Marquis Vodka Marks Unprecedented Commitment to Charitable Giving Donating 20% of Its Retail Revenue to Charitable Partners

 Marquis Vodka, the ultra-premium vodka that is among the fastest growing spirit brands in the world, is currently being launched at fine restaurants, nightclubs, bars, hotels and retail stores throughout the New York metropolitan market, Florida and California.

Marquis Vodka aims to creates a world where virtue and vice are not opposing forces; where the pursuit of pleasure is justified by quality, not quantity; and where passionate desire yields spiritual satisfaction.  Marquis Vodka believes in a world where a vice should be tempered by virtue. This is why the brand is proud to donate 20% of its retail revenue to its charitable partners.

By either scanning the QR code found on the bottle, downloading the charitable giving APP, or by following the web address provided on each bottle of Marquis Vodka, the retail consumer will be able to select 1 of 4 charities to direct the charitable giving and immediately see the value of their gift.  The charitable donations are as follows:
 
Meals on Wheels

1 bottle = 1 hot meal delivered to a Senior Citizen

Trevor Project
1 bottle = Anti-bullying outreach to 10 LGBT adolescents

Blacksmith Foundation
1 bottle = 5 lbs of Borax given to miners in the developing world to minimize the use of highly toxic mercury in gold extraction

Footprints
1 bottle = 1 maternity kit provided to a pregnant woman in the Congo

Should the consumer not participate, Marquis will instead take the amount of the donation and evenly distribute it among each of the 4 charities. In addition, Marquis provides the consumer with the ability to share their participation in Marquis Vodka’s charitable giving program through their social media accounts which, in turn, recognizes and incentivizes the retailer where the bottle was purchased and involves the charities as well.


For more LGBT business news, visit http://www.echelonmagazine.com

BRIDEGROOM: A Love Story Unequaled

BRIDEGROOM tells the emotional journey of Shane and Tom, two young men in a loving and committed relationship that was cut tragically short by a misstep off the side of a roof. The story of what happened after this accidental death– of how people without the legal protections of marriage can find themselves completely shut out and ostracized– is poignant, enraging and opens a window onto the issue of marriage equality and human rights like no speech or lecture ever will.

On the anniversary of Tom’s death, after a year of documenting his own grief, Shane decided to make a video tribute to his partner entitled “It Could Happen to You.” The video went viral and garnered over four million views to date.  Although it was a cathartic process for him and a tribute to the love of his life, more than anything, Shane wanted it to serve as a warning to other LGBT couples, and show the world what can happen when two people are legally barred from having equal rights and equal protections under the law to marry.

Director Linda Bloodworth Thomason (“Designing Women”) compiles a remarkably vast amount of personal footage and photographs, giving the movie an intensely personal edge.  BRIDEGROOM piercingly conveys the imperative of human and civil rights, and makes a plea to open hearts and minds that Tom and Shane’s love is no different than any others. It is a love story, unequaled.

BRIDEGROOM is directed, written and produced by Linda Bloodworth Thomason (“Designing Women”), and produced by Shane Bitney Crone. Virgil Films will release BRIDEGROOM in theatres in New York on October 4 and Los Angeles on October 18. OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network will air it on Sunday, October 27 at 10:00PM EST/PST.

 

For more LGBT business news, visit http://www.echelonmagazine.com