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Gibson GuitartownTHE SUNSET STRIP BUSINESS ASSOCIATION presented nonprofit disaster relief organization Music For Relief a check for $41,611 on April 15, 2014. The donation was based on proceeds received from the third GIBSON GUITARTOWN ON THE SUNSET STRIP charity auction, which took place at Bonhams in February. The auction featured 13 art guitars celebrating Joan Jett, Janis Joplin, ZZ Top, Alice Cooper and Debbie Harry, among others.

This donation brings the total amount of charitable donations GIBSON GUITARTOWN ON THE SUNSET STRIP has raised since its original launch in 2010 to more than $148,250. Previous funds have supported charities including Los Angeles Youth Network, which provides services for homeless youth in L.A.; Los Angeles Fund for Education’s “Arts Matter” campaign, which funds art and music education programs in L.A. public schools, West Hollywood Library; and West Hollywood Arts & Cultural Affairs Commission in support of public art and artists.

“Each year GuitarTown raises significant funds for noteworthy charities while also providing an opportunity for visitors and locals to rediscover THE SUNSET STRIP’s music history through art,” noted Karmen Beck, managing director of the Sunset Strip Music Festival who also spearheaded the Gibson GuitarTown on THE SUNSET STRIP project. “Every day we see countless individuals stopping to take photos and interact with these larger than life pieces of art, and it is wonderful to see the efforts of the artists benefit charitable causes.”

“The City of West Hollywood is happy to partner with the SUNSET STRIP BUSINESS ASSOCIATION to continue this important public art exhibit that provides a creative celebration of The SUNSET STRIP’s influence,” stated West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land. “It is an added bonus that the project continues to benefit causes and organizations that work to better our community and world.”

“We are incredibly grateful for this contribution, which will support critical disaster relief and environmental programs locally and globally,” noted Music For Relief Chief Operating Officer Whitney Showler.

Founded by two-time Grammy-winning/multi-platinum rock band Linkin Park, Music for Relief is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing aid to survivors of natural disasters and the prevention of such disasters.

Since its inception in 2005, Music for Relief has raised more than $6 million for survivors of multiple disasters across four continents including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, hurricane Katrina, China’s Wenchuan earthquake, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Recently the organization raised funds and awareness for the 2013 Philippine typhoon and tornadoes in Oklahoma. Music for Relief also supports environmental programs as a means of disaster risk mitigation including the planting of more than 1 million trees to help reduce global climate change and providing clean energy solutions.

Locally, Music For Relief has created urban gardens in Los Angeles, planted trees in parks that were burned by wildfires and organized beach clean-ups. The organization was recognized by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for the Download to Donate program to raise funds and awareness in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake.

The 2013 GuitarTown project included a range of artists, including Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, tattoo artist Kat Von D, tattoo artist Lyle Tuttle, who was close friends with Janis Joplin, sculptor Eugene Daub, who recently created the Rosa Parks sculpture for the U.S. capitol, and jewelry designer Kathy Rose.

GIBSON GUITARTOWN ON THE SUNSET STRIP art project originally launched in 2010 with 24 art guitars celebrating artists including Slash, Ozzy Osbourne, The Runaways and Mötley Crüe. The 2012 GuitarTown edition featured art guitars created by internationally acclaimed and local artists, including Shepard Fairey, John Kosh and RISK and celebrated The Doors, Buffalo Springfield, Stevie Nicks, British Rock Invasion and Van Halen, among others.

GIBSON GUITARTOWN ON THE SUNSET STRIP is supported by the SUNSET STRIP BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, Hornburg Land Rover on THE SUNSET STRIP, City of West Hollywood and Visit West Hollywood. GUITARTOWN ON THE SUNSET STRIP and is administered by the Gibson Foundation, the philanthropic division of Gibson Guitar Corp.

For more information about Music For Relief visit www.musicforrelief.org. For more information about The Sunset Strip and GuitarTown, visit www.thesunsetstrip.com/guitartown.

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