By Daily Press staff
A star-studded costume party on Halloween weekend has been set in Santa Monica to raise millions of dollars for children who are impacted with AIDS.
The Children Affected by AIDS Foundation (CAAF) is set to hold its 12th Annual Dream Halloween fundraising event at the Barker Hangar in the Santa Monica Air Center from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. The event will be hosted by Jamie Lee Curtis. Actress Doris Roberts will attend and serve as honorary vice chair.
Rob Reiner will accept the CAAF Ribbon of Dreams Award in the Children’s Advocate Category and Hilary Duff is this year’s honorary event chair. In that capacity, Duff’s likeness will be sculpted for a one-of-a-kind doll by Mattel, Inc. The doll will be presented to Duff who in turn has agreed to have it auctioned during the event. Marlee Matlin will kick off the auction, which also will feature a Mattel, Inc. designed one-of-a-kind Polly Pocket doll of both Dakota and Elle Fanning.
Each year during October, CAAF opens its doors to hundreds of families to attend Dream Halloween in-costume and trick-or-treat for toys, meet their favorite cartoon characters, play games, create arts and crafts and enjoy food from Drago, Chaya Venice, Universal Studios, Crustacean and Norman’s.
“Seeing the joy in the faces of the children is the fuel that keeps me going,” said founder and board chair Joe Cristina. “As our signature fundraising event, Dream Halloween is the major source of funds behind the $20 million that we have raised to help kids in need during the past 12 years.”
For tickets and information, call Lauran Huff at (310) 201-5033. CAAF was founded in Los Angeles in 1993 by Joe Cristina, a Mattel, Inc. executive whose desire to help children was inspired by the outpouring of support he received when he disclosed his own HIV+ status. CAAF is the only organization solely devoted to providing social, educational, recreational and other support programs to vulnerable children impacted by HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and other countries.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 21, 2005. Read the original PDF.