Jeff Mace

About Face

A 13-year-old is utilizing the power of a new media tool to raise money on behalf of his father, who has scleroderma. Matthew Mace, an 8th grader in New York, earlier this year created a group on FaceBook, the wildly popular social networking site, in honor of his dad, Jeff, who has had scleroderma since 1992. The goal was to reach 1,000 members, and as of two days ago, membership—which is free—was approaching 1,100.

Matthew, who recently celebrated his bar mitzvah, is using some of the money he garnered from that event, to donate to the Scleroderma Foundation. Matthew, along with two of his older, teenage cousins, will donate $1 for each member who joins the group. Plus, he has agreed to kick in an additional $20. So, if 1,200 members join, Matthew would donate $1,220 to the Foundation.

Here is the link to join the group www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2251239323. Joining is free.

Facebook has 34 million members worldwide, including 25 million in the U.S. Used primarily by adolescents and young adults, the online site enables individuals with common interests and affiliations to communicate with each other through instant messaging and stay abreast of current events. It is among the most popular Web sites in the world.