Love Heals 2013 Gala Raises $400,000 To Support AIDS Education!

On Thursday evening, March 7th, celebrities from the worlds of film, Broadway, fashion, and the media attended the gala for Love Heals, the Alison Gertz Foundation for AIDS Education raising $400,000 at the Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan. All proceeds from the evening directly support Love Heals’ efforts to protect the next generation of New Yorkers from HIV. The evening included a chic cocktail party, followed by a seated dinner and program emceed by InStyle’s Hal Rubenstein at which Dana Auslander, Richard Farley and Mary Alice Stephenson [below] were honored.

If I were not traveling, I certainly would have attended this event to support my friend Dini Von Mueffling, who is the co-founder of Love Heals. Dini shares, “This event is so particularly important to me because it is so intimate. Our supporters, new and old, get to hear the extraordinary message of Love Heals and its lifesaving work and are reminded that the AIDS crisis is not over. It may not be over, but Love Heals has never stopped fighting to reduce and one day prevent new HIV infections. It was also a privilege for us to honor three wonderful individuals – Mary Alice Stephenson, Richard Farley and Dana Auslander – for always being there when they are asked. I can’t tell you how many people have called and emailed me since Thursday to say how blown away they were by our speaker Jahlove and the work Love Heals does.”

Glamorous guests included: co-founders, Dini von Mueffling, Stefani Greenfield and Victoria Leacock Hoffman, actors Kelly Rutherford and Matthew Settle,  WABC news anchor Sade Baderinwa, CNN’s Felicia Taylor, Bloomberg’s Matt Miller, Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, Hannah Bronfman, Alexandra Lebenthal, Coralie Charriol Paul, Lucy Sykes & Euan Rellie, Ann Caruso, Avis Richards, Federico Pratesi of the luxury linen brand Pratesi, jewelry designers Landon Slane and Alexis Bittar,  clothing designer Susan Beischel of skin, interior designer Darren Henault, Vanessa von Bismark and Jean Shafiroff, among others.

Deepak Chopra [via video] and famed photographer reality show star Nigel Barker [below] presented Stephenson’s award. In a heartfelt speech, Stephenson was moved to tears when talking about the powerful accomplishments of Love Heals over the past 21 years.  Senator Chuck Schumer presented Farley’s award via video, and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg presented Auslander with her award. Following, award winning singer and actor Cheyenne Jackson [above] enchanted guests with his moving rendition of “What A Wonderful World” and “Auld Lang Syne” as a single song.

AIDS activist by day, and entertainer by night, speaker Jah Love ensured there was not a dry eye in the house with his empowering speech about living with HIV/AIDS and how his personal supporters and Love Heals encouraged him to use his story to advocate for the HIV/AIDS community. Love is currently featured in HIV Stops With Me, a national social marketing campaign seen throughout New York at bus stops and subway stations.

Emcee Hal Rubenstein [above] entertained guests throughout dinner and presided over an exciting auction that included: a St. Barth’s vacation with a round trip flight for two on a Tradewind Aviation premium scheduled flight, lodging in a luxury villa at Hotel Le Sereno, car rental, complimentary massages and dinners, White & Warren eye masks, and a $500 intimate apparel package from skin. The bidders went wild when an additional round trip flight for two to Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard was added mid-auction, netting $20,000 for the prize.

About Love Heals

Founded in 1992 to carry on the work of the late AIDS activist Ali Gertz, Love Heals empowers young people to become leaders by giving them the knowledge, skills and confidence to protect themselves and their communities from HIV. Love Heals’ HIV-positive speakers break down stigma and make the disease real for young people living in communities hardest hit by the epidemic. The leading provider of HIV/AIDS education in New York City public schools, Love Heals has partnered with more than 700 schools and community groups throughout the metropolitan area, educating and empowering nearly 600,000 young people, parents, guardians, educators, and community leaders.