RedCross

300 Celebrities at Golden Globes sign a Chrysler for Haiti Relief

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Charity

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.

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Tags: american red cross, AmericanRedCross, celebrity, chrysler, chrysler 300, chrysler 300 c, Chrysler300, Chrysler300C, diaster relief, DiasterRelief, Golden Globe Awards, golden globes, GoldenGlobeAwards, GoldenGlobes, haiti, haiti earthquake, HaitiEarthquake, red cross, RedCross

Sotheby's to Auction Celebrity Vuitton Trunks

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Charity, Celebrity Design

On November 17 in London Sotheby's and Louis Vuitton will co-host a gala charity auction of six limited-edition Special Orders Vuitton pieces to benefit the Red Cross and commemorate the organization's 150th anniversary. Since its creation in 1854, Vuitton's Special Orders department has made bespoke creations (see Karl Lagerfeld's here) to suit the whims of customers willing to pay for the perfect carrying case to suit their whims. For the Red Cross benefit sale, Vuitton created custom pieces for Damien Hirst (a butterfly armoire), chef Ferran Adrià (trolley case with knife tray), photographer Annie Leibovitz (camera bags), musician and composer Gustavo Santaolalla (instrument case), Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs (dog carrier) and Patrick Louis Vuitton (alligator tool kit), the head of Vuitton's Special Orders department and a member of the fifth generation of the Vuitton family. Each piece was designed by Patrick-Louis Vuitton in collaboration with the celebrity, along with a special Red Cross medical kit trunk (above) with boxes for emergency supplies.

Tags: Annie Leibovitz, AnnieLeibovitz, bespoke, Damien Hirst, DamienHirst, Louis Vuitton, LouisVuitton, luggage, Marc Jacobs, MarcJacobs, Red Cross, RedCross, Sothebys, trunk

Red Cross Plans Fund-Raising Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Charity

Everybody is selling their treasures to make money these days, even the American Red Cross. The NY Times reports that the Red Cross is selling more than 150 items including a Cartier clock lamp, original Christmas Seals and other archival materials. The organization has had to let go of employees and take other cost cutting measures one of which is closing its Lorton, Virginia warehouse and outsourcing storage and archival operations. The organization is going to make more money through the closing of the warehouse (around $3 million) than the auction (around $200,000). The sales will done with Heritage Auctions online through February. Other pieces of memorabilia from the warehouse, including paintings by Norman Rockwell will stay with the Red Cross while uniforms, flags and some other memorabilia will be sent to the National Archives.

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Tags: auction, charity, heritage auction, HeritageAuction, red cross, RedCross

Artists in Need Helping People in Need: Leibovitz and Hirst for Red Cross

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art, Charity

On November 17, 2009, several celebrity-designed luggage will go up for auction at Sotheby's. The purpose is to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Red Cross, which is about as worthy an organization as one can imagine. In all seriousness – most people have no idea the true range of services and support that the Red Cross offers. If a soldier overseas needs to be reached because of an emergency back home, the family can call the Red Cross, which will do all the legwork. So, it's exciting to see some big names getting behind this cause.

Among the designers, however, are some artists who have been in the news lately. Annie Leibovitz, fresh from her negotiations with Art Capital Group over her $24 million loan, is finding some time for goodwill despite her financial situation. Her contribution is a red-lined backpack designed specifically for camera equipment.

Damien Hirst has also gotten in on the charitable action. The ~~taxidermist~~ artist who developed a name dumping maritime life in formaldehyde and affixing as many diamonds as possible to skulls has put together a tall black trunk with little drawers to hold surgical devices – which is what Hirst uses to build his ... ummmm ... stuff. This piece, in particular, should be in high demand, now that a Damien Hirst piece may actually have been touched by Damien Hirst. Last November, he laid off 17 of the 22 people involved in his pill cabinet creation.

Let's hope that these pieces – and the others brought to Sotheby's in two months – sell for fantastic prices. Art market be damned! This event is for a great organization, and every extra dollar of success will help someone out who needs it.

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Tags: annie leibovitz, AnnieLeibovitz, art, art auction, art auctions, ArtAuction, ArtAuctions, artist, artwork, auction house, auction houses, AuctionHouse, AuctionHouses, charity auction, CharityAuction, damien hirst, DamienHirst, hirst, leibovitz, louis vuitton, LouisVuitton, red cross, RedCross, sothebys

Fundraisers See Disappointing Response to Recent Disasters

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity

Following recent hurricanes Ike and Gustav, U.S. charities have finally reached the $50 million mark in fundraising, though this number doesn't come close to covering the needs of those suffering throughout affected areas, needs estimated in the hundreds of millions (not including job losses and insurance claims).

The comparisons between relief efforts for Gustav pale in comparison to those surrounding Katrina: Catholic Charities, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, raised $179,000 for current hurricane relief. For Katrina, the organization received $150 million, a whopping 839 times as much. Organizations such as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army cite the current economic climate as well as the way governmental agencies now impact private organizations. The Red Cross has consequently turned to Congress, asking for $150 million to support hurricane victims.

[via The Chronicle of Philanthropy]

Tags: charity, disaster relief, DisasterRelief, gustav, hurricanes, ike, katrina, red cross, RedCross, salvation army, SalvationArmy