Elton John AIDS Foundation Honors President Bill Clinton, Sharon Stone & More

The Elton John AIDS Foundation honored former President Bill Clinton, Evelyn and Leonard Lauder, Sharon Stone, and Lily Safra with Enduring Vision awards this past Monday night. The event was held in New York City at Cipriani Wall Street.

Now in its eighth year, the Enduring Vision Awards acknowledges the efforts of those who contribute to promote awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Journalist Anderson Cooper hosted the event. Donna Summer was the featured performer.

As Elton John told ET, "We live in a time where we mustn't let AIDS get forgotten about...We have to carry on the fight and get as much done as we possibly can in our small way."

To hear Elton John's thoughts on the event from the red carpet, courtesy of ET Online, click here.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) was established in the United States in 1992 by Sir Elton John. EJAF's U.S. office is located in New York City. In 1993, Sir Elton also established the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF-UK) in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. These two organizations function as separate entities with their own distinct grant-making portfolios, but both pursue similar missions - to support innovative HIV prevention programs, efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and direct care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Collectively, the two organizations have raised over $150 million since inception in support of projects in 55 countries around the world, including significant funding dedicated to programs in their respective home countries.

John has composed music for Broadway's The Lion King in 1997, Aida in 1999 with lyricist Tim Rice (for which they received the Tony Award for Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album), Lestat: The Musical, and the Tony award winning Billy Elliot (which is currently on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre).