NEW YORK-APRIL 28: Leighton Meester & Vera Wang Light The Empire State Building Red And White In Honor Of The 5th Annual DKMS Gala on Thursday, April 28, 2011 at The Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Avenue, New York City, NY. The lighting honored the 5th Annual DKMS Gala, the Coty-DKMS Linked Against Leukemia partnership and the 20th anniversary of DKMS (the world’s largest bone marrow donor center). The Coty-DKMS Linked Against Leukemia partnership is committed to the fight against leukemia and other blood related cancers. In October 2006, Coty Inc., a leading global beauty company, joined DKMS in the fight against leukemia by establishing the Coty-DKMS Linked Against Leukemia partnership. Led by CEO Bernd Beetz, Coty has leveraged its strong celebrity partnerships to raise awareness of the disease and help recruit thousands of donors around the world. For more information to register to become a bone marrow donor or to help give someone a second chance at life, visit http://www.getswabbed.org.

Leighton Meester, the star of the newest Coty fragrance from Vera Wang, is in NYC to attend the Coty-DKMS Linked Against Leukemia Gala and honored to join forces with DKMS and Coty to support this important initiative. Also in attendance were: Bernd Beetz (Chief Executive Officer, Coty Inc.), Katharina Harf (Chief Operating Officer, DKMS Americas) , Vera Wang (Global fashion designer, DKMS supporter) and Joseph Bellina (General Manager, Empire State Building)

The DKMS mission is to save lives by recruiting bone marrow donors for leukemia patients. More than 25,000 DKMS donors have helped save lives by donating their bone marrow. DKMS is the largest and most experienced bone marrow donor center in the world with over 2.7 million registered donors. DKMS Americas is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

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