Many Staples kids whipped out their iPhones, switched the camera to take a selfie and snapped a picture. Now, this may sound like any other day, but every Snapchat sent with the “World Aids Day” filter immediately became a $3 donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.

A new era for Snapchat has emerged, which has taken many students’ favorite social media platform and made it into an easy way to make a palpable change in the lives of others.

“I used the filter, but I had no idea that it had this kind of power,” Kate Lewis ‘18 said.

This was the first time ever that Snapchat has involved itself with a fundraising event through the activity of its users, and the results were a huge success. The Gates foundation has donated three million dollars (If you do the math, that’s one million snapchats sent with their filter in a 24 hour period) to the (RED) foundation, which will use the proceeds to help continue to raise awareness, educate others about the disease, and of course work towards curing AIDS more.

According to the foundation, “Over 60 million [have been] impacted by global fund grants that (RED) supports.”

Jimmy Kimmel has partnered with (RED) to design these filters and promote AIDS awareness. Other celebrities’ names filled the screens of these filters as well, with household names such as Tiesto and Jared Leto. Along with celebrities, many stores have also partnered with the foundation to sell various gifts and apparel that feature the unmissable, bold, (RED) label.

Even famous architectural landmarks demonstrate their support for the foundation and the day by lighting up red. The Empire State building, the Sydney opera house, and the Eiffel Tower have all participated in this event.

The World Health Organization estimates that over 25 million people live with HIV/AIDS in Saharan Africa alone.

Along with the encouragement through Snapchat filters, health classes such as Ms. Ross’s class watched the movie Philadelphia, a dramatized version of the court case that brought AIDS discrimination into the forefront of health issues and prejudice in America.