When you think about corporate social responsibility – i.e., good corporate citizenship – the cigar industry probably isn't the first that comes to mind. The cigar business is small and only appeals to a handful of customers. Though I've been a cigar smoker for close to 15 years and was a consumer business strategist for a major consulting firm, I'd never thought about the possibility of corporate social responsibility in the cigar world – it jest never occurred to me.

While I was walking the Drew Estate factory in Esteli, Nicaragua, though, I began to hear the cues that signal an effort to be a valuable member of the community. The company – which produces the Acid and Java cigar lines, along with newer products such as the T9 and T52 – pays twice the region's prevailing wage for its positions. There are healthcare facilities on the premises. Wood for cigar boxes comes only from approved sources with environmentally friendly practices, and the company makes it a point to hire people with disabilities.

Jonathan Drew, one of the company's owners, spoke with me at length about Drew Estate's commitment to the surrounding community, which involves several measures intended to benefit not just the factory's employees but the people of Esteli.

While the holiday celebrations that involve the entire neighborhood, healthcare for employees and pregnancy leave are prominent aspects of Drew's informal philosophy of corporate social responsibility, I was struck by two rather unusual aspects: food and art.

Scarlett Johansson is the new face of Mango and has helped design an exclusive handbag to go on sale in more than 1,390 Mango stores worldwide in March. All profits from the Haiti Handbag will be donated to Oxfam's Haiti Earthquake Response Fund.

The tote is emblazoned with an ancient map of the Caribbean country, with the message "Supporting the People of Haiti" written and signed by Johansson.

"I'm thrilled to be collaborating with Mango to benefit Oxfam. By purchasing this bag, you're helping to provide life-saving assistance, like clean water, to the people of Haiti," Johansson said. Recently Johansson auctioned an evening of her company to four fans to help benefit the relief effort as well.

The Haiti Handbag will retail for £16.90 (about $26.50 USD).

Miley Cyrus is doing her part for Haiti earthquake relief with an auction that starts tomorrow. The auction on eBay includes many donations from her celebrity friends. Britney Spears has donated the Versace dress she wore during her much celebrated return to glamour at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. Nicole Ritchie will contribute a few pieces from her House of Harlow jewelry line. Miley herself is giving the Herve Leger dress she wore to the Grammy Awards this year as well as a pair of tickets to the premiere of her new movie, "The Last Song." All proceeds will support the Red Cross's efforts in Haiti as the Caribbean nation continues to recover from last month's devastating earthquakes.

Following the Hope for Haiti telethon, donations have continued to roll in from the rich and famous. Check out a few of the big givers in the gallery below.

Last year the results of the Naples Winter Wine Festival in Florida showed an economy where even the wealthiest patrons were slow to open their wallets. The results of this year's auction are a little more uplifting. The Naples News reports that the Naples Winter Wine Festival at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort at Tiburon in North Naples raised a preliminary total of $8.06 million for children's charities in Collier County. That's around $3 million more than last year's total and the overall mood appears to have been far brighter with reports of an energetic room and even a few bidding wars. It's not as high as the previous years when $14 and nearly $16 million results were seen but it is a step in the right direction.

Many lots sold for over six figures including a four-day trip to Manhattan for two couples with the best seats in the best restaurants, Yankee Stadium and live tapings of television shows which went for $170,000. A 14-night voyage aboard The World for two couples sold for $160,000. Two couples will be hosted by jewelry company Chopard at the Cannes Film festival in a lot that sold for $160,000. A ten-day South African odyssey for two couples through the country's premier wine regions and landscapes sold for $340,000. One woman paid $130,000 for a lot that is topped by a dinner with Robert Redford. A lot that featured a Michael Kors makeover and a trip to the Project Runway finale fetched $150,000.

And of course there were many large wine auction lots including a 2003 Chateau Lynch-Bages presented in a rare double magnum and two nights for two couples at Cordeillan-Bages in Pauillac, France that sold for $170,000. A lot of 30 wines from Burgundy sold for $100,000. And someone really likes the monster bottles, a lot that included four mammoth 9-liter Salmanazars, one each of 2005 Chateau Haut-Brion, 2005 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion and two 9-liter bottles of the 2009 vintage sold for $150,000.

Liya Alfred by Brian Alfred

Christie's own New York gallery outpost Haunch of Venison is hosting a special benefit Monday night for The Time In Children's Arts Initiative, a HiArt! outreach program that is dedicated to bringing arts-inspired curriculum to at-risk schoolkids.

Galleries all over the city and individual artists have donated special works and experience packages to the auction to raise much needed funds, as schools across the city continue to cut their art budgets. Time In has spent the last year immersing Harlem kindergarteners and first graders in art, including gifting them with art supplies to sketch in HiArt! studios or in museums and galleries across the city. It's an inspiring new program that is set to grow exponentially with a little help from New York art patrons.

Mattel has come out with a new concept for Barbie, teaching little girls early on in life that what every woman really needs is the perfect little black dress. Most women would agree with the company and most likely the all new Barbie Basics™ Collection will be a resounding success. Mattel has paired up with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to celebrate the launch of the dolls which are wearing little black dresses and come with accessory kits.

Who better to inspire budding pre-teen designers than some of the big names themselves. Twelve of the CFDA fashion and accessories designers have created one-of-a-kind Barbies that showcase their unique talents and tastes. These Barbie dolls are currently up for auction on eBay and all net proceeds will go to support CFDA's educational initiatives and scholarship program. The designers include Issac Mizrahi, Betsey Johnson, Rachel Roy, Justin Giunta, Lorraine Schwartz, Alex Bittar, Monica Botkier, Deborah Lloyd of Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Albertus Swanepoei, Philip Crangi and Devi Kroell. The dolls went up for auction on January 28th and will be available to bid on through February 7th.

As of January 31rst some of the bids were up to as much $3,500 for Lorraine Schwartz's Barbie with Diamonds followed by the Kate Spade Barbie at $800. For those who don't have the funds to bid on the designer e-bay Barbies, Mattel will be giving away one of the new Barbie Basic dolls and accessory pack on Twitter from February 1st - 16th.

Last December Rachel Bilson traveled to Botswana and South Africa to see the work being done by Russell Simmons' Diamond Empowerment Fund. Now the actress has created a new bracelet to benefit the cause. The leather bracelet features a 1/6 carat diamond in an Everlon Diamond Knot setting (the latest design from De Beers). The round-cut diamond is set in 14k gold over sterling silver. The bracelet sells for $100 at Macy's and $20 from each sale goes to the Diamond Empowerment Fund to support the education and empowerment of African people.

The Diamond Empowerment Fund was founded in 2007 and first raised money with the selling of a malachite bracelet crowned with a rough diamond. The non-profit international organization raises money to support education initiatives that include the fund's first project, the CIDA City Campus, located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The four-year school educates students and sends them back to the townships as teachers. It offers liberal arts education and business classes and the students do all the work at the school except teaching. Profits from Bilson's bracelet will help purchase additional student housing for the campus.

[via In Style]

When disaster strikes like it has in Haiti, it's hard to find the silver lining. But if there's one to be found, it's how people come together to lend a hand.

At the Golden Globe awards this past Sunday, Chrysler showed up on the red carpet with one of its top-of-the-line 300C luxury sedans and invited the celebrities attending to sign it. Among the 300 celebrities who put their names down for the cause included Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Morgan Freeman, Sigourney Weaver and Neil Patrick Harris,

The car was equipped with such eco touches as cork and bamboo interior, donated personally by Chrysler brand CEO Olivier Francois (pictured above) and was specially branded for the cause. It's is set to be auctioned at an event soon to be announced to raise funds for the American Red Cross in its relief efforts in Haiti.

We've already covered a variety of stars donating money to help the victims of the Haiti quake and now stars are holding auctions to raise money. Meryl Streep, Gerard Butler, Amy Poehler and Olivia Wilde are donating their outfits worn at the 67th Golden Globes. The outfits will be auctioned off by Artists for Peace and Justice and sold to the public on eBay.

In other auction news, Serena Williams has set herself the goal of raising $92,000 in 92 days through an online auction of her personal clothing and memorabilia to raise money for Haiti earthquake victims, as well as schools and charities. Her eBay auction began Monday with items and includes so far tennis outfits, sneakers and a Phoenix Suns jersey signed by Steve Nash. She plans to put up new items each week.

Friday's "Hope for Haiti" telethon will be hosted by George Clooney, Wyclef Jean and Anderson Cooper. Christina Aguilera, Bono, Alicia Keys, Sting and Justin Timberlake have signed on to perform and Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts have signed up to answer phones.

The response to the earthquake tragedy in Haiti was almost immediate, and just days afterward, millions of dollars have been raised, a lot of it through small donations of $5 or $10 transmitted through the humble text message. But there's another kind of giving that has emerged too: Single donations in much larger amounts, from the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Olivia Wilde, Tiger Woods, Madonna. Hopefully the list will grow and grow.

Why is it so gratifying though to hear about celebrities making donations? Perhaps because by doing so, they're doing something we've already done, something that thousands of ordinary people are doing. A crisis reminds us that we're all vulnerable, we're all responsible for helping. And that's what it is going to take to bury the dead, take care of the living, and rebuild Haiti.

So when George Clooney asks for your donation tonight, during the Hope for Haiti telethon he is hosting on MTV, you won't just be saying "yes" to an incredibly magnetic movie star, you'll be joining a community of people wanting to help. It's as simple as that. Celebrities undeniably bring some glamour and sparkle to the task of fundraising, and that's okay. It is after all a difficult and serious business. We're lucky to have them.

Check out the gallery below for a look at the amounts donated so far.

What's your wine fantasy? A lost weekend at a Napa Valley estate with a bunch of close friends? How about spending the day with one of Napa's most celebrated winemakers? These are just two of the lots being offered in advance of Forever Young, The Young School's eleventh annual benefit fundraiser,being held February 6 at Quintessa in Rutherford, California. The evening will include silent and live auctions but some lots are being offered ahead of time www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/Browse.action

My favorite includes the chance to spend the day with vintner Ehren Jordan, winemaker both of French–style Pinot Noirs and Syrahs from Failla Wines and Zinfandels and Petit Syrahs from Turley Wine Cellars. His typical whirlwind day includes shuttling between Turley and Failla, a commute done via the cockpit of his Cessna 340. You can sit in the co-pilot's seat and get a winemaker's-eye-view of the vineyards, then land and take a walk through the rows. The experience includes a blending session, which will create five cases and one magnum of your own unique wine. This lot has an opening bid of $5,000.

Another lot is called the Bottle Shock Experience and whisks nine couples away for three nights (1/28/2010- 1/31/2010) at a Napa Valley estate where the grounds include a spa, pool, bocce court, gym and more. They stay is highlighted by a private screening at the estate's high-definition theater of the movie Bottle Shock with the movie's producers Marc & Brenda Lhormer, followed by a "Judgment of Paris"-style tasting of California Chardonnays and Cabernets 'versus' French Burgundies and Bordeaux, similar to the one in the film. Bidding starts at $9,000 for this lot.

The New York Daily News reported last week that five women's charities -- including an eating disorder program -- will share $2 million from a class-action settlement with major modeling agencies, as ordered by a federal judge. The money is what is left over after thousands of aspiring and established models got their share of a $21 million settlement with the agencies, including Wilhelmina, Ford and Click. The models sued in 2002, claiming the agencies fixed prices. A settlement was reached in 2005, but legal disputes delayed the final payouts. Manhattan Federal Judge Harold Baer originally ruled that after the models and their lawyers were paid, the remaining $6 million would be divvied up among the charities. The models and their lawyers appealed his decision, and after recalculating the payouts, a $2 million pool was left. Baer signed a final order that included $347,826 for Columbia University's eating disorders program and $173,913 for its heroin detox program. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute will receive $86,956 for its "Heart Truth" campaign and New York University School of Medicine will receive $347,826 for two heart research studies aimed at women.

Fans of the Celtics/Lakers longtime rivalry can experience a game in luxury with a new raflle being held to benefit Paul Pierce's The Truth Fund. The Truth Fund benefits children in Boston and in Pierce's hometown of Inglewood, California. The winner will get 12 tickets to Paul Pierce's luxury suite for the Boston Celtics versus the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday, January 31, 2010 game at the TD Garden in Boston. The package includes luxury suite food and beverages services, a pregame courtside meet and greet, plus photo-op, with Paul Pierce and an autographed authentic Paul Pierce Boston Celtics jersey. And the winner won't have to worry about taxes, the prize comes with a cash payment of $1,734.77 to mitigate winner's tax liability from winning the prize (paid directly to the IRS and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts). The deadline for the auction is January 28 and tickets are $2 each with a minimum purchase of five tickets.

A German watch maker owned by the French contributes a watch to charity sold to benefit the Italian Cancer Research Organization. Kind of ironic really, but the watch in question is very cool. Glashutte Original took its very popular PanoMaticReserve XL Watch and have put it in some new clothing. The new black and yellow bumble bee look is sporty and suave - certainly something I hope that they will think about making more widely. The 42mm case is in black PVD stainless steel. It contrasts nicely with the neon yellow on the dial, for the hand, and as the stitching on the strap. While the actual differences between this model and the standard PanoMaticReserve XL watches isn't that great, the watch really feels different.

Inside the watch is Glashutte Original's automatic caliber 90-03 movement that has the time with subsidiary seconds dial, power reserve indicator, and a big date indicator. I like that Glashutte Original was able to tone down the watch (other versions or after in gold) and at the same time make it more sporty. This piece unique is really stunning and I hope more timepieces from the luxury German brand follow in suit.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Swiss watch maker Hublot is making 12 awesome piece unique watches with musical group Depeche Mode. Hublot is teaming up with Depeche mode as part of a charity concept to benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust that will take place on February 17, 2010 at the Royal Albert Hall in London (tickets are available at Livenation).

Hublot will be making 12 one-off watches for an accompanying charity auction to support the event. Each of the 12 watches will have one of Depeche Mode's album covers on the dial. The watches will most likely be a Hublot Big Bang modified specially for the one-of-a-kind watches. While images of the watches haven't been seen yet, we can imagine how cool they will be.

In all likelihood the watches will be auctioned off as a set. Meaning that one lucky auction bidder will be able to own the entire collection of 12 watches - a perfect collector's item for the ultimate fine watch, and Depeche Mode music fan. Both Hublot and Depeche Mode are excited about the collaboration - and I can't wait to see what the watches looking sometime next year.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.