NEW YORK, April 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Star of the new Vera Wang fragrance from Coty, Leighton Meester will join the Coty-DKMS Linked Against Leukemia partnership on April 28th to light up the Empire State Building in red and white to raise awareness about DKMS, the world's largest bone marrow donor center.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110420/NY86868LOGO)

The Coty-DKMS Linked Against Leukemia partnership is committed to the fight against leukemia and other blood related cancers. The lighting ceremony coincides with the DKMS 5th Annual Gala: Linked Against Leukemia at Cipriani Wall Street on April 28th.  At the annual star-studded event, Katharina Harf, COO of DKMS Americas will present Rihanna with an award in recognition for her tireless work with the organization to register bone marrow donors and help save lives. Bernd Beetz, CEO of Coty Inc. and the Gala's Honorary Chairman will present Michael Clinton, EVP, Chief Marketing Officer and Publishing Director of Hearst Magazines with the "DKMS Linked Against Leukemia Award," in recognition of his dedication to the fight against cancer and his great support of organizations and charities which do the same.

Leighton Meester will participate in the special, morning lighting ceremony at the Empire State Building, joined by Katharina Harf, Bernd Beetz and Vera Wang, a global fashion designer and a tremendous supporter of Coty's and DKMS's efforts.

"I am glad to join Katharina, Bernd, and Vera in their fight against leukemia and to celebrate the 5th Annual DKMS Gala," said Leighton Meester. "The Empire State Building will shine red and white tonight to honor the thousands of patients awaiting life-saving bone marrow transplants and inspire anyone eligible to get swabbed with DKMS and save a life!"

"After my mother's death, my father continued the fight by recruiting thousands of more bone marrow donors," said Katharina Harf. "I have since made it my goal to continue my mother's legacy by helping other leukemia patients, so no family has to go through the same pain we did."

"We're grateful for all the support we can get in our efforts and are thrilled that both Leighton and Vera are joining us in this very important fight," said Bernd Beetz. "We've saved thousands of lives over the years, through our Coty-DKMS Linked Against Leukemia partnership.  As we celebrate the 5th anniversary of our partnership and the 20th anniversary of DKMS, we know that there is still much more work to be done, in our continued "fight against leukemia"."

Every four minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer and every 10 minutes blood cancer takes a precious life.  Many could be saved by a bone marrow transplant, but sadly there are not enough donors for everyone. Indeed, six out of ten patients never receive the lifesaving transplant they need.

At the core of the Coty-DKMS partnership is raising awareness about the need for more bone marrow donors. Registering to become a bone marrow donor is safe and simple. Today, DKMS is the world's largest bone marrow donor center with over 2.7 million registered donors worldwide.

About Coty-DKMS Linked Against Leukemia

In October 2006, Coty Inc., a leading global beauty company, joined DKMS in the fight against leukemia by establishing the Coty-DKMS Linked Against Leukemia partnership. Led by CEO Bernd Beetz, Coty has leveraged its strong celebrity partnerships to raise awareness of the disease and help recruit thousands of donors around the world. For more information to register to become a bone marrow donor or to help give someone a second chance at life, visit www.getswabbed.org.

The DKMS mission is to save lives by recruiting bone marrow donors for leukemia patients. More than 25,000 DKMS donors have helped save lives by donating their bone marrow. DKMS is the largest and most experienced bone marrow donor center in the world with over 2.7 million registered donors. DKMS Americas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information to register to become a bone marrow donor or to help give someone a second chance at life, visit www.getswabbed.org.

The lighting ceremony is not open to the public. For more information on the Empire State Building's lighting ceremony, visit www.esbnyc.com and click on the "Lighting Schedule" located on the left side of the page.

For more information about global efforts against leukemia or the Coty-DKMS Linked Against Leukemia partnership, please visit www.getswabbed.org

SOURCE Coty, Inc.