December 3rd fundraiser at Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel raises more than half a million dollars for BMX bike champion, TJ Lavin, and friend -
- Auction items included Blink 182 drum set, Brad Pitt personal vineyard wines, a new Harley Davidson motorcycled autographed by Pink, unique UFC chicken art and practice bike ridden and signed by Lavin -
December 7, 2010 – Las Vegas, NV – Forgiven, the world’s “First and Only” Alcohol Metabolizer, was a part of very special evening last Friday in Las Vegas, where a fundraiser was held at the Hard Rock Hotel’s Vanity nightclub to support two recent victims of head injury – one of them being TJ Lavin, BMX champion, MTV host and part owner of Forgiven. Forgiven is a new anti-hangover supplement that is hitting store shelves in Las Vegas but will soon be picked up in stores across Southern California and the entire west coast. Plans are for it to roll-out national distribution by the holidays and early 2011.
Friday’s fundraiser was hosted by UFC President, Dana White, and was attended by some of the biggest names in Las Vegas nightlife. The crowd included Palms casino owner (and co-owner of the Sacremento Kings), George Maloof and his right-hand-man, Jon Gray, who’s currently filming Oxygen’s the Bachelorette Party, actor and TV show host, Joe Rogan, Stations Casino owners, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, Punk Ass and Skyscrape founders of TapOut, and dozens of UFC fighters and ring girls.
Among the silent-auction items sold to help raise funds for TJ and his friend, Ty Pinney, who ironically also sustained a head injury due to a BMX accident a day before TJ, included: vacation and golf packages to top Las Vegas and Baja resorts, a race suit signed by NASCAR driver, Kevin Harvick, a autographed sneaker worn by Shaquile O’Neil, an electric guitar signed by Everlast, tickets and show meet-n-greet opportunities for Regis & Kelly, Kevin James and ticket packages to several upcoming UFC events., a day at Rob Dyrdek’s skate mecca “Fantasy Factory”, private lessons from Philadelphia Phillies Shane Victorino, all-access Winter Dew Tour weekend getaway from Alli Sports and NBC donated an all-access Lake Tahoe weekend, including a VIP package to the American Century Classic golf event. Some of the bigger items to be auctioned in the live auction included: a Harley Davidson motorcycled autographed by Cary Hart and Pink, wine bottles signed by (and from) Brad Pitt’s French vineyard, a trip to Punta Minta resort in Baja California, a package for four floor seats and private flight to the game package for a Sacramento Kings game, a signed drum set from Travis Barker of Blink 182, a NASCAR VIP event pass and dinner with Dale Earnhart Jr., and a UFC artist’s unique drawing of a chicken, which was bid up to $100,000.00 by the UFC’s Fertitta brothers, breaking any known bid price for a chicken drawing and reaching what is believed to be a world record for such a piece of artwork.
Maybe the most memorable item of the night was an autographed practice bike from TJ Lavin himself. The bike was a surprise last-minute addition to an already impressive list of items and went for a staggering $25,000.00. All total, the fundraiser brought in more than $500.000.00 for the two cyclists and will go a long way toward their equally staggering medical bills.
Forgiven, which was among several other sponsors including the UFC, has hit more than 50 store shelves in Las Vegas, NV, and its distributor says interest is exploding. “Forgiven is the first true alcohol metabolizer on the market, and we’re just starting to scratch the surface of how far this will go,” stated Michael Bedrick, Vice President of sales of Forgiven Bottling Company, based in Las Vegas, NV. “The formula in Forgiven is a proprietary blend of natural minerals and vitamins has been clinically proven to help the body more quickly metabolize the toxins found in alcohol. It’s those toxins that cause drowsiness, cloudy thinking, diminished muscle skills and eventually achy muscles, nausea and headaches. Forgiven is formulated to help your body combat those effects of alcohol and more quickly bounce back from its effects.”
Bulldawg Distribution of Palm Desert, CA, is handling distribution for Forgiven. With requests for the product coming from as far away as South Carolina and Texas, the company expects to have product on shelves in at least 10 states by Christmas with a full national roll out in Q1 of 2011.
