NEW YORK, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The seventh annual Delete Blood Cancer Gala held on May 1 at Cipriani Wall Street broke all records of previous years and raised $3.7 million to support the fight against leukemia and other blood-related cancers. The money raised jointly by Coty Inc., a leading global beauty company, and Delete Blood Cancer, part of the world's largest bone marrow donor center, will help register 55,000 new bone marrow donors and help patients worldwide. Over the past 20 years, Delete Blood Cancer DKMS has registered over 3.5 million donors and has facilitated more than 35,000 lifesaving transplants around the world.
During the star-studded event, Glenda Bailey, editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, presented the "Delete Blood Cancer Award" to Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, co-founder, artistic director and EVP of OPI Products, for her outstanding commitment to the cause. Pop star Katy Perry presented designer Vera Wang with the award, which Wang shared with actress Leighton Meester for their promotion of Delete Blood Cancer's Share the Love campaign encouraging people to get swabbed and register as bone marrow donors. Katharina Harf, co-founder of Delete Blood Cancer and co-host of the event, presented the honor to the "Gossip Girl" actress. TV personality and celebrity designer Nate Berkus co-hosted the Gala.
After the award presentations, the event featured unforgettable live performances by Grammy Award-winning artists Jill Scott and Lady Antebellum.
The emotional highlight of the evening came during a miracle moment when donor recipient Darien Craig, a 19-year-old from Nashville who's known as the "Fighter," met the donor who saved her life. Darien and her mother, Tina, were overwhelmed with joy and gratitude, and then surprised when the identity of the donor was revealed: It was Evander Holyfield Jr., son of the boxing icon. Evander Holyfield appeared on stage with his son to help present a special gift to Darien.
"All of us in the Coty family have been committed to supporting Delete Blood Cancer for the last several years, and each year we deliver infinite support from Coty employees, partners and supporters. It is always wonderful to see the generosity expressed for this cause," said Michele Scannavini, CEO, Coty Inc., and co-chair of the event.
"Having the opportunity to introduce a Delete Blood Cancer donor to the recipient whose life he saved stresses the importance of what we do. We are so grateful to Coty, our legacy corporate sponsor who helps make this all possible," said Katharina Harf.
Also in attendance for the black-tie gala event were Anastasia Ganias ("True Blood"), Anja Rubik (model), Coco Rocha ("The Face"), Derek Lam (designer), Glenda Bailey (Harper's Bazaar), Georgia May Jagger (model), Julie Henderson (model), L.P. (musical artist), Lindsey Vonn (Olympic skier), Dr. Mary Horowitz, among others.
Since the formation of the partnership in 2006, Coty Inc. has aligned itself with Delete Blood Cancer and its mission to save lives by recruiting bone marrow donors for blood cancer patients. Coty joined Delete Blood Cancer-DKMS in October 2006 in the fight against leukemia, one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Leukemia also touched Coty Inc. in a very personal manner in 1991, when the wife of longtime Coty Inc. Chairman Peter Harf succumbed to the disease. In the United States, more than 140,000 people are diagnosed with a blood cancer each year and over 50,000 die from these cancers. Among children, leukemia is the leading cause of cancer death.
All proceeds from the seventh annual Delete Blood Cancer Gala will go directly to enrolling lifesaving bone marrow donors and furthering advancements in cancer treatment and care.
For more information on Delete Blood Cancer visit www.deletebloodcancer.org
About Delete Blood Cancer
Delete Blood Cancer started with one family's search for a bone marrow donor and is today part of the world's largest bone marrow donor center. We have helped register more than 3.5 million potential donors and facilitated over 35,000 life-saving transplants around the world. But we're not stopping there. Every day we lead the fight against blood cancer by working with families, communities and organizations to recruit more donors and provide more patients with second chances at life. Delete Blood Cancer-DKMS Americas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information or to register as a bone marrow donor, please visit www.deletebloodcancer.org.
About the Coty-Delete Blood Cancer/DKMS: Linked Against Blood Cancer Partnership
In October 2006, Coty Inc., an emerging global leader in beauty, joined Delete Blood Cancer-DKMS as its founding corporate sponsor in the fight against blood cancer, by establishing the Coty-Delete Blood Cancer/DKMS: Linked Against Blood Cancer partnership. Coty has leveraged its strong celebrity partnerships to raise awareness of the disease and help recruit thousands of donors around the world. Additionally, Coty has assisted Delete Blood Cancer-DKMS in establishing independent Delete Blood Cancer-DKMS organizations in the U.S., Poland and the U.K., with plans to open more offices across the globe. Leukemia, a blood cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide, personally affected the Coty family when the wife of longtime Coty Chairman Peter Harf succumbed to the disease in 1991.
Contact:
Cysette Burset
Tel.: +1 212 479 4549