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Bid 2 Beat AIDS Celebrity Memorabilia Auction is Back!

LIFEbeat's 4th annual celebrity memorabilia auction launched today at 12:00 PM EST on eBay. Bid 2 Beat AIDS features hundreds of rare and autographed items from stars in music, film, Broadway, sports, and television, as well as once-in-a lifetime VIP experiences.

* Meet the Jonas Brothers on their 2009 Tour

* Meet and greet with Olympic phenom Michael Phelps

* Tour the Howard Stern Show studio and meet the cast

* Meet Tony Bennett and see him perform live at the legendary Apollo Theatre

* Own a T-shirt worn by Ricky Martin

* Signed items from sports legends Cal Ripken, Jr. and Magic Johnson

 --plus tons of CDs, photos, books and hand-drawn artwork from Beyonce, Madonna, Panic at the Disco, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bernadette Peters, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Fall Out Boy, Carly Simon, Jennifer Hudson, Bon Jovi, Lindsay Lohan, Lance Bass, Owen Wilson, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, Matthew Fox, George Lucas,  Steven Spielberg, Matthew McConaughey, Will Ferrell, Rufus Wainwright, Chris Noth, Cynthia Nixon, Gina Gershon, James Earl Jones, David Hyde-Pierce, Frankie Valli, John Lithgow, Maroon 5, John O'Hurley, Alan Cumming, Robin Thicke, and many more!

Visit our eBay Store now to place bids!

Don't wait! Auctions start closing on December 11th. Auctions paid for within a day of closing are guaranteed to ship within two days, so here's your chance to give the best gift ever this holiday season.

For more information about Bid 2 Beat AIDS, visit Bid2BeatAIDS.com.

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LIFEbeat and Virgin Megastore Raise HIV/AIDS Awareness on World AIDS Day

LIFEbeat has partnered with Virgin Megastore to provide HIV information tables at several retail locations nationwide on December 1st, World AIDS Day, 2008. LIFEbeat's volunteers and partner AIDS Service Organizations (ASO's) will be on hand to distribute HIV/AIDS prevention information and ONE Condoms® at the following locations: 

CALIFORNIA

Hollywood & Highland Center - AltaMed Health Services   

San Francisco - Health Initiatives for Youth

COLORADO

Denver Pavilions - Colorado AIDS Project & Health Center of Denver

NEW YORK

Times Square - LIFEbeat

Union Square - LIFEbeat

In addition to outreach at Virgin Megastores, LIFEbeat materials will be displayed and distributed at World AIDS Day events throughout the U.S.and Puerto Rico. For more information about LIFEbeat's World AIDS Day events, visit: http://www.lifebeat.org/news.cfm/article/99.

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Out of the Darkness: A World AIDS Day Vigil and March

LIFEbeat, GMHC, AREA, the Haring Foundation and others in the NYC AIDS community will join together for a special 20th Anniversary World AIDS Day remembrance program, including a candlelight vigil and march to the Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan, and a reading of names of those we have lost to AIDS. The event will be wheelchair accessible and ASL interpreted, and refreshments will be served following the program.

For more details on this event, visit http://www.lifebeat.org/news.cfm/article/100

Image: Keith Haring, Silence = Death, 1989, © Haring Estate.

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Hearts & Voices Brings World AIDS Day to Residential AIDS Facilities

LIFEbeat's Hearts & Voices Program brings the gift of live music to thousands of HIV+ New Yorkers each year. Through a large network of talented artists and volunteers, we entertain audiences with music of all genres, from hip-hop to classical. In observance of World AIDS Day, LIFEbeat volunteer artists will bring special performances to two of our client facilities:

Rivington House
Jill Melanie Wirth & Gordan Chambers performing
2:30pm

Casa Promesa
Metropolitones performing
7:00pm

For more information about LIFEbeat's Hearts & Voices Program, visit http://www.heartsandvoices.org/.

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Sign up for Thrillist and help raise funds for LIFEbeat

Thrillist is a free daily email service that hips you to the newest restaurants, bars, events, gear, and services in your city or nationwide. Best of all, the folks at Thrillist not only have great taste, they also have big hearts:

Thrillist will donate $1 to LIFEbeat for every person who signs up at this link.

You can cancel anytime, of course.  Please sign up & forward this email to your friends, family and colleagues --- this is the simplest, easiest way way possible to make a donation (that doesn't cost you a penny!)

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Global HIV/AIDS Statistics

33 Million:
Number of people living with HIV around the world

22 Million:
Number of people living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa

15 Million:
Number of children around the world orphaned due to AIDS

1.2 Million:
Number of people living with HIV in the United States

Source: 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic: HIV and AIDS Estimates and Data, 2007 and 2001 - UNAIDS 

And a final note...

An estimated 25% of all HIV+ people in the United States do not know they are infected.  To find a free and confidential testing site near you, visit hivtest.org.

The Syndicate and LIFEbeat have teamed up with Absolutepunk.net to give you the chance to win a 1TB Maxtor drive loaded with audio and visual goodies from Be Your Own Pet, Between the Trees, Forever the Sickest Kids and more!

The winner will also receive a swag bag courtesy of LIFEbeat, Epitaph, Universal and Comedy Central Records.

Hurry, the contest ends at 11:59 p.m. on May 30, 2008.

The winner will be contacted directly via email announced the week of June 9, 2008 on www.thesyn.com/blog.

Good luck!

****
Not interested in winning a drive worth $299 with MASSIVE space? You can still get 20% off select Maxtor drives by using coupon code: bamboozle, when you visit maxstore.com.

-- LIFEbeat staff and immediate family are not eligible to enter.

LIFEbeat joins GMHC for AIDS Walk New York 2008

Sunday, May 18, 2008 – Central Park, New York City

Last year we raised a whopping $20,000 at AIDS Walk New York! This year the stakes are a little higher as we attempt to raise 25,000 big ones.

:: JOIN THE TEAM ::
If you think you’ve got what it takes (and honestly, you don’t need much) step up and join our team. Sign up here.

Join Sony BMG recording artist Lyfe Jennings, LIFEbeat’s 2008 Honorary Team Captain

LIFEbeat supporter and platinum recording artist Lyfe Jennings has joined the LIFEbeat AIDS Walk team this year as our Honorary Team Captain. Lyfe’s new album "Lyfe Change" drops 4/29/07. For more info on Lyfe click here.

Incentives, Events and Prizes for LIFEbeat Walkers

We ask that all our walkers commit to raising at least $5 before signing up for the team. Those that raise over $25 will get a 2008 LIFEbeat t-shirt and will be eligible for prizes and incentives in the weeks leading up to the walk. Stay tuned for more info on the goodies as well as the announcement of our first ever LIFEbeat AIDS Walk Rally to be held before the event.

:: MAKE A DONATION ::

Don’t live in the New York City area? Can’t make it to the walk? No problem, consider making a donation.

Log on to LIFEbeat’s AWNY Team Page and make a general donation to the team or look for your favorite LIFEbeat supporter and sponsor them. Help us reach our $25,000 goal!

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About LIFEbeat: LIFEbeat- The Music Industry Fights AIDS, is a national non-profit organization dedicated to reaching America’s youth with the message of HIV/AIDS prevention.  LIFEbeat mobilizes the talents and resources of the music industry to raise awareness and to provide support to the AIDS community. For more information visit: www.lifebeat.org

About AIDS Walk New York: Since 1986, AIDS Walk New York has raised $97 million for HIV programs and services in the tri-state area, and has grown into the largest AIDS fundraising event in the world. In 2007 alone, 45,000 participants, many of whom were members of 2,400 corporate and community teams, raised a record sum of more than $6.8 million for Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) and 60 other tri-state area AIDS service organizations. For more information, visit http://www.aidswalk.net/.

About Gay Men’s Health Crisis: GMHC is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. Our mission is to reduce the spread of HIV disease, help people with HIV maintain and improve their health and independence, and keep the prevention, treatment and cure of HIV an urgent national and local priority. In fulfilling this mission, we will remain true to our heritage by fighting homophobia and affirming the individual dignity of all gay men and lesbians. For more information, visit www.gmhc.org.

Hearts & Voices vocalist Grace Garland just wrapped up a great PSA for us. Check out this video of Grace putting "it" on LIFEbeat’s number one stud, Woody: