our acting. My parents have helped us to adjust and stay grounded. We do everything together as a family, and I think that is why we have been able to continue to live the same way we did in Texas.

With the successes that I have been blessed with, my parents have encouraged me to find ways to give back to the community and use my name to help others. In early 2006, I was approached by the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation (www.CAAF4kids.org) to act as the honorary chair of the Foundation’s Junior Committee: a group that provides the opportunity for young adults to take a leadership role within the Foundation.

As an actress, it truly has been an honor for me to be involved with the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation and help bring awareness to a devastating disease that affects millions of children worldwide.

The U.S. Government estimates that there are approximately 10,000 to 15,000 American children currently infected with HIV, and nearly 80,000 have been orphaned by the AIDS-related death of their parent. Worldwide, there are more than 13 million children orphaned because of AIDS.

Founded in 1993, the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation provides grants to community-based non-profit organizations that offer emotional and physical care for AIDS affected children. This assistance includes activities that many of us often take for granted including summer camps, parties, medical care and basic necessities such as food, transportation and clothing.

Members of the Junior Committee, who range in age from 12 to 18, help with opportunities for teen involvement including performing volunteering and community service work, serving as spokespeople, identifying projects for groups of teens and schools and advising the Foundation on the development of materials for teen volunteers.

Prior to being approached by the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, I was already aware of some of the issues surrounding adults infected by the disease, but I was saddened to learn the devastation that the disease had on children. After meeting Foundation representatives and learning more, I knew I wanted to become involved.

Recently, I attended the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation’s 13th Annual Dream Halloween fundraiser. This amazing event took place in Los Angeles with similar events happening in Chicago and here in New York. Each year, the Foundation organizes a Halloween fantasyland where kids and their families come dressed in their best costumes to trick-or-treat for candy and toys, explore haunted mazes and enjoy really great food. The events have raised more than $25 million for the Foundation since 1993.

This year, I was able to contribute to their fundraising goals by helping to auction off a one-of-a-kind Polly Pocket doll that Mattel, Inc., one of the Foundation’s largest contributors, created in my image. The doll was beautiful! Mattel modeled it after my look at the premiere of my movie Spanglish. The winner of the doll also got to keep the dress! It was a thrilling moment when the doll started a bidding frenzy during the auction and ultimately sold for $4,500.

The Dream Halloween event raised more than $1 million to help children affected and infected by HIV and AIDS. Teens and tweens can make a difference too. At the Dream Halloween event, Kelsey Cannata, a high school senior and a Junior Committee member, helped recruit volunteers from her school to aid in decorating the venue and handing out candies at the trick-or-treat stations. Their help directly contributed to the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation’s fundraising goal and was a great way for the high schoolers to hang out with other kids who are passionate about making a difference.

After experiencing this great year with the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, I am looking forward to working more closely with the Foundation and the Junior Committee, especially in my projects that my whole family can be involved in.

Currently, I have an accessories line that is in all Claire’s stores nationwide and my own perfume through Revelations Perfumes and Cosmetics. Of course, I also have acting and school to keep me busy. Yet, no matter how busy I am, I know how important it is to find the time to get involved and help make a difference in other people’s lives— and that’s what really helps keep me grounded.

To learn more and get involved with the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, visit www.CAAF4kids.org.