Magic Johnson and "Secure the Future" Team-Up for Children in Africa With HIV/AIDS; Star-Studded Event to Raise Money for Region Hardest Hit by Disease.

Business & Feature Editors, Health & Medical Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2000

Earvin "Magic" Johnson will announce the partnership of the Magic Johnson Foundation and "Secure the Future" during a celebrity reception at the restaurant "Reign" in Beverly Hills on April 13. "Secure the Future," a program sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb, is a five-year $100 million commitment dedicated to providing care and support for women and children with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.

As part of the kick-off event, African-American celebrities submitted designs that were hand-beaded in Africa onto denim jackets. The jackets will be auctioned over the next several months to raise money for children orphaned by AIDS in Africa. Celebrities who submitted designs include Magic Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Tyra Banks, Kobe Bryant, Patti LaBelle, LeVar Burton and reigning Miss Universe, Mpule Kwelagobe. Online bidding for Magic Johnson's jacket, the first to be auctioned, will start April 12, 2000 on eBay(R) (www.ebay.com) and close April 22, 2000. The proceeds will aide "Mpule's Children's Center," a new home supported by Miss Universe for Botswana children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The auction can be visited at http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/securethefuture.

While only 10 percent of the world's population lives in sub-Saharan Africa, two-thirds of the world's 34 million people infected with HIV reside there. According to UNAIDS and UNICEF, there are 10 million children orphaned by AIDS in the region - which is equivalent to the combined populations of New York City and Chicago. The partnership between the Magic Johnson Foundation and "Secure the Future" is a public-private sector partnership to provide support for children orphaned by AIDS in southern Africa.

"The HIV/AIDS pandemic has special urgency for African-Americans," said Magic Johnson, founder of the Magic Johnson Foundation. "Nearly 70 percent of the HIV cases worldwide are among people of color. As a person with HIV, I understand the need for action."

Secure the Future is a $100 million commitment by Bristol-Myers Squibb to help women and children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in five sub-Saharan countries, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. The program is a public-private partnership with UNAIDS, the governments of five countries and U.S. and African medical institutions. It is the single largest corporate contribution to address HIV/AIDS in Africa.

"The challenge of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa is too large to ignore and too complex for one single solution," said Kenneth E. Weg, Vice-Chairman for Bristol-Myers Squibb. "Partnerships between the public and private sectors offer the strongest approaches to finding answers. The toll of human suffering in the region is monumental, and it is the responsibility of all to work together to provide realistic solutions that work in local settings."

Since Secure the Future was introduced in May 1999, more than $24 million in funding has been committed to a variety of medical research, orphan care, home and hospice care, medical education and public health education projects in the region.

The Magic Johnson Foundation is a non-profit organization that focuses on improving and addressing the health, educational and social needs of those residing in the inner city. The Foundation has a strong commitment to raising awareness about several health and social concerns that threaten under-served communities by implementing health initiatives. In addition, other MJF components include: grant making, scholarship, social and cultural programs.