The Abbey Food & Bar official kicked off the holiday season in West Hollywood’s Boystown with the 10th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony this past weekend. The popular restaurant and nightclub located at 692 N Robertson Blvd, lit a 30ft Christmas tree in commemoration with World AIDS Day.
Celebrity guests included Vanderpump Rules stars Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval who did the honors of doing the countdown for the lighting of the tree ceremony this year.
Photo credit: Amanda Edwards (Wire Images)The popular cast members presented The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation with a $10,000 check donation from The Abbey & Tito’s Vodka to help continue the global fight against HIV/AIDS.
Photo credit: Amanda Edwards (Wire Images)The Christmas tree wasn’t the only thing that was lit that night. Ariana and Tom joined fellow cast members James Kennedy and Billie Lee for bottle service and Elizabeth Taylor martinis.
In addition to the $10,000 donation made at the ceremony, The Abbey is also donating $2 to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation for of each Elizabeth Taylor martini that is sold through the month of December. The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) provides direct care and support to people affected by HIV and AIDS. Inspired by Elizabeth’s personal passion for the cause, ETAF also engages with advocacy and education initiatives to advance its goal of an AIDS-free world.
Compelled by radical compassion and bolstered by moral courage, Elizabeth Taylor became the first globally recognized celebrity HIV and AIDS activist.
In the early 1980s, Elizabeth Taylor was famous the world over. Known for her legendary acting career, as well as her extraordinary beauty and glamorous lifestyle, she could always command an audience. When Elizabeth spoke, people listened.
As ignorance, fear, and prejudice fueled the emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic, Elizabeth used her massive celebrity platform to speak truth to power, exposing the injustice of society’s response to the disease. Her unyielding conviction and passion raised hundreds of millions of dollars, changed the hearts and minds of a generation, and saved countless lives.
In 1985, Elizabeth chaired AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Commitment to Life fundraiser. At the same time, the disease struck close to home as her dear friend Rock Hudson died of AIDS. So began her tireless commitment to end the epidemic. Elizabeth co-founded The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) in 1985 and regularly lobbied President Reagan and Congress to address the crisis. She established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to provide direct care, along with love and moral support, to the most vulnerable patients.
Just as the public embraced Elizabeth’s activism, the world recognized her humanitarian efforts. France honored her with the Légion d’honneur, and President Clinton awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal. In 2000, Queen Elizabeth II named Elizabeth a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Elizabeth passed away in 2011.
Today, ETAF carries forward Elizabeth’s voice and mission in the fight for social justice and human rights for people living with HIV and AIDS to achieve an AIDS-free world.
To learn more and to donate, visit https://elizabethtayloraidsfoundation.org/.
Photo credit: Amanda Edwards (Wire Images)Check out more photos from The Abbey’s 10th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony by clicking here.
