Lotus Gala and Auction Benefiting SAAAIDS

SAAAIDS

Requests the Honor of Your Company For A Beautiful Evening

The Third Annual Lotus Gala and Auction Benefiting SAAAIDS

Thursday, July 24, 2003
The Altman Building
135 West 18th Street, Between 6th and 7th Avenues
Manhattan
Black Tie/Traditional Dress

With Dinner, Awards Presentation, Silent Auction, Fashion Show, Dancing and Live Auction Conducted by Christie’s

This event will be televised by Bridges TV.

Tickets, Tables and Sponsorships

Regular Ticket $175.00
Patron Ticket $380.00 (Preferred Seating)

Corporate Table/Patron Table $3,800 (10 Seats)
Corporate Sponsorship $5,000

Using your credit card/contact information and referencing The Lotus Gala and Auction Benefiting SAAAIDS, you can purchase tickets right now at this website or the Box Office at (212) 352-3101.

You may also send your Gala check to: SAAAIDS, 303 Park Avenue South, Suite 1080, New York, NY 10010.

For questions on Gala Tickets and Tables, or to find out more about excellent marketing benefits to corporations buying Gala Corporate Tables and Corporate Sponsorships, please contact SAAAIDS at (646) 729-3962 or [email protected].

Tickets will not be sent. Names will be held at the door. All proceeds benefit SAAAIDS. Each ticket’s tax-deductible portion is the ticket price minus $90.00, or the cost of goods and services.

Schedule

6:45 PM – 8:00 PM
Silent Auction and Reception
Table Duet by Sejal and Loren (www.taalim.com)

8:00 – 10:30 PM
Sit-Down Dinner (Halal/Kosher) Catered by Sanjay Ahluwalia
Awards Presentation
Fashion Show with Gurmit and Jenny Yoo Organized by Bhavna Ghoshal
Live Auction Conducted by Samir Sharma of Christie’s and Organized by Lavina Shamdasani

10:30 PM
Dancing with DJ Volcanik (www.Volcanik.com)

Participating auction donors include: pastry chef Jehangir Mehta of Aix; Tabla; the Australian Wine Bureau; fashion photographer Stephen Smith; model and jewelry designer Gurmit; sculptress Kalpana Amin; photographers Mitch Epstein and David Katzenstein; and mixed media artists Vinod Dave and Rodney Dickson.

SAAAIDS’ 2003 Honorees

Mrs. Hamida Mahmood Amanat
Professional Educator
Recipient of SAAAIDS’ 2003 Excellence in Civic Leadership Award

Mrs. Amanat has been a professional educator in the public and private school systems of New York and New Jersey for over 30 years. She has worked relentlessly for the past 16 years to found and operate the American Islamic Academy, the first comprehensive community center for Muslims in New Jersey. In addition, Mrs. Amanat has dedicated herself to building strong interfaith understanding between Muslims, Hindus, Jews and Christians, and is a devoted mother to 6 children, wife of 38 years and a published poet.

Dr. Adrienne Germain
President of the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC)
Recipient of SAAAIDS’ 2003 Excellence in Civic Leadership Award

Dr. Germain has worked for 33 years to advance the reproductive health and rights, and the economic condition, of women and girls around the world, including in Asia, Africa and Latin America. She serves on the Advisory Committees of the Asia Watch Division and the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch; the editorial board of Reproductive Health Matters; the Foundation Council of the Global Forum for Health Research; the Millennium Development Goals Task Force on Child Mortality and Maternal Health; and the board of Gender and Rights Denmark.

Purvee Christie Johal
Writer, Director and Producer of Expecting Shanti
Recipient of SAAAIDS’ 2003 Heart Song Award

Ms. Johal’s debut feature film, Expecting Shanti is a powerful English-language story about the struggles faced by a U.S.-based South Asian family affected by HIV/AIDS and carries many universal themes, including cultural assimilation, love, loyalty, power, death and the redemptive role of human will in the face of tragedy and an uncertain future. Expecting Shanti, scheduled for release worldwide in 2004, was accepted at Sundance’s 17th Annual Producers’ Conference. A short segment of the film will be shown this evening.

Lotus Fashion Show

Gurmit (www.Gurmit.com) is a classically trained sculptress whose exquisite jewelry is influenced by her fine art discipline, interest in natural forms and mathematics, a high-profile career as a runway model for couturiers Azzedine Alaia and Yves Saint Laurent, amongst others, and an eclectic cultural background from Singapore, India, Europe and New York City.

Jenny Yoo (www.JennyYoo.com) has created a line of simple-but-stunning dresses, whose flattering A-lines, halters, strapless, high quality silks, chiffons, charmeuse and subtle accents make them fit for any sophisticated occasion, including black-ties, dress-up dinners, engagements and weddings. Jenny Yoo’s collection will be available for purchase this evening.

About SAAAIDS

SAAAIDS (South Asia Against AIDS Foundation, Inc.) (www.SAAAIDS.org) is a publicly supported not-for-profit organization located in New York City whose mission is to empower South Asia’s women and children against HIV/AIDS through its SHE Strategy, or Shelter, Healthcare and Education. Over the last three years, SAAAIDS has become a global information resource on South Asia’s HIV/AIDS epidemic, with its large website, presentations, article distribution, collaborations and Annual Benefit Galas every July in Manhattan involving the worlds of philanthropy, business, medicine, law, the arts, media, entertainment, politics, diplomacy and journalism. SAAAIDS is establishing, with its strategic partner the Modicare Foundation, The Girija Mother and Child Clinic of Mumbai, India, which is a reproductive and child health clinic to prevent perinatal mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS and improve the quality of life for HIV-positive women and children. SAAAIDS is also formulating plans to establish a program in Pakistan within the next year.