Friday, March 20, 1998

Business owner finds time for local charity

Editor's Note: This is the ninth in a weekly series about figures in the State College community. This article focuses on Dana Neil Arvin, a local business owner and event chairwoman of the Red Ribbon AIDS Walk.

By MARY ROBB
Collegian Staff Writer

She balances a busy State College business, a family -- including a son in first grade who needs the occasional sick day at home with his mom -- and donates much of her time to various philanthropic organizations such as the Easter Seals Society and the Special Olympics.

But when The AIDS Project, 315 S. Allen St., called and asked her to be the event chairwoman of its first Red Ribbon AIDS Walk, an event that would be starting from the ground up and require a lot of work, Dana Neil Arvin said "yes."

Dana Neil Arvin, member of The AIDS Project (Collegian Photo/Christopher M. Mortensen - click for full size image)

"When I began to get involved, I thought 'Oh man, this is such a controversial issue.' But for me, I have a little boy in the first grade, and I decided that I can't expect him or anyone else to always make good decisions, unless they've got the best information available," she said. "I was concerned that if I didn't try to get some good information out there, then who would?"

Energetic and friendly, Arvin has a long history of helping out in State College. She has lived in State College for 30 years, and since opening a business with her husband, Van Arvin, she has been active in the community.

The Arvins own T's Custom Printing, 116 S. Pugh St. The business does silk-screening and printing for many University Greek and athletic organizations, as well as area charities and philanthropic projects. Through these projects, Arvin has gotten to know area issues and often ended up volunteering her time. This is how she got involved with Red Ribbon AIDS Walk, and became the event's chairwoman.

"This was brand new, and it was kind of frightening at first to try and put it together from scratch," she said. "But I just said 'We can make this happen.' "

The walk, an effort to further educate the community about AIDS, will take place April 19.

"Our idea was to get awareness out there, make Penn State and State College communities aware that AIDS is not a gay issue, it is a human and family issue, period -- AIDS affects everyone," she said.

Between her business, the AIDS Walk, her participation in various charities and Penn State events and of course her husband and her son, Cole, Arvin is a very busy woman. She said she is able to balance everything with the help of a strong support system.

"It is only due to my family, my parents and my employees that I can do any of this," she said.

But just because she gets a lot done doesn't mean her life is always perfectly organized, Arvin added.

"I would not recommend anyone running their lives like this," she said. "I operate from crisis to crisis. If I were organized I would be dangerous."