23rd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party Hosted By Sir Elton John And David Furnish Raised Just Over $5.8 Million For The Fight Against HIV/AIDS

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The 23^rd annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party hosted by Sir Elton John and David Furnish raised $5.8 million for the fight against HIV/AIDS. The gala, which took place on Sunday, February 22, at West Hollywood Park in Los Angeles, was sponsored by Chopard, Neuro Drinks, and Wells Fargo; American Airlines serves as the Foundation’s official airline. Attendees included Sir Elton John & David Furnish, Heidi Klum, Miley Cyrus, Alec Baldwin, Robert Duvall, Tim Allen, Aaron Paul, John Stamos, Chris Colfer, Beck, Lil’ Kim, Ryan Kwanten, Cloris Leachman, Judith Light, Rob Low, Moby, Lydia Hearst, Ozzy, Jack, Kelly & Sharon Osbourne, Petra Nemcova, Cody Simpson, Gigi Hadid, Dita VonTeese, Brittany Snow, Lisa Rinna & Harry Hamlin, Alessandra Ambrosio, Camilla Belle, Nina Dobrev, Sandra Lee, Jane Seymour, Sia, Russell Simmons, Bellamy Young, Sarah Hyland, The Band Perry, Julianne Hough, Maggie Grace, Peter Fonda, JC Chavez, Dermot Mulroney, Jonathan Groff, Chris Hardwick, Jared Harris, Eric McCormack, Giovani Ribisi, and Bryshere Y. Gray, among others.

Guests arrived at the Academy Awards Viewing Party for cocktails followed by a gala dinner and viewing of the 87^th Academy Awards® telecast. For a third consecutive year, Chef Gordon Ramsay, British celebrity chef, television personality, restaurateur, and holder of 14 Michelin stars, prepared an exquisite 5-course meal for guests.

The dinner was followed by a lively auction. Auction items included the Alex Prager photograph Sheryl: 2009; the Jeurgen Teller photograph of Joan Didion for the Celine Campaign Spring Summer 2015; the Stephen Somerstein print Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speaking to 25,000 Civil Rights Marchers at End of Selma To Montgomery, Alabama March. In Front of Alabama State House. March 25, 1965 - View of Rear of Head with Crowd of Marchers in Background; a Greg Gorman photograph and portrait sitting; an all-inclusive, four-night stay for four people at the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort; a five-day stay for four people at Steven Tyler’s Hawaiian Retreat; and two tickets to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party later that night.

Following the auction, Grammy winner Nile Rodgers & CHIC took the stage to perform several songs, including such favorites as “Le Freak,” “We Are Family,” “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsa, Yowsa, Yowsa),” “Everybody Dance,” and “Good Times.” Nile will be releasing the first CHIC single in 23 years on March 20th. The title of the song is “I’ll Be There.” The new CHIC album, It’s About Time, will be released summer of 2015. Both single and album are coming out on Warner Brothers Records.

In his remarks for the evening, EJAF Founder Sir Elton John thanked his guests for enthusiastically participating in the evening’s audience participation feature, which enabled guests to make gifts to the Foundation on the spot using their cell phones. Throughout the evening video messages from long-time EJAF supporters Neil Patrick Harris and Matt Lauer, as well as live messages from EJAF friends Alec Baldwin and Mike Myers, encouraged guests to text in pledges to support the Foundation’s urgent mission.

“What we’re able to do in just one evening continues to amaze me,” said Sir Elton. “Because of your generosity last year, we helped nearly 70,000 people across the U.S. and the Caribbean to receive regular HIV testing services. Because you cared, an additional 15,000 people were able to stay in continuous medical care, and nearly 12,000 achieved complete viral suppression. That’s an amazing achievement. And this year, we’re poised to do even more. Together, we’re making real progress against this epidemic by helping one person, one community, at a time. And it is not at all unrealistic to think that together we can end AIDS in our lifetime.”

Full Electronic Press Kit (EPK) and photos will be available at http://www.epklink.com/EJAFOscarParty2014.

Follow the Elton John AIDS Foundation on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/5321. And on Twitter @ejaforg.

ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION - At EJAF, we believe that AIDS can be beaten. We act on that belief by raising funds for effective programs and policies, and also by speaking out with honesty and compassion about the realities of people’s lives. Sir Elton John created EJAF over twenty years ago, first in the United States in 1992 and then in the United Kingdom in 1993. Through hard work and with the help of our network of kind, amazing, creative, and generous friends and supporters, the two foundations together have raised more than $321 million over the past two decades to combat stigma, prevent infections, provide treatment and services, and motivate governments to end AIDS. The U.S. foundation focuses its efforts on programs in the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean, while the U.K. foundation funds HIV-related work in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Join us in speaking out, taking action, and contributing to our efforts to achieve a world without AIDS. For more information, please visit www.ejaf.org.

CHOPARD Passion for excellence: Louis-Ulysse Chopard founded his own workshop in 1860 in Sonvillier, the Swiss Jura. Since 1963 Chopard is owned by the Scheufele family and its headquarters are located in Geneva. Internationally renowned for its watch and jewellery creations, the Group today employs 1950 people worldwide. It is independent and vertically very integrated, controlling the entire process from design to distribution through 1500 points of sale and 130 dedicated boutiques. Over 30 different crafts are practiced in 4 manufacturing sites with a strong emphasis on in-house training. Chopard has built its reputation on iconic collections such as “Happy Diamonds,” “Happy Sport,” and “Mille Miglia.” The firm is also heralded for its High Jewellery creations, fine watchmaking, and manufacturing expertise, which is expressed through the L.U.C collection.

According to two of its fundamental values, respect and social responsibility, Chopard is strongly committed to various philanthropic organizations and is setting a milestone for the luxury jewellery and timepiece industry by embarking on The Journey to Sustainable Luxury. The Journey is a multi-year program launched by Chopard at the Cannes Film Festival 2013 in partnership with Eco-Age and its creative director Livia Firth. Chopard has embarked in its mission by creating the High Jewellery “Green Carpet Collection” which sources Fairmined gold from businesses that are demonstrably committed to responsible, ethical, social and environmental practices. The Journey started with Chopard forging a philanthropic relationship with the influential South American mining NGO, the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM). Working alongside ARM, Chopard has begun to transform the lives of artisanal gold miners in small, remote South American community mines in Colombia, providing social welfare, education and training while protecting the natural resources and wildlife habitats they depend on. Chopard has become the first watches and luxury jewellery company to support and enable mining communities to reach Fairmined certification. This certification will provide a stable route to market and a fair deal for the miners and their communities when selling their gold.

Last but not least, Chopard is a faithful partner of the Cannes International Film Festival and legendary classic car events, such as the Mille Miglia in Italy and the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique. http://us.chopard.com

NEURO DRINKS neuro is an award winning line of great tasting drinks founded by Diana Jenkins in 2009 to offer you better choices in the beverage aisle and healthy, functional benefits with every sip. Each neuro drink contains a carefully crafted blend of naturally based ingredients designed to help you through every part of your day. Using only the highest quality elements from the world’s finest sources, neuro’s line includes neuro SONIC, a delicious drink for energy and mental focus; neuro BLISS, the scientifically proven drink to reduce stress and recenter your mind; neuro SLEEP, for the great night’s sleep you deserve; and neuro DAILY, a powerful Vitamin D based drink to help defend a healthy immune system. Each neuro drink has only 35 calories, contains no artificial flavors or colors, comes in a fun, fully recyclable, colorful designer bottle, and is widely available at top retailers nationwide. To find neuro in your area or learn more, please visit: www.drinkneuro.com

WELLSFARGO Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.5 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, and the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune’s 2013 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at blogs.wellsfargo.com

AMERICAN AIRLINES American Airlines Group (NASDAQ: AAL) is the holding company for American Airlines and US Airways. Together with wholly owned and third-party regional carriers operating as American Eagle and US Airways Express, the airlines operate an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to 339 destinations in 54 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. The American Airlines AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles programs allow members to earn miles for travel, vacation packages, car rentals, hotel stays and everyday purchases. Members of both programs can redeem miles for tickets as well as upgrades to First Class and Business Class. In addition, AAdvantage members can redeem miles for vacation packages, car rentals, hotel stays and retail products. American is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members and members-elect serve nearly 1,000 destinations with 14,250 daily flights to 150 countries. Connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines and follow US Airways on Twitter @USAirways

American Airlines is the official airline of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

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SOURCE Elton John AIDS Foundation