Okay, gals and gents…I’m super late on this post but that’s the kind of day I’ve been having! Anyways, this post is dedicated to my Chicagoans.

TODAY until 9p: Bloomingdale’s (900 N. Michigan) is hosting their “Fashionable Fundraiser” event today in support of amFAR. Shoppers can enjoy special deals and exclusives storewide all day. Bloommingdale’s has pledged to donate up to $75,000 to amFAR, a global organization that contributes significantly to HIV/AIDS research.

TODAY (after work until the last bar closes): Over 35 Chicago bars and lounges are participating in Bar AIDS tonight. Stop by any one of these spots to drink, donate, learn more about HIV and to enter into a raffle. Last year, Red Pump served as ambassadors and posted up at a bar in Wicker Park. Very fun! Some of my favorite spots are participating so take a look at the list and go get your sip on while supporting the programs of Edge Alliance!

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I’ve developed a new found obsession with interior design. All the amazing layouts and stylish arrangements remind me that my boring apartment has light years to go and is more house than home. Whether your home is scantily decorated or should be in a magazine, you could always use more inspiration…More pieces. And, if you’re in NYC, I have the perfect event for you!

Housing Works (NYC) is hosting its sixth annual “Design on a Dime” charitable sale in a couple of weeks. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase some amazing pieces by the country’s top designers; featuring brand new housewares, furniture, and linens, all available at charitable prices. The sale will take place from May 6 – May 8 in the Metropolitan Building (125 West 18th St, NYC), and is open to the public!

Design on a Dime 2010 benefits Housing Works’ 874 Jefferson Avenue Residence Project. A new housing development project in Brooklyn which will consist of 12 permanent units of supportive housing for single, formerly homeless adults living with HIV/AIDS. All proceeds from Design on a Dime go to Housing Works, the nation’s largest grassroots AIDS service organization. Founded in 1990, Housing Works provides lifesaving services to homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV and AIDS. Since 2005, Design on a Dime has raised more than $2 million in support of Housing Works.

For a list of participating designers and to purchase tickets, visit housingworks.org.

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I learned about Sonya Leathers after she commented on the wall of The Red Pump Project’s Facebook page. While reading her words of support, I couldn’t help but notice her profile picture. It was a sketch of the beautiful gown below.

ANYTIME someone combines style with philanthropy and awareness, I’m all in. And, this time was no different. I reached out the Sonya and told her that I had to talk about her and her designs on my site. So, that’s what I’m doing. Sonya’s “Charity Collection” not only address HIV/AIDS, but breast cancer and diabetes. By incorporating the respective ribbons of each cause into the design, she’s reminding all of us that style and awareness are not mutually exclusive.

Sonya, a New Orleans native, studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA and has worked in the fashion industry for more than 25 years. While living in Houston, she volunteered regularly at the Bering Omega Residential Hospice House, a “safe and loving environment where people in the late stages of HIV/AIDS could live their final days with dignity.” Her time there definitely gave her the spark to design the collection of gowns. Drawing on influences from the 80s, the “Charity Collection” has received more than its fair share of praise and in 2008, New Orleans Magazine presented her with a “People to Watch in 2008″ award. The publication said that Sonya was “a new face doing something interesting with her life that worthy of our awareness.” I couldn’t agree more.

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Last Thursday, we definitely rocked the (red) house for AIDS awareness at “Rock the Red: Bold. Fashion. Awareness.” The fashion show was not only a celebration of up-and-coming designers, but it was a special occasion for The Red Pump Project. Last year when Luvvie and I came up with the idea of The Red Pump Project, we really didn’t know that it would become a movement or impact people the way that it has. At least not in a year…

Over 200 guests joined us as we honored Rae Lewis-Thornton with the “Ultimate Red Pump Rocker” award for being a Living Legacy. As the audience watched a clip of Rae’s documentary, A Diva Living with AIDS, you could have heard a pin drop. The power of her story and the poise of her body inspired, if not moved, every attendee in the crowd. As she accepted her award, our hearts were locked into her speech as she told us to continue to support her and the fight against AIDS.

There were so many special moments throughout the night, but one of my favorites would have to be being surprised with a presentation from Thyatiria Towns, Program Coordinator with Congressman Bobby Rush’s office.Before her presentation, wee announced that The Red Pump Project has been invited to Capitol Hill for “Red Pump Day.” Then, Thy approaches the mic and gives Luvvie and I a surprise that we did NOT expect! She presented us with two plaques and proceeded to say remarks about The Red Pump Project had been entered into the Congressional Records. Suffice to say, we cried but we turned our backs on the audience so they wouldn’t see the tears!

We featured the designs of Melanie Lyke of Rockett Mansion, Kortnee Quiza of Verse Boutique, Amber Johnson, Kahindo Mateene and New’d Chicago, Crystal B Designs, Spirit Africa and Black Market Caviar. The night was amazing. The place was packed. We had a ton of fun, and hope those who came agree!

And, THANK YOU so much to everyone who supported this event by attending, donating, or simply spreading the word. We appreciate every ounce of love! To keep up with us, please sign up for our mailing list!

That statistic alone is reason enough for me to Rock the Red Pump and take a stand against HIV/AIDS. Every year on March 10th, the United States recognizes National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The goal of the day is to unite and educate women and girls about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its increasing impact.

Last year when Luvvie and I launched The Red Pump Project, all we wanted to do was combine our passion for shoes with the fight against AIDS. This movement has grown from a GChat conversation to a national initiative uniting people all over. As we celebrate The Red Pump Project’s first anniversary, I want to say thanks to everyone who has supported us. It definitely has not gone unnoticed. And, a special shoutout goes to all the bomb blogs that are rocking the red pump widget on their sites today! Y’all know who you are! And, for those who don’t, check the list below:

::fbi:: {feel beautiful inside} the blog | *EssenseVibez | A Day in the Life | A Lady’s Perspective | A Taste of Angel Cake | AAUW | Adventures in Divorce | Aesthetic Design Style | Affrodite | Afrobella | Aisha Turman | Allegory of an Underage Femme Fetale | AroundHarlem.com | Art Aids Art | Artiatesia Deal | AS USUAL | Ask Sassy Scribe | Awesomely Luvvie | BeautySchooled | Belle Noir Magazine | Big. Beautiful. You. | Belle Black Girl Blogging | Black Gives Back | Black is Breezie | Black Vixen Beauty | Black Woman Lost & Found | Bourgie, Interrupted | Brownngirl | C’est La Vie | ChiTown Fashionista | Chronicles of a Skinny Black Girl | Chronicles of an Uppity Chick | Circa 1982: Ramblings of a Little Brown Girl… | Clumps of Mascara | Coming of Age | Curvatude – Living Curvy and Plus Size with Attitude | CurvyGurl Chronicles~ Living La Vida Inspired! | Da Fashionist | Diary of Curvy Jones | Diva Living with AIDS | Divas Ranting | Dream As If You’ll Live Forever | Elbie | Elegant Ignance | Empress Says | Enlightn Me | Enlightn Me Events | Fabulous Moms in Charlotte | Fantastical Randomocity | Fashion. News. Updates. Shoes – Pumpsicle | Fear is no Factor | Feel Free to Answer Your Questions | Finding Me | Flaimahmy Magazine | [Fung'Ke][Blak][Chik]

| Get Yoself Together | Happy Being Me | Having My Cake and Eating It Too | Healthier, Happier, You!!!! | Hey You Asked! | Hope Is Our Path | I’ll Think of a Title Later | I’m Just Teling You How I See It | Idaya Magazine | Idiosyncratic Thoughts of an Unheeded Prophetess | Ifelicious | Illustrocity | Intellectual Soul || Music with an I.Q. | Inverted Reflection | Ironically Aaronica | Island Mompreneur | Jenifer Moore Online | Jenny P. || INSPIRATION | Jessica’s Jewels | La Petite Maitresse | Lady Spin Doctors | Living Outside the Stacks | Luvv Divine | MamaLaw: Evidence for Our Insanity Plea | Max Logic | Megan’s Minute | Miss Jia: She Ain’t For Everybody | Moving Towards Peace | Mrs Windy City UnPluGGed | MsQuitey’s Place | My 927 Charlotte | My Beautiful Cocoon | My Black Girl Site | My Brown Baby | My Legal Belle | My Life – A Work In Progress | My Life…in Pics & Words | My Polar Opposite | Naked and Natural | Negrita’s Chronicles | Nola Girl in Transition | Not So Idle Thoughts and Musings | Nu Kynk | Of Service: A Life Lived for Others Pampered Sweet Tooth | Pigments and Potions | Planting Seeds | Pontificating Brother | Pop Rockets | Pretty Investigations | Project Nefertiti | Random and Pressing Details | Reaching Within | Reads4Pleasure | Reflections of a Gemini Artist | Reina’s Song | rellisonphotography | RSVP Event Planning and Management | Sable Verity | Secret Diaries of a Wannabe Yummy Mammy | Shannon Sez So | Shoes N Booze | Situations with Sassy | So Tenacious | Sojourners Verdad | Stripped | SURRENDERDOROTHYBLOG.COM | Tea and Such | That One Chick | The Anti-Hair Slave | The Atlanta Mompreneur | The Attic of My Mind | The Bead Dreamer | The Beauty XChange | The BlogRollers | The Broken Brown Egg | The Cocoa Diaries | The Essence of Full-Figured Entertainment | The Evolution of the Cubicle Crusaders | The Fabulous Do Gooder | The Fabulous Giver | The Fit Lounge | The FoolProof Diva | The Glamizon Chronicles | The Plus Academy: Ready to Runway | The Sassy Peach | The Single Dame (R) | The Soundtrack of My Life | The Young and Disenchanted | Things Aren’t Always as They Appear | ThinkAct: Proactive Black Blogging | This Ain’t That | Thoughts of a Jersey Girl | Thoughts on Being Seen | Total Life Prosperity Blog | Urban Perspective | Victor Amos Blog | We Are Black Women | A Blog Network With A Positive Difference | What DC People Hate | What Would Thembi Do | Where in the World… | Where My Ladies At? Women in Hip Hop | Whittier Rio Hondo AIDS Project | Wife Mother First Lady | Women of the African Diaspora | Www.krystalgrant.com | XI Magazine Online | Young Lioness

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The Red Pump Project will be on the Chatterbox Radio show today at 9a CT/10a ET to talk about our “500 in 50″ blogger outreach campaign in recognition of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and our upcoming first year anniversary events! A huge thank you goes to host, Christie Crowder, who has featured us on her show twice before. We really appreciate the support, Christie!!!

To listen/participate in the show, you can use the following information:

Show Link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chatterboxradio/2010/02/17/the-red-pump-project-500-in-50-campaign

Call In Number: 347-308-8762

I’ve always been a participant in the fight against AIDS, and ever since I started The Red Pump Project, my desire to prevent HIV/AIDS has grown immensely, especially in women and girls and amongst minorities. Last March, we launched The Red Pump Project on March 10th on the backs of the “Rock the Red Pump” campaign.

The United States recognizes March 10th as National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. It’s a nationwide initiative to raise awareness about the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on women & girls and encourages ladies to take action. While progress has definitely been made in the areas of AIDS prevention and treatment, women still represent 27% of all new AIDS diagnoses, with African-American women accounting for 66% of that group. This year focuses on this statistic, “Every 35 minutes, a woman tests positive for HIV in the United States.”

In observance of this day, The Red Pump Project is asking bloggers to participate in the second annual “Rock the Red Pump” campaign: 500 in 50. Last year, 135 of you took to Twitter, Facebook, and your blogs to help us “Rock the Red Pump” and this year, we’re asking you to do it again! This time, we have a goal of getting 500 blogs to “Rock the Red Pump,” and we have 50 days to do it.

Leading up to March 10th, we’re asking bloggers to “Rock the Red Pump” widget on their sidebars to represent the strength and courage of women fighting HIV/AIDS or affected by the disease both directly and indirectly. Then on NWGHAAD, we would like you to embed the Red Pump Widget within a post with a short snippet of its significance, including some statistics about HIV/AIDS and its effect on women and girls.

To participate, please send an email to rocktheredpump@theredpumpproject.com. If you sign up, we will send you instructions, statistics and the HTML code for the widget.

We’ll also link your blog to a post that will run on The Red Pump homepage, Awesomely Luvvie and on here on that day.

If you’re interested in participating in the “Rock the Red Pump” campaign, please send an email to rocktheredpump@theredpumpproject.com. If you’re already “Rocking the Red Pump” on your sidebar, please send us an email anyway. We’ve created a brand new widget for 2010!

While you’re here, take a look at some shots from our Red Pump National Team photoshoot!

Yours Truly

Co-Founders Enjoying a Laugh

The Entire Team!

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Over the summer, I mentioned that Jimmy Choo would be rolling out Project PEP, a limited-edition line in partnership with the Elton John Foundation. Well, if you were holding your breath for the punk-inspired pieces, go ahead and exhale. The collection is now available in stores and online. The selection ranges from sky-high stilettos to edgy clutches and totes. Here are some of my favorites below!

PEP Tote, $795

PEP Cuff, $295

PEP Loop, $975

The collection is a little pricey, but I honestly wouldn’t expect anything less for limited edition Jimmy Choo products. See something that you like but it’s out of stock? Email projectpep@jimmychoo.com to be added to the mailing list!

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Hey, everyone! If you’re in Chicago, then I would love for you to join me, my Red Pump gals, and others at The Flat Iron (1535 N. Milwaukee) for Bar AIDS 2009! Bars across the city participate in this great event which raises money for AIDSCare, an organization that provides supportive housing and services for those living with AIDS here in Chicago. Last year, BarAIDS raised over $30,000 and we’re hoping to duplicate (and top) that success this year!

I hope to see you there…I’ll be the girl in the red shoes and wearing a BIG smile

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Happy Monday! If you’re on the site, then you already know that I’ve updated the site layout! I loved by previous version, but I just needed to switch things up! It took some difficult navigation of Wordpress and learning a little bit about PHP code, but I am proud to say that I made it through, although I will definitely hire someone next time!!!

In addition to the site redesign, I’ve also opened a Spreadshirt shop with some goodies that I cooked up! Eventually, my hope is to add a couple of items every few weeks, but I’m very pleased with the offering so far!

I have a lot of favorite items in the shop (of course), but I’m really excited about the two shirts above. Not only do the two shirts above salute the strength and courage of all those fighting AIDS and Multiple Sclerosis, but the shirts will also help support the cause. I am donating 50% of the proceeds from each shirt to The Red Pump Project and the Greater Illinois Chapter of the MS Society, respectively! *pumps fist*

To browse these items and more, definitely check out my “Fab Living, Fab Giving” shop! Once again, thanks for all the support and great words…I’m super appreciative of it all!

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