This past Wednesday, Kiehl’s President Chris Salgardo kicked off the 7th annual Kiehl’s National LifeRide for amfAR at his NYC flagship store.
Kiehl’s LifeRide is an 11-day, multi-state, charitable motorcycle ride throughout the Northeast that raises funds and awareness for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Thirteen influential riders will be participating in the motorcycle ride, in addition to Salgardo and Frost.
This year’s riders include: Anthony Carrino, Ben Cohen, Gilles Marini, Grant Reynolds, Ian Bohen, Jay Ellis, JR Bourne, Luke Wessman, Kurt Yaeger, Milissa Sears, Scott Patterson, and Teddy Sears.
The riders in attendance Wednesday night weren’t the only celebrities who came out to advocate for the cause. Salgardo’s guest list had no shortage of influential supporters, including ‘Orange is the New Black’ star Jackie Cruz.
“Honestly, I support anything he [Chris] does, and it’s a good cause and that’s why I’m really here – to support my friend and his cause,” explained Cruz.
Cruz’s sentiments about supporting the Kiehl’s President in all his efforts seemed to genuinely run true for all of his special guests in attendance. The overall sentiments of the night were a clear representation of all the good Salgardo has accomplished with his platform and what he hopes for the future.
Later in the night, Salgardo spoke on how LifeRide helps in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “We’ve always been about
raising money, we’ll always be about raising money, but the motorcycle allowed us to keep a conversation going and make it relevant and bring it to small towns that probably haven’t heard about what’s happening with AIDS and HIV in a very long time,” said Salgardo.
Once this year’s motorcycle ride is complete, Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR will have completed around 11,000 miles since its birth and raised about $1.6 million. In addition to the LifeRide, Kiehl’s plans to donate fifteen percent of the net sales made over the weekend to amfAR, raising up to $150,000.
Frost closed the night by saying, “We believe if we make the right investments and muster the political will, that we could not just have a cure for AIDS, but we could have a cure for AIDS in our lifetime.” To learn more about the Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR movement and its impact thus far, or to follow the ride live from the road, visit their website.
