Set for the evening of July 30 in the WorldView Ballroom, the 2018 fundraiser will benefit Gift For Life, the sole charitable organization for the gift, stationery and home décor industries, and will be themed “ERASE HATE: A Celebration of Love,” memorializing the 20thanniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard, whose murder shocked the nation and galvanized support for the gay and lesbian community.

Held annually at the Summer Market, the popular Up On the Roof fundraiser typically attracts 300-500 industry executives who join together to eat, drink, dance, network and raise funds for the industry’s chosen charity. In 2017, “Up On the Roof” raised more than $15,000 to benefit Gift For Life. 

“Las Vegas Market is deeply committed to the industry’s chosen charity, Gift For Life, and its critical mission to raise funds for HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, education and advocacy,” said Esther Ossei-Anto, senior marketing manager of International Market Centers and a newly-appointed Gift For Life board member. 

She continued, “This year, our supportive efforts take on a new dimension, with the theme of ‘ERASE HATE: A Celebration of Love,’ memorializing the 20thanniversary of Matthew Shepard’s murder, a turning point in the American conversation about hate and how we as a people address our fears around things we do not know or understand. Las Vegas Market is proud to lend our voices to this dialogue and to demonstrate our continuing dedication to the industry charity.”

Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother and president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, an LGBT nonprofit organization founded by Shepard and her husband Dennis in 1998, will be attending the Summer 2018 Las Vegas Market and the Up On the Roof benefit.