One Man’s Compelling Vision
Photography: Timothy Thimmes
Thoughts of making a difference gnaw at many of us. And though we may end up with tooth marks on our consciences, rarely do such thoughts bite hard enough to make us do something. Local Cole Capener is the exception. Six years ago, this Park City man sensed a shortage of psychic rewards within himself and took action. Because of his efforts, today people on the other side of the world are living instead of dying.
Capener chose to leave a thriving law practice in California to do something for humanity in the area of HIV/AIDS awareness, treatment and prevention. And, he adds with a grin, “To atone for my many sins as a lawyer.” He realized one of the world’s gravest problems concerned the number of children living as orphans in sub-Saharan Africa due to their parents’ deaths from AIDS, so he created SAFE, Saving African Families Enterprise. The non-profit, all-volunteer organization is dedicated to providing antiretroviral treatment to mothers, fathers, and children who are living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and to helping prevent the spread of the disease through educational campaigns.
From SAFE’s first efforts to purchase medicine for HIV/AIDS parents, the organization’s projects have expanded and now include providing small loans to help HIV/AIDS individuals engage in income-generating activities. According to Capener, Zimbabwe suffers from a 1,600 percent annual inflation rate and a 70-plus percent unemployment rate.
“This past year I started thinking about the ties between HIV and poverty and the link there and how these good people we had provided medicine for were thriving on a health basis, but were often challenged by this horrible economic environment,” explains Capener. Inspired by Muhammad Yunus, recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his creation of the microcredit concept, Capener turned his thoughts into a plan. Now SAFE and the Zambuko Trust in Zimbabwe are providing small loans to an HIV/AIDS support group made up of individuals who have received medicine from SAFE.
For Capener (who uses his own money to travel to Zimbabwe frequently), no contribution to SAFE is too small, a point he emphasizes by citing one of his favorite quotes by Edmund Burke: “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”
For more information about SAFE (a 501 (c) (3)) or to make a donation, visit www.safeinformation.org or call Cole Capener at 435.615.8821.
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