New York, NY – BurningAngel will be taking part in a live AIDS charity auction on Saturday night, February 28th, at Hell Gate Social, 12-21 Astoria Blvd (718-204-8313) in New York. Hell Gate Social will be the site of a Bachelor/Bachelorette auction and Raffle to help raise money for amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.

BurningAngel girl, Nicola, [pictured] a 21-year-old pre-med student from Philadelphia, will be taking part in the event as one of the bachelorettes auctioned off. All proceeds from the auction are going to amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.

“Only through education, awareness, and research can we combat the issue of HIV and AIDS, and for this reason I am a proud participant of this wonderful fund-raising event.” says Nicola.

“I’m honored that my company is a part of this charity,” says Joanna Angel. “Nicola is a smart, energetic and beautiful girl…. the highest bidder is in for a treat! ”

Friends of BurningAngel are taking a 13-day trek through Northern Thailand, a journey which is being hosted by amfAR: The Foundation for AIDS Research, dedicated to ending the global AIDS epidemic. Since its formation in 1985, amfAR has invested $260 million and has awarded grants to more than 2,000 research teams worldwide. It’s spearhead impressive results—including pioneering the research that led to the use of antiretroviral drugs to block mother-to-infant HIV transmission, bringing treatment to African nations, and forming a 17,000-person observational database following the course of HIV before and after treatment in the United States.

The Thailand trip aims to raise funds and awareness for amfAR’s efforts to quell HIV and AIDS in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. And, of course, the trip itself will be an incredible experience for the small number of participants! Billed as a “physical challenge fundraising event,” it’ll involve trekking across Thailand’s ancient trade route, The Old Elephant Trail. I’ll be trekking (a.k.a., walking/hiking) for 4-7 hours each day, visiting parts of the country few Westerners get to see; and passing through national parks and lush forests, and over mountains. I’ll also visit Bangkok and Chiang Mai, tour temples and villages, and learn about amfAR’s efforts to combat the AIDS crisis in Thailand through education, clinics, hospitals, and research institutions.

The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS estimates that there are now 40 million people living with HIV or AIDS worldwide. Most of them don’t know they carry HIV and may be spreading the virus to others.

In Thailand, at least one million people have become HIV positive and more than 400,000 have died from AIDS in the last 20 years—but that number doesn’t represent the true tragedy, due to thenn secrecy and brutality surrounding the illegal sex-worker industry. However, the World Bank estimates that, without the country’s proactive anti-HIV campaigns (including amfAR’s extensive efforts), 7.7 million more Thais would have become infected.

Check out BurningAngel.com for any more information.