Local volunteer team is part of a 24-country initiative of Hundreds of MAC employees extending the work of the MAC AIDS Fund

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Keeping true to the company's long-standing dedication to HIV/AIDS, makeup artists in the Los Angeles 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 hundreds of 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.

MAC artists from the Los Angeles area are donating their time and skills at Project Angel Food and the AIDS Services Foundation Orange County, local organizations dedicated to providing nutritious hot and frozen meals on a daily basis to people living with HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses. Artists will chop carrots, peel onions and deliver homemade meals to people living with HIV/AIDS. Project Angel Food and the AIDS Services Foundation Orange County have prepared and delivered more than 5.7 million meals to Southern Californians, and the MAC AIDS Fund has supported both programs since 1999 with grants totaling more than $2.8 million.

"Volunteering and giving back to the HIV/AIDS community has always been a source of pride at MAC," said Gregory Arlt, MAC Director of Makeup Artistry. "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 the Mission Viejo and Plaza El Segundo 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 Park
hepark@maccosmetics.com
212. 965. 6337

SOURCE MAC AIDS Fund

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.macaidsfund.org