The 9th annual Lupus Research Alliance Lupus Handbag Luncheon & Silent Auction honored two supporters to the lupus cause: Puma and IBM Associate Partner Veronica Vargas Lupo.
Puma was named “Corporate Visionary Partner” in appreciation for the company’s innovative marketing partnership with Selena Gomez that boosted global visibility for lupus and generated a significant contribution for the Lupus Research Alliance. This spring the company launched Selena’s design, the Phenom Lux sneaker, sporting her signature anklet chain that sold out in hours and raised $100,000 for lupus research. Just last week, Gomez launched Puma’s new Defy shoe at a star-studded event at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles where lupus and the Lupus Research Alliance were recognized.
Puma Global Entertainment Marketing and Partnerships Head Tracy Pendleton accepted the award on the company’s behalf. Pendleton commented, “It’s always a goal to find partners who feel passionate about important causes, and one of the goals in signing Selena Gomez as a brand ambassador was to put together meaningful ways to provide awareness and support for the Lupus Research Alliance, a cause near and dear to Selena’s heart.”
Veronica Vargas Lupo received the 2018 “Woman of Achievement Award” for her long-time dedication to fulfilling the organization’s mission. She joined the organization in 2011 and helped build the Young Leaders group. In addition to her fundraising role, she serves as a mentor to young women diagnosed with lupus and draws on her own experiences to inspire, teach and support.
More than 300 prominent women and men from New York’s fashion, society, entertainment, publishing, philanthropic and lupus communities were in attendance at the luncheon, which was hosted by the Lupus Research Alliance. The co-chairs were Felice Axelrod, Special Projects at Bloomberg Philanthropies; Alison Lee, Lupus Research Alliance volunteer and lupus advocate and Teri Wilford Wood, associate general counsel of IBM.
Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. More than 90 percent of lupus sufferers are women, mostly young women between the ages of 15 to 44.
