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CELEBRITIES RAISE HIV/AIDS AWARENESS FOR amfAR’S Epic Ride to Life Ball
amfAR and LIFE+ Collaborate on Star-Studded Motorcycle Rally from Zürich to Vienna to Mark 25th Edition of Life Ball, Europe’s Premier Benefit Supporting People with HIV/AIDS
NEW YORK, NY – May 23, 2018 – amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, has partnered with LIFE+, organizers of the renowned Life Ball, for “amfAR’s Epic Ride to Life Ball,” an HIV/AIDS awareness motorcycle rally to mark the 25th anniversary of Europe’s largest HIV/AIDS fundraising event. Beginning in Zürich, Switzerland, on May 30, 2018, the four-day ride will culminate in Vienna, Austria, on June 2.
Leading the ride is Kevin Robert Frost, Chief Executive Officer at amfAR, one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of HIV/AIDS research, prevention, treatment education and advocacy. He will be joined by longtime supporters of amfAR and the fight against HIV/AIDS: Adrien Brody, Ian Bohen, JR Bourne, Michiel Huisman, Gilles Marini, Katee Sackhoff and Chris Salgardo. The riders will traverse 1,131 kilometers (703 miles) of the majestic Alpine terrain of Switzerland and Austria, before rumbling up to the grand Vienna City Hall to participate in the 25th Life Ball opening ceremony.
Thousands of spectators are expected at the Life Ball opening ceremony – “An Homage to ‘The Sound of Music’”, which will feature performances, inspirational speeches and celebrity appearances by Paris Jackson and Charlize Theron, among others.
“The 25th anniversary of Life Ball marks a major fundraising milestone on the road to eradicating HIV and AIDS, and we look forward to making some noise with our motorcycles to draw attention to the fact that the epidemic is far from over,” said amfAR’s CEO Kevin Robert Frost. “As one of the earliest partners of Life Ball, we are enormously proud to partner with LIFE+ and grateful for their passionate support over the years, particularly for amfAR’s TREAT Asia programs.”
“The amfAR Epic Ride to Life Ball truly adds a unique and important layer of raising AIDS awareness leading up to the 25th Life Ball,” said Gery Kezsler, chairman of LIFE+ and Life Ball’s organizer. “We are proud to continue our support of amfAR’s TREAT Asia program in ensuring that young people with HIV in Asia are receiving the highest quality care and support possible. Focusing on programs for children and young adults is critical for a future generation without HIV/AIDS.”
A portion of the proceeds from Life Ball will support amfAR’s TREAT Asia Pediatric HIV/AIDS Initiative, which focuses on improving the health and lives of children and adolescents living with HIV across the Asia-Pacific region. Over more than a decade, LIFE+ has provided more than $6 million through Life Ball to the Pediatric Initiative, and has been a critical partner in improving treatment and care for young people living with HIV in Asia and the Pacific.
Key partners for the amfAR Epic Ride to Life Ball are: Gilead Life Sciences, Red Bull, BMW Motorrad, Barbour and Hedon.
amfAR and LIFE+ invite all to be a part of the Epic Ride to Life Ball: Press and the public are welcome at the following stops:
- Wednesday, May 30, 2018 (Zürich, Switzerland): “amfAR Epic Ride to Life Ball” Kick-Off Press Conference
- TIME: 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM CEST
- Location: Dolder Grand Hotel, Kurhausstrasse 65, 8032 Zürich, Switzerland
- Thursday, May 31, 2018 (Wattens, Switzerland): Swarovski Crystal of Hope Award Event
- TIME: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM CEST
- Location: Swarovski Crystal Worlds, Kristallweltenstraße 1, 6112 Wattens, Austria
- Friday, June 1, 2018 (Salzburg, Austria): Life Ball Plane Touch Down at Salzburg International Airport
- TIME: 7:00 AM CEST
- Riders will meet and greet with celebrities and other VIPs from LifeBall chartered plane
- Saturday, June 2, 2018 (Vienna, Austria):
- International Press Conference
- Time: 11 AM – 12:30 PM CEST
- Location: Albertina Museum, Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria
- LIFE+ Solidarity Gala
- Time: 6 PM – 8:00 PM CEST
- Location: Vienna City Hall, Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria
- Opening Ceremony
- Time: 9:30 PM – 11:45 PM CEST
- Location: Vienna City Hall, Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria
Follow amfAR’s Epic Ride to Life Ball on social media using #BeEpic and send amfAR and the riders messages of support on their epic journey:
To find out more about the amfAR Epic Ride to Life Ball, amfAR’s TREAT Asia, or how to get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS, please visit www.amfar.org.
About amfAR:
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and advocacy. Since 1985, amfAR has invested more than $517 million in its programs and has awarded more than 3,300 grants to research teams worldwide.
About Life Ball
Life Ball was the first AIDS charity event worldwide to take place in a governmental building, the Vienna
City Hall, which still remains the ball’s venue. Since its premiere in 1993, Life Ball has been actively
fighting the taboo of HIV and AIDS in society. Thus, life is celebrated at a glamorous party every year
during Life Ball. Furthermore, discrimination and intolerance are rejected, and a loud signal for the fight
against HIV and AIDS is transmitted, which may be heard far beyond national boundaries. Life Ball has been organized by AIDS LIFE, now named LIFE+, an independent non-profit association founded in 1992. Its mission: to raise public awareness for HIV and AIDS, to light a beacon of solidarity with people affected by HIV/AIDS and to generate as much funds as possible to support help-projects in the world’s most affected regions. As Austria’s biggest fund-raiser for HIV/AIDS projects, LIFE+ and its work has gained an important status on an international level as well. In the report Philanthropic Support to Address HIV/AIDS in 2016 by Funders Concerned About AIDS, LIFE+ was ranked 13th of all European fundraisers.
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