Press Release – NEW YORK, Dec. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — This year for World AIDS Day, the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) has partnered with Kwippit, the new mobile messaging app, to raise awareness about the global AIDS epidemic and dollars for the Foundation’s lifesaving work. Elton John and many EJAF celebrity friends who have long supported the Foundation’s work have created unique heart designs for a campaign to be launched through Kwippit on World AIDS Day, December 1, and continue throughout the month.
“We’re incredibly honored to work with the Elton John AIDS Foundation on this campaign,” said Kwippit’s Chief Brand Officer, Krista Treide. “We’re excited to connect the digital/social media generation with EJAF’s important efforts to end the AIDS epidemic in our lifetime.”
Every day for the month of December, one new celebrity-designed heart will be released by Kwippit to users who have subscribed to the special Elton John AIDS Foundation channel on the Kwippit mobile app for an annual fee of $0.99. Not only will subscribers have access to these custom celebrity designs, but Kwippit provides an opportunity for them to engage with the content, personalizing the hearts with text before sharing them with friends, family, and followers via social media, while simultaneously raising vital funds for AIDS prevention and research.
Celebrity participants include Elton John (who contributed six designs that will be released throughout the campaign), Boy George, Andy Cohen, Chris Colfer, Ellen DeGeneres, Beth Ditto, Ansel Elgort, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Colton Haynes, Cheyenne Jackson, Billie Jean King, Heidi Klum, Padma Lakshmi, Adam Lambert, Cyndi Lauper, Sandra Lee, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Ozzy Osbourne, Andrew Rannells, Andy Roddick, Jake Shears, Sharon Stone, Russell Tovey, and Steven Tyler.
“I am so grateful to all of the EJAF friends participating in this Kwippit project for sharing their creativity with us, supporting our work, remaining steadfast to the cause, and believing in our ideals,” said EJAF Founder Sir Elton John.
One hundred percent of the proceeds from channel downloads will go to EJAF’s grant-making programs, working to ensure everyone has the information and means to prevent infection and all people living with HIV have access to high-quality medical care and treatment. To maximize the impact of this digital campaign, all 31 original heart designs (6″x 6″ heart-shaped tiles signed by each celebrity partner) will be framed and auctioned during the Foundation’s 26th annual Academy Awards Viewing Party on Sunday, March 4, 2018, to benefit EJAF’s work.
“Ending AIDS ultimately comes down to this: We must open our hearts to love one another and help every person in need, regardless of who they are, who they love, where they’re from, or what they do,” said EJAF Executive Director Scott P. Campbell. “That’s what this campaign is all about – opening our hearts and raising funds to end AIDS once and for all – for everyone.”
To participate in this special digital art campaign and support the effort to end AIDS, please download the Elton John AIDS Foundation channel on the Kwippit mobile app.
About the Elton John AIDS Foundation
At the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), we believe AIDS can be beaten. We act on that belief by raising funds for evidence-based programs and policies and also by speaking out with honesty and compassion about the realities of people’s lives. Sir Elton John created EJAF nearly 25 years ago, first in the United States in 1992 and then in the United Kingdom in 1993. Through the generous support of far-sighted individuals, foundations, and corporations, the two foundations together have raised more than $400 million over the past quarter century to challenge discrimination against people affected by the epidemic, prevent infections, provide treatment and services, and motivate governments to end AIDS. The U.S. foundation focuses its efforts on programs in the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean, while the U.K. foundation funds HIV-related work in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Join us in speaking out, taking action, and contributing to our efforts to achieve a world without AIDS. For more information, please visit www.ejaf.org.
About Kwippit
Kwippit is an innovative technology that allows users to personalize and share customized images for next-level messaging. It is an evolution beyond emojis and GIFs and includes dozens of free channels that users can explore to discover new Kwipps from their favorite artists, people, brands, and causes. Premium paid channels allow users to further support the causes they care most about – Kwippit will pay 100% of proceeds to its nonprofit partners. The nonprofit channels provide organizations with access to the digital space alongside larger and younger audiences. Kwippit celebrates personalized communication and works across all social media platforms and messaging apps (WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, WeChat, etc.) The app is poised to be the next frontier for sharing content and connecting friends, brands, artists, and nonprofits via messaging. For more information, visit www.kwippit.com. Download at kwpp.me.
SOURCE Elton John AIDS Foundation
