Fashion Cares 25 Announces 2012 Honourary Chairs

Fashion Cares Chairs Michael King and David Furnish today announced Jeanne Beker, Host of Bell Media's FashionTelevisionChannel, John Demsey, Chairman, M·A·C AIDS Fund and Group President, The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc., and Frank Giustra, President and CEO of Fiore Financial Corporation, as Honourary Chairs for Fashion Cares 25 - the spectacular silver anniversary fund-raising gala to be held on September 9, 2012.

Held at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts with creative direction by Fashion Cares pioneer Phillip Ing, the September event will present a dazzlingly theatrical evening of entertainment, fashion, and philanthropy and will feature an intimate dinner, a retrospective of the past 25 years of Fashion Cares, and a spectacular live show with performances by Sir Elton John and other high profile, international musicians. The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) and Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) will serve as beneficiaries of the event.

"David Furnish and I have set a clear objective for 2012 - to raise as much money as possible, and to make the 25th Fashion Cares Anniversary event our most successful and exciting to date. Today with the generous support of fashion industry icon Jeanne Beker and visionary corporate philanthropists John Demsey and Frank Giustra, we are one step closer to making that a reality," says King.

"While the world may have changed a lot in two and half decades, our spirits remain invincible when it comes to bringing attention to HIV/AIDS, and raising much needed funds. I'm proud to be a part of the legacy of Fashion Cares, and even more thrilled to be on board for this next exciting incarnation," said Jeanne Beker.

Frank Giustra went on to say "As a long-time supporter and friend of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, I am pleased and honoured to serve as an Honourary Chair for the silver anniversary of Fashion Cares. I look forward to helping make this the best and most successful Fashion Cares event ever, raising urgently needed dollars for HIV/AIDS initiatives across Canada."

"In the first 20 years, Fashion Cares became a hallmark event for HIV/AIDS awareness and fundraising in Toronto with the generous help of Phillip Ing, M·A·C's Vice President of Retail & Special Events. The M·A·C AIDS Fund has made almost 900 grants totaling nearly $20 million in Canada over the years. M·A·C Viva Glam is proud to return as the title sponsor of Fashion Cares 25 alongside former Viva Glam spokesperson, Elton John," concluded John Demsey.

Tickets for the event will be on sale beginning June 2012, with a complete list of performers to be announced in early spring.

Sir Elton John to headline Fashion Cares 25^th Anniversary Gala

The AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) and the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) will serve as beneficiaries of the spectacular silver anniversary fund-raising gala, Fashion Cares, to be held on September 9, 2012.

Chaired by Michael King and David Furnish, with cosmetics powerhouse M·A·C Viva Glam returning as title sponsor, the event will feature an intimate dinner, a retrospective of the past 25 years of Fashion Cares, and a spectacular live show with performances by Sir Elton John and other high profile, international musicians.

Held at Toronto’s Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, with creative direction by Fashion Cares pioneer Phillip Ing, the September event will present a dazzlingly theatrical evening of entertainment, fashion and philanthropy.

“2012 is going to be a very special year for Fashion Cares as we partner with the Elton John AIDS Foundation to transform Fashion Cares from a Toronto-based initiative into one that reaches and helps Canadians nationwide. We are truly blessed to have the help and support of friends like Sir Elton and David Furnish, the loyalty and commitment of our sponsors and benefactors, and the creative brilliance of an army of international performers, designers, models, makeup and hair professionals all coming together with a single objective in mind. That goal being to make a real difference by raising as much money as possible, and making the 25^th Fashion Cares Anniversary event our most successful and exciting to date,” says King.

“Fashion Cares been a mainstay of the AIDS Committee of Toronto for 25 years. Much has changed, but unfortunately the AIDS crisis is still here,” says Hazelle Palmer, Executive Director of ACT. “We’re lucky to have the support of a caring creative community that understands why it’s important to continue the fight.”

Providing ACT with much needed financial support for their work in response to HIV/AIDS, Fashion Cares 25 will also benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which will utilize the funds from the event to support innovative front-line Canadian HIV/AIDS charities.

“I consider myself an honorary Canadian, and I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to vital programs across Canada through this partnership,” says Sir Elton John. “For both my foundation and ACT, Fashion Cares 25 provides an opportunity to pay tribute to those we have lost and to send an important message: HIV/AIDS are still prevalent both in Canada and throughout the world.”

“Canada is my home,” adds Fashion Cares 25 co-chair and EJAF chair David Furnish. “The Elton John AIDS Foundation has supported HIV/AIDS programs in Canada since its inception, and we are very pleased to have this opportunity to partner with Fashion Cares to raise urgently needed dollars for HIV prevention, stigma reduction, treatment, and service programs in Canada.”

Since 1987, Fashion Cares has contributed nearly $12 million dollars to HIV/AIDS programs and has been supported by some of Canada’s most successful corporations such as M·A·C Cosmetics, a long-time leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

“BMO is proud to be back for our 12^th year supporting this important fund-raising event," says Nada Ristich, Director Corporate Donations, BMO Financial Group. "As Co-chair of the Legacy committee along with Christopher Grimston [of Alibi Entertainment], we look forward to honoring the past, the present, and the future of this event and the important role it has played funding services and providing awareness concerning a disease that continues to be as prevalent today as it was 25 years ago."

Tickets for the event will be on sale beginning March 2012, with a complete list of performers to be announced in early spring.

About Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF)

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) was established as a non-profit organization in the United States in 1992 and as a registered charity in the United Kingdom in 1993 by Sir Elton John. Together, both entities have raised more than $225 million for programs in 55 countries around the globe since inception. Today, the Foundation is one of the world's leading non-profit HIV/AIDS organizations supporting innovative HIV prevention programs, efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and direct care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. The U.S. organization’s current grant-making priorities target HIV prevention programs throughout the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean; HIV prevention and care services for highly marginalized and vulnerable populations; and HIV/AIDS prevention education and the promotion of sexual health for adolescents. For more information, please visit www.ejaf.org.

About the M·A·C AIDS Fund

The M·A·C AIDS Fund, the heart and soul of M·A·C Cosmetics, was established in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. MAF is a pioneer in HIV/AIDS funding, providing financial support to organizations working with underserved regions and populations. As the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical giver in the arena, MAF is committed to addressing the link between poverty and HIV/AIDS by supporting diverse organizations around the world that provide a wide range of services to people living with HIV/AIDS. To date, MAF has raised $235 million (U.S.) exclusively through the sale of M·A·C’s VIVA GLAM Lipstick and Lipglass donating 100 percent of the sale price to fight HIV/AIDS. For more information visit http://www.macaidsfund.org. The M∙A∙C AIDS Fund supports organizations in Toronto including: The Stephen Lewis Foundation, AIDS Committee of Toronto, Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black CAP), Casey House, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Fife House, LOFT Community Services, and Toronto People with AIDS Foundation.

BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly-diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $477 billion as at October 31, 2011, and more than 47,000 employees, BMO Financial Group provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions. In 2011, BMO Financial Group donated $66.4 Million in donations and sponsorships to support charities, not-for-profit organizations, community groups and events in Canada and the United States.

Fashion Cares 25 Announces 2012 Honourary Chairs

Sir Elton John to headline Fashion Cares 25th Anniversary Gala

Sir Elton John to headline Fashion Cares 25^th Anniversary Gala