New York City - The Intimate Apparel Square Club (IASC), the New York-based nonprofit group dedicated to raising funds for charities, announced that Sonja Morgan, one of the glamorous stars of Bravo's hit reality series "Real Housewives of New York City" will be the celebrity emcee of the 2011 H.U.G. Award Gala honoring Ann Deal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of intimate apparel and accessories manufacturer Fashion Forms. The IASC's annual fundraiser on November 2, 2011 will benefit pediatric services at NYU Langone Medical Center and the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine.

"We are thrilled to have Sonja Morgan as our emcee," said IASC President Norma Reinhardt Mascarotti. "She brings glamour, charm and a passion for charitable work to our H.U.G. Gala and we're excited to have her at our event honoring Ann Deal of Fashion Forms. It's going to be a fabulous night of fundraising to benefit the children of Rusk Institute."

The 2011 H.U.G. Award gala will bring together leaders in the fashion and retail industries at the New York hot spot 230 Fifth to raise funds for the IASC's campaign in support of pediatric treatment and rehabilitation, which has raised over $4 million for programs at Rusk Institute and Tisch Hospital at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Individuals or organizations interested in purchasing tickets for this year's fundraiser or making a donation to the IASC NYU Langone Pediatric Services campaign may contact the IASC at 845-758-5752.

About Sonja Morgan
Renowned for her beauty, style and elegance, Morgan is a true renaissance woman who made her mark in the worlds of fashion, luxury business and entertainment. After modeling in Europe, she became a professional restaurant, hotel, and luxury brand consultant to some of America's top establishments, reinventing each atmosphere and drawing in rock stars, royalty, international tycoons and other power sets, earning her the title "the straw that stirs the drink." Today, Sonja balances her business and television projects with her support of the arts, children and animals, as well as the LGBT community. She is on the board of American Friends of Blérancourt, Ann Morgan's Chateau turned French American Museum, as well as advocates for New Yorker's For Children, The Princess Grace Foundation, Jeffrey Fashion Cares, California's NOH8 Campaign, and the ASPCA. She resides in New York City with her daughter, two poodles and a rescue kitty, and will continue to build her affordable Luxury Home collection centered around toaster-oven cooking, and her new catering and special events company, Sonja in the City.

About Ann Deal
Raised in North Carolina, Ann Deal is from a family of entrepreneurial retailers. She began her own retailing career as an intimate apparel buyer for Rich's department store in Atlanta with the hopes of opening her own business, launching Freedom Forms in Florida in 1987. In 1993 she moved the company to California and renamed it Fashion Forms, relying on her dynamic personality, a good network of retailer friends, and one hot product - the Adhesive Body Bra - to make intimate apparel history. Deal applied her eye for fashion direction and intimate apparel expertise, developed over 27 years, to establish the Fashion Forms brand. In less than 10 years, Fashion Forms became the nation's leader in bra accessories, constantly introducing new and useful intimate apparel accessories like water push-up pads, shoulder cushions, adhesive bras and more. Fashion Forms became the exclusive U.S. distributor for patented products such as StrapMate and Staykups, Peel N' Stick Cups, NuBra, and NuBra Ultralite. Deal expanded the company's accessory business and revolutionized the bra market with the U.S introduction of The Original Water Push Up Bra in 1997. Recognizing that women needed a 'smarter' bra, Deal developed the Original Water Bra, introducing the world to one of the greatest non-surgical concepts in bust enhancement. Fashion Forms is committed to continually delivering innovative bras and accessories for women's changing needs and desires. That steadfast attention to quality and a high level of customer service has earned Deal the respect of top department stores throughout the U.S.

About The H.U.G. Award
The Intimate Apparel Square Club's annual fundraiser was renamed the H.U.G. (Help Us Give) Award in 1998 and is presented to well-respected, high-profile companies, organizations and individuals at the IASC's annual gala fundraiser in support of pediatric rehabilitation. The IASC was founded in1955 with the mission of uniting professionals in intimate apparel and related industries as a charitable organization and to participate in activities that will reflect positively on the membership and the industry at large. The membership includes management executives, designers and salespeople, among other professionals. Initially focused on charities for the blind and the elderly, the IASC broadened its scope over the years and today supports a variety of charitable organizations, with pediatric rehabilitation and treatment at Rusk and other programs at NYU Langone Medical Center being the primary beneficiary of its fundraising activities.