AIDS Healthcare Foundation: 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade float to honor Elizabeth Taylor
December 24, 2011 by Esteban Escobar
Filed under Business, Community, Featured, News, World News
On Thursday, December 22, 2011 AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) announced that its parade float entry, ‘Elizabeth Taylor: Our Champion,’ which AHF entered for consideration for the 123rd Tournament of Roses Parade was approved by Tournament officials and will be sailing down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California for all the world to see in the iconic parade Monday, January 2, 2012 starting at 8:00am Pacific Time (11am ET).
AHF’s parade float entry—the first in the 123-year history of the Tournament parade to focus on HIV/AIDS and the first-ever sponsored by the 25-year-old global AIDS organization—honors two-time Academy Award-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor for her tireless, nearly three decade-long advocacy and compassion on behalf of people with HIV/AIDS. Taylor, who died March 23rd at age 79, championed HIV and AIDS programs starting in the 1980s, she co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) in 1985 and the eponymous Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1993.
“Our Tournament of Roses Parade float is a tribute to someone who was more than a film star—Elizabeth Taylor was a real hero and one who truly deserves all the accolades she has received,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which provides medical care and services to more than 124,000 people in 26 countries around the globe. “Long before it was fashionable, she was there by our side—a singular and fearless champion for AIDS activism. She spoke truth to power on a variety of issues, and her organization, which had no overhead, helped fund AHF and other AIDS organizations in Los Angeles at a time when funding was hard to come by. For her to speak out and show her compassion really changed the game.”
Over the years AIDS Healthcare Foundation received several grants from the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF). These funds were specifically designated for AHF’s ‘Ithembalabantu’ Clinic (Zulu for ‘people’s hope’) in Durban, South Africa, which provides free lifesaving antiretroviral treatment to people with AIDS. The first of these grants came long before President George W. Bush created the US’ global AIDS program known as PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and at a time when treatment was not widely available in poor countries around the world. Just has she had in the earliest days of the epidemic, Ms. Taylor once again demonstrated real leadership in the fight against AIDS—this time, in helping to prove that treatment could and should be brought to those in need around the world.
“AHF’s ‘Our Champion’ float also serves as a reminder that, though Ms. Taylor bravely stood up for people living with HIV/AIDS at an important moment in history, the AIDS epidemic is still not over and there remains much work to be done,” added Weinstein.
Sale of ‘AHF Memory Flowers’ will help build AHF’s ‘Our Champion’ Float
In another potential first for the Tournament of Roses Parade, the public at large across the country and around the world will have a chance to contribute to the construction of AHF’s float honoring Elizabeth Taylor while also honoring memories of their own loved ones who have died. This week, AHF is kicking off a novel ‘Text to Donate’ fundraising campaign offering the sale of ‘AHF Memory Flowers.’ For a modest $5 dollar donation contributed via a cell phone text donation, a donor will have the name of a loved one who has died hand-written on a water vial holding one of the over 150,000 roses that will make up the Elizabeth Taylor float. The significance of the roses is that they will serve as “memory flowers”, honoring any “rose” in your life that you miss. To participate in the AHF Memory Flower living tribute honoring Elizabeth Taylor’s AIDS advocacy and your own loved one, simply text the word FLOWER and the NAME OF THE PERSON you are honoring to the text number 20222.
AHF’s ‘Elizabeth Taylor: Our Champion’ Parade Float
AHF’s ‘Elizabeth Taylor: Our Champion’ Parade Float has been designed by award winning float designer Raul Rodriquez and is being built by the respected and award-winning Fiesta Parade floats. The float will be made of 150,000 flowers and will take the form of an oversized red ribbon, the international symbol of AIDS, with a circling world globe. There will be photographs of Taylor from various stages in her life and career: from ‘National Velvet,’ her breakthrough film as a child; from the film, ‘Cleopatra;’ and an iconic photo from her later years when she was devoting much of her life to advocacy on AIDS. The photos will be largely be rendered in black and white, using seeds and grains to capture the effects of a black and white photo. At least one of the photos will have spot color, also rendered in seeds, grains and flowers: for her world famous eyes, and to color a small red AIDS ribbon pinned to her blouse.
“We are honored that the Executive Board of the Tournament of Roses approved our float this year and who better to honor than the late Dame Elizabeth Taylor for her leadership on AIDS,” added AHF’s Weinstein. “This year, the theme of the Tournament of Roses Parade is ‘Just Imagine.’ In honor and remembrance of Elizabeth, let’s imagine and work toward a world without AIDS.”
About AIDS Healthcare Foundation: AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and services to more than 124,000 individuals in 26 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific region and Eastern Europe. For more information visit www.aidshealth.org
Source: BusinessWire.com
Photo/graphic credit to: Business Wire
About Esteban "Steven" Escobar
Executive Editor In Chief, Director of Public/Media Relations & Community Affairs, Sales, Reporter, Webmaster & Graphic Designer Specialist. About Esteban “Steven” Escobar: Esteban A. Escobar (born in El Salvador, Central America on September 6th) is an Award Winning American (Journalist, reporter, editor, columnist, writer, producer, director, publicist, radio personality, accounts receivable specialist, humanitarian and philanthropist). Esteban is known as Steven Escobar. He is the Executive Editor-In-Chief of Diversity News Magazine, an online & special print consumer news magazine that is visited by close to two million visitors a month while growing each day. Esteban “Steven” Escobar is also Producer, Director of Diversity News TV, the host of Diversity News Radio, on Air with Steven Escobar and the President of Diversity News Publications, a news/entertainment multimedia firm in Hollywood, CA. Steven Escobar owns E.E.Enterprises and an affiliate of The Diversity News Publications Family of Companies. Steven Escobar is also the official Hollywood and Los Angeles County Events Examiner for Examiner.com and contributor for Yahoo.com distributed via Yahoo Voices. Steven Escobar also gives back to the community by helping charities, and since 2003 to the present, he has been raising money and awareness for AIDS Walk LA benefiting AIDS Project Los Angeles. Also in 2011 Steven Escobar raised money and awareness for The Life Group LA and volunteered for Exotifit For Humanity and The Human Rights Campaign Los Angeles Steering Committee. Steven was nominated for The Shorty Awards 2011 and the People’s Choice Fan Award 2012. In 2012 Steven Escobar receives the Humanitarian Award at the 2012 International Noble Awards. Also on June 2, 2012 Steven Escobar Received the Community and Humanitarian Services Award at Kayamanan ng Bayan for all his contributions to the Filipino American community in Southern California. On 12-12-12 Steven Escobar received Award for Most Fascinating Person of the Year 2012. On 2-22-2013 Steven Escobar is nominated for a 2013 EOTM Award (Entrepreneurs on the Move) for Outstanding Journalist and on April 25, 2013 receives nomination for 2013 EOTM Award for Outstanding Internet Radio. On April 4, 2013 Steven Escobar receives award for Diversity News TV “Best B-Roll." Yahoo.com names Steven Escobar the Hot 500 contributors during the month of March 2012 of Yahoo! Contributor Network. Steven Escobar currently resides in Los Angeles County in the City of Hollywood, CA. For more information visithttp://www.stevenescobar.diversitynewspublications.com, http://www.stevenescobar.blogspot.com or his IMDB at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4164655/
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