NEW YORK, Dec. 1 Keeping true to the company's long-standing dedication to HIV/AIDS, makeup artists in the Tri-State area will roll up their sleeves and take off their brush belts to participate in volunteer efforts today, in a company-wide effort to commemorate World AIDS Day. The volunteer initiative -- part of a worldwide effort including makeup artists in 56 North American cities and 24 countries -- is being organized to complement the artists' commitment to the global fight against HIV/AIDS and to strengthen their connection to the company's philanthropic arm, the MAC AIDS Fund (MAF), and its grantees.
Advertisement
MAC artists from the New York area are donating their time and skills to local organizations dedicated to improving the well-being of residents affected by HIV/AIDS. Artists will package homemade meals for people living with HIV/AIDS at God's Love We Deliver, one of the first organizations to receive a grant from the MAC AIDS Fund and the recipient of grants totaling more than $1.3 million. MAC employees and their children will also volunteer at Bailey House, a MAC AIDS Fund grantee since 1999, baking cupcakes and painting a mural to honor those affected by HIV/AIDS.
Advertisement
"Volunteering and giving back to the HIV/AIDS community has always been a source of pride at MAC," said Keri Blair, MAC Cosmetics Senior Artist. "Today's company-wide volunteer day is allowing us to match our everyday fundraising through the sale of our Viva Glam products, which benefit HIV/AIDS programs, with hands-on work at organizations in our community that are making a difference."
The volunteer effort will be complemented by a one-day in-store promotion at New York's Harlem, Flatiron and Columbus Avenue stores, where 100 percent of the sales for all Viva Glam lipstick and lipglass, which retail for $14, will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the MAC AIDS Fund. The top-selling store will receive a two-to-one match. Funds will be donated to UNICEF and Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity, a South Africa-based organization helping communities build capacity to care for orphaned and vulnerable children.
The WAD promotion doubles MAC's usual philanthropic commitment, which directs 100 percent of the sales price of its Viva Glam line of lip products to the MAC AIDS Fund to benefit grantees in more than 67 countries. To date, the company has given away more than $150 million to fight HIV/AIDS.
"Every time a MAC employee creates, designs, packages, ships or sells a Viva Glam lipstick or lipglass, they are helping to save and improve the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS," said Nancy Mahon, Senior Vice President of MAC Cosmetics and Executive Director of the MAC AIDS Fund. "Our employees around the world are critical to the success of our programs. Extending this effort to include volunteering on World AIDS Day is a new tradition of which I am very proud."
Around the world, MAC employees are giving back in a variety of ways. In Australia, artists will volunteer at the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, which has received $1,041,281 AUD since 2001 from MAC AIDS Fund Australia. MAC volunteers in Spain will work with Apoyo Positivo, which has received more than $250,000 from the in-country MAC affiliate. Other participating MAC affiliates are Austria, Chile, Peru, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, UK, Venezuela, Italy, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
About the MAC AIDS Fund
The MAC AIDS Fund (MAF), the heart and soul of MAC 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 in underserved regions and with underserved populations. As the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical funder 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 more than $150 million USD exclusively through the sale of MAC's Viva Glam lipstick and lipglass, donating 100 percent of the sale price to fight HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit www.macaidsfund.org.
Contact:Heather [email protected]. 965. 6337
SOURCE MAC AIDS Fund
