The 3rd Annual Red Pump/Red Tie Affair: Successful Evening of Fashion, Fun and Philanthropy
“Sexy, Stylish and Safe”
Charlotte, NC—December 12, 2011— Men and women from all over the Carolinas came to celebrate Worlds AIDS Day 2011 in style by rocking their red pumps and red ties for The Red Pump Project- Charlotte’s 3rd Annual Red Pump/ Red Tie Affair presented by JSW Media Group and Chateau Noir, LLC the evening of Dec. 1 at the beautiful Harvey B. Gantt Center at Levine Center for The Arts with co-hosts media personalities T. Strong (Fox Charlotte, Creative Loafing, Paper Dolls Radio, StyleMayvin.com, Chirl Girl (v101.9) and two time Emmy-award winning spoken word artist, MC and voice over actor Bluz. Beats by Power 98’s DJ Yasmin Young kept the crowd energized. A guest appearance by the co-founder of The Red Pump Project Luvvie Ajayi truly made the evening special.
The night began with the delicious aroma of passed heavy hors d’oeuvres delicately prepared by Celebrity Chef Jay Jones (Chateau Noir, LLC, Food Network and Amped 4-A-Cure, Inc.) and a red themed candy buffet from Curlicues & Confections during the cocktail hour. A fusion of funk, jazz, and R&B by Soulful Descent served as a musical backdrop while people mixed, mingled and bid during the silent auction. One of the most important highlights of the evening was the awards ceremony when 2011 honoree Joanne Stevenson Jenkins was given the Red Pump Award for being an outstanding community leader paving the way for HIV/AIDS awareness and education. Jenkins works with Hope Haven and The Women’s Well, A Support Group for Women Living with HIV. Jenkins has served for more than 30 years in the field of substance abuse treatment and prevention, domestic violence and care of the chronically impoverished and homeless communities. The touching award ceremony was preceded by a dance performance by Mimi Kimble and a reading from Asata Blu Fatoyinbo.
The event concluded with a fashion show of imaginative and eclectic designs. Looks included collections from the always chic Elle VJ Boutique, Eco-friendly House of Willow and fashion forward designer Andre Jarrid. The Sexy, Stylish and Safe finale featured designs from Fresh Exclusive Boutique and Red Pump’s t-shirt line (modeled by members of Red Pump Charlotte and JSW Media Group; styled by the creative team of Dupp&Swat).
The Red Pump/Red Tie Affair was sponsored by Dr. Kim Blanding, JSW Media Group, Chateau Noir, LLC, Favors in a Flash, Direct Graphics, LLC, J Michelle Consulting Group, The Harvey B. Gantt Center and The UPS Store (#1247). Media partners included: Charlotte STYLE Magazine, Media Arts Collective, Donald Wilson, UPTOWN Magazine, IT Factor Media Group, Metro Proponent News, QC Info Broker, Social Media Juander, Charlotte Seen and WISE Magazine. JSW Media Group and The Red Pump Project –Charlotte would also like to thank all of the fabulous silent auction sponsors. A portion of proceeds from the affair will be donated to Regional AIDS Interfaith Network (RAIN), The Red Pump Project and Red Pump Charlotte to assist in the fight against AIDS. To learn more about The Red Pump Project, visit www.theredpumpproject.org.
For photo gallery, click here. Photography courtesy of Media Arts Collective.
