Hey, Avril Lavigne Is Back and She's Got Charity T-shirts to Fight Lyme Disease

By Joseph Myers

Aside from concerts and occasional public relations appearances, musicians tend to be islands with respect to interacting with the public, but Avril Lavigne, whose 2002 debut album, “Let Go,” singled her out as a skater punk star, has again proven rare by saying “I’m With You” to those outside her inner circle. Through Friday, the singer is using her eponymous foundation to assist fellow fighters against Lyme disease, with charity T-shirts leading the cause.

The 34-year-old performer has enjoyed considerable commercial success since the release of the aforementioned disc, which spawned three Billboard Hot 100 top-10 singles. However, health-wise, she has had a complicated go of late due to the infectious, tick-borne illness. Her career and physical wellness have come to enjoy a long-sought reunion, though, as Lavigne will next year unveil “Head Above Water,” her first album in what will be more than five years, and it is the same-named single from the comeback effort that is inspiring the charitable garment.

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Originally set to conclude October 15, the T-shirt campaign has received an 11-day extension, with the Grammy Award-nominated singer teaming with the LymeLight Foundation (excellent wordplay, by the way) and the Global Lyme Alliance to “provide direct treatment for individuals affected by Lyme who otherwise couldn’t afford it.”

Featuring the tune and album’s combined promotional artwork, the 100 percent ring-spun cotton unisex apparel item continues Lavigne's quest to bolster her foundation’s partner organizations. The last three years have seen her endow the LymeLight Foundation with more than $175,000 through her birthday donation campaigns, so it stands to reason that the $24.99 shirt, owing to its sales extension, will prove a very lucrative way for her to advance the organization’s mission.

Lavigne has also added a social media component to this year’s altruistic measure, as end-users who place T-shirt selfies on Instagram will have a chance to score an autographed shirt from the chart-topping artist. Though the link mentions October 15 as the deadline, the cutoff for purchasing the charity T-shirts, as mentioned earlier, is Friday.