Regal launch planned for Yendi Phillipps Foundation

Beauty queen and former Digicel Rising Stars host Yendi Phillipps will launch her foundation on Sunday the Fiction Nightclub, starting at 6 p.m.

In keeping with the mandate 'Beauty With a Purpose', throughout the night 15 of Phillipps' gowns, worn throughout her prestigious pageant days, will be auctioned off to the highest bidder at the Marketplace, Constant Spring Road, St Andrew, venue.

Gowns sponsored by Digicel, Grace Blends, Rainforest Seafoods, Blueprint Consulting, The NCB Foundation and NUVO will be on site for a silent auction and the unsponsored gowns will be available for purchase on eBay.

Under the premise 'Knowledge is Power', The Yendi Phillipps Foundation's first initiative is to provide cervical cancer vaccines to women in underdeveloped communities. "A lot of women are not educated on how this disease can be contracted, how to prevent contracting it, and how to cope once they have contracted it," explains Yendi, after pointing out that it is one of the most common forms of cancer found in women today.

"I want my foundation to empower people through education and information, allowing them to have a much more fruitful existence," she said.

The Yendi Phillipps Foundation's plans are to educate people about illnesses that effect their daily lives, and the organisation will also play a part in supporting research.

The Yendi Phillipps Foundation has seen an influx of contributions from corporate Jamaica. Through her partnership with local sponsorship company Blueprint Consulting, Phillipps has managed to garner support from leading Jamaican brands, including Digicel, Grace, Appleton Estate, Red Stripe (through their Nuvo brand), Carimed (through their Venus Embrace brand), Rainforest Seafoods, KFC, Reggae Jammin, National Commercial Bank (NCB), and Supreme Ventures.

According to Shelly Curran, head of sponsorship at title sponsors Digicel, "As one of our brand ambassadors, Digicel strongly supports Yendi's efforts to sensitise Jamaica about this vaccine that prevents infection with certain species of HPV - human papilloma virus - associated with the development of cervical cancer, among some other less common cancer."

thrilled

Rachael Abrahams, brand manager at Grace, adds that "In light of the powerful health benefits afforded the beneficiaries of The Yendi Phillipps Foundation, I am thrilled to be aligned with this initiative. The Grace Blends product development team has supported local research that seeks to fight cancer, using home-grown nutraceuticals such as sorrel, so it is a natural next step to support this programme that will provide vaccines for our most vulnerable young women against the spectre of cervical cancer."

Invited guests will be asked to make a cash contribution of their choice, while patrons wishing to attend will be asked to pay a nominal cover charge of $1,500. Complimentary drinks will be provided by Appleton Estate and Nuvo, along with hors d'oeuvres.

The launch will also showcase local designs by Carlton Brown, Jae Jolly, ASD, Kenea Linton and Julan, modelled by celebrities. Patrons will also enjoy performances by local entertainers.