Dionne Warwick and Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger To Be Honored At amfAR’s Palm Beach March Gala

Tom Ford will present the Philanthropic Leadership Award

amfAR,The Foundation for AIDS Research is known for its fundraising, HIV prevention, treatment, education and research efforts in the fight against aids. Started in 1985 by Drs. Krim and Gottlieb, and Elizabeth Taylor- who was known for her outspoken advocacy of HIV and AIDS, particularly after her friend and actor Rock Hudson passed away from AIDS- was its founding chairman. In its 39th year, amfAR is continuing their mission and vision, and on March 2nd, the foundation will honor fashion designer Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger and singer Dionne Warwick in Palm Beach.

Last year’s Palm Beach Gala raised $3.5M | Photo Credit: Caperhart Photography

The southern Florida city is amfAR’s third time hosting its gala there. They’re known for their prestigious Cannes and Venice galas. The event will take place at the home of Event Chairs James and Lisa Cohen’s home, starting off with a cocktail reception, followed by a seated gala dinner and live auction of contemporary art and luxury experiences, and award presentations. Sting, a seventeen-time Grammy winning artist will do a music performance.

The event also provides an opportunity to network | Photo Credit: Ryan Emberley

Art and luxury experiences will be included in the live auction | Photo Credit: Beau Bumpas

So why honor Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger and Dionne Warwick? The singer lost her valet to AIDS at the height of the epidemic, and felt the need to do something. So, in 1985 she invited Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder to sing a rendition of “That’s What Friends Are For,” at an amfAR fundraiser. The four of them, along with songwriters Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, let the proceeds from the song go towards AIDS research. “Few in the entertainment community have done as much to support the fight against AIDS as Dionne Warwick. We are so grateful to her for her unwavering commitment to the health and wellbeing of all people living with HIV,” says amfAR CEO Kevin Frost in announcement notes.

And Dee and her husband Tommy Hilfiger, who are Chairs of the event (along with John and Amy Phelan, Howard and Michele Kessler, and amfAR Board Co-Chairs T. Ryan Greenawalt and Kevin McClatchy). The Hilfigers are supporters of amfAR and can be seen at their events. But Dee is an inspiration in her own right. She is the Creative Director of Judith Lieber and has her own brand, Dee Ocleppo. She’s also a philanthropist and activist, championing the causes related to autism, and she sits on the board of the. Breast Cancer Research Foundation and GLAM4GOOD. Fashion designer Tom Ford will present her with the Philanthropic Leadership Award.

"We applaud Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger for her outstanding leadership, compassion, and generous contributions to numerous important causes including amfAR and the fight against AIDS, as well as breast cancer, autism, and many others," says Frost.

Last year’s Palm Beach gala raised $3.5M for AIDS research, and since the foundation’s inception, it has raised $635M for over three-thousand plus grants to research teams around the world.