Designer Harry Allen crafted his resin cast gold finished piggy bank as part of his series, Reality. And in our current economic climate, everyone wants to look more penny pincher than spendthrift, whether you are truly concerned about your investments or have conscientiously decided to be a happy person just one-Birkin-fewer. With this piece on a shelf somewhere, your frugal side makes its subtle yet cheeky appearance and your charitable side does too: Allen will donate 5% of proceeds to The Humane Society. Available in gold or chrome finish at Moss online for $195.Your New Designer Piggy Bank
Designer Harry Allen crafted his resin cast gold finished piggy bank as part of his series, Reality. And in our current economic climate, everyone wants to look more penny pincher than spendthrift, whether you are truly concerned about your investments or have conscientiously decided to be a happy person just one-Birkin-fewer. With this piece on a shelf somewhere, your frugal side makes its subtle yet cheeky appearance and your charitable side does too: Allen will donate 5% of proceeds to The Humane Society. Available in gold or chrome finish at Moss online for $195.Win-Win Vacations: Luxe Travel Meets Big Donations
We've seen the rise of "voluntourism" and eco-tourism of the luxe variety (think private bugalow in Figi, not hippie yurt). But giving back and luxury travel have rarely been an oft-cited pair. Until, that is, CharityFolks.com came on the scene, crafting unique travel plans including exclusive meet-and-greets like an evening with the cast of The Sopranos, then sending along the proceeds to charity. Each trip functions as an auction, so you'll need to get your virtual paddle up if you want to claim jaunts like a weekend at the Newport Jazz Festival, or luxe accommodations at Vail. The site hosts more traditional charity auctions as well, which have been written about here in the past, but if you planned to stay at the Four Seasons whilst touring Provence anyway, why not do it through an organization that will then donate on your behalf to UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center?Tonic Generation, Charity of the Day
Tonic Generation offers just one product in many styles (T-shirts) but donates on average 40 percent of its revenue. The organization partners with designers and causes to create limited edition products in these areas: the environment, education, social welfare and poverty. Luella Bartley recently designed four T-shirts with names like Stag, Scary Douglas, Pagan Sun, and Robin. Each has been designed especially for Tonic. Made of a 70-30 bamboo/cotton blend, the fabric does not harm the environment and has been produced according to ethical practices. Tonic is similar to iGive in that you can choose your cause and track your impact. Read the FAQs for more info on how it works!Ruby Slippers To Benefit Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Nineteen to-covet designers including Oscar de la Renta, Manolo Blahnik, Alberta Ferretti and Christian Louboutin are teaming up with Warner Brothers and Swarovski to reinvent Dorothy's ruby slippers to commemorate the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. This time, we're not in Kansas anymore. Based on some of the designer sketches we've seen, we're talking Swarovski-fied, ruby red protect-me-from-the-evil-witch stilettos. Basically what sweet little Anne Hathaway could have used in The Devil Wears Prada.
Each designer will craft a mere two pairs, and the shoes will make their debut September 4 during New York Fashion Week, posing in Saks Fifth Avenue's window before moving on to Miami's Art Basel and further appearances throughout 2009. The iconic slippers will then be auctioned off with proceeds going to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
Shepard Fairey Barack Obama Painting Auctioned For Charity
When contemporary art cult fave Shepard Fairey started "campaigning" for Barack Obama, he created original collages assembling inspiring portraits of Obama above titles like HOPE, PROGRESS and CHANGE. We saw them silkscreened on tee shirts worn by the likes of Ryan Phillippe that soon became impossible to get, selling for thousands on eBay. Now for the true connoisseur -- of politics and art -- the rare opportunity exists to bid on one of the original three pieces, OBAMA HOPE. Currently at $60,000, the piece is being auctioned by Westport, CT-based CharityBuzz, which will donate profits to the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, providing access to the arts to disadvantaged urban youth. CharityBuzz will accept bids until July 24, but if you miss this potentially revolutionary piece of art, you can at least order the sticker version online at Sticker Robot. Big spender yours truly just snagged ten of them.Diamond-Covered Magazine To Be Auctioned Off For Charity
The price of magazines is going up all the time but this is really excessive, now there will be a gold and diamond cover of a women's magazine. A gold and diamond covered version of of the style magazine, Kohl, will be auctioned for charity in October and is expected to bring in more than than $10,000. ITP Lifestyle, the publisher of style magazine Kohl, partnered with Emirates-based jeweler Damas to create the unique cover which features 622 diamonds. The magazine will be auctioned to raise money for the Rashid Pediatric Therapy Center in Dubai. The gilded front cover features Indian actress Katrina Kaif and it took the craftsmen more than 86 hours to hand-apply layers of gold leaf to a specially-treated edition of the original magazine.Rihanna For Gucci and Unicef
Singer Rihanna, shown here performing at the This Day Africa Rising concert in Abuja, Nigeria, has a new gig, starring in Gucci's first ad campaign for Unicef. Gucci does a holiday campaign with the children's charity each year, selling branded merchandise and donating a portion of the proceeds. This year's "Tattoo Heart" campaign will be out in December and will show Rihanna in the Gucci products, of which 25 percent of sales will go to Unicef. Rihanna also her own charity, The Believe Foundation, which also benefits children.Healthy Child Healthy World, Charity of the Day
It couldn't be more true that in order to have a healthy world we have to have healthy children, and Healthy Child Healthy World is a non-profit organization that makes that principle their main aim by working to protect our youth from harmful environmental exposures. Working through education, laws, governmental agencies, advocacy, and spreading awareness of environmental issues this charity is a no brainer because not only are they helping kids but they're also helping the environment (something we could all be doing more of).
Lighthouse International, Charity of the Day
Lighthouse International is one of the nation's leading non-profit organizations working to preserve vision, restore vision, and support people of all ages who suffer from vision loss due to a variety of causes, including everything from cataracts to macular degeneration to accidents. They help people learn to recover and cope and provide them with access to various educational, advocacy, and clinical services.Lighthouse International was founded in 1905 in New York and they currently have locations in Manhattan and Westchester. Opportunities to get involved include donating money, volunteering, or simply shopping online.
Handbags for Humanity, Charity of the Day
Yay! Three cheers for buying cute designer handbags and supporting charity at the same time! Artist and designer Julie Feldman has a gorgeous collection of handbags and has made several of them part of a charity effort called "Handbags for Humanity." Every time you buy a designated bag (on her website the eligible bags are marked with a special logo) a percentage of the profits are sent to various charities that are listed on the website and right now include Center Theater Group, Ellen's Run, Long Beach Women's Cancer League, and Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles.
Gallery: Julie Feldman's 'Handbags for Humanity' Handbags
Super Vintage Weekend at the Hotel Marqués de Riscal
The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts group has planned a "Super Vintage" wine auction weekend at the incredible Frank Gehry-designed Hotel Marqués de Riscal in Rioja, Spain in October. To celebrate 150 years of the region's famed wines, the culinary-themed weekend will culminate in a gala dinner and charity auction of local vintages conducted by Christie's - including the Riscal Superlot, a single lot consisting of 131 bottles dating back to 1862, proceeds from which will go to UNICEF. Details on the once-in-a-lifetime event, which will take place from Oct. 24-26, can be found here.
Gallery: Hotel Marqués de Riscal
We Are Together, Charity of the Day
We Are Together is a film about children living in the Agape orphanage in Africa. It chronicles their lives, individual personalities, and incredible journeys through life. They are also all part of a choir and have recorded an album that coincides with the film (absolutely beautiful music!), with profits from the both the film and CD going to benefit children in South Africa.
There are lots of ways to support the cause, including joining their email list (which includes getting a free music track download), donating money, or simply by purchasing the CD and watching the film (coming soon to HBO).
Drive of a Lifetime
In the summer months the American Red Cross often struggles to collect much needed blood because many potential donors are on vacation and colleges are not in session. In southern New Hampshire, International Cars, Ltd. and the American Red Cross have a unique solution to this problem. They are offering the Drive of a Lifetime, a summer promotion at the grand opening event for the new Porsche of Stratham and Audi Stratham. The care dealer is raffling off a one-year lease of a new Porsche to presenting blood donors in New Hampshire this summer. Those who donate between now and Sept. 30 will have the opportunity to enter to win. All who donate blood and visit any of International Cars' five New Hampshire locations can get a second entry through a test drive or vehicle service.
[via Fosters]
Drink 1 Give 10, Charity of the Day
The Drink 1 Give 10 campaign is simple: for every liter of Volvic bottled water you drink 10 liters of clean drinking water will be provided to children in Africa. The campaign is a result of a collaboration between Volvic and UNICEF, and the money donated to UNICEF through Volvic will be used to build wells, educate the people, and help maintain clean water supplies -- because every child has the right to clean water.
If you don't have Volvic water available in your area you can also donate money to the cause directly.
Buffett's Annual Lunch Sets Record
Here's a unique mark of inflation, Warren Buffett's annual auctioned lunch brought in more than three times the amount that it did last year. Last year, the lucky luncher bid $650,100 but this year, Chinese businessman Zhao Danyang offered $2.1 million to lunch with the famous investor at the Smith and Wollensky steakhouse in New York. Back in 2005, the winning bidder paid just $351,100 for the privlege.The proceeds go to a non-profit foundation which fights poverty and homelessness.. So far Buffett has raised over $4 million but selling himself each year but his biggest charitable move has been his declaration that he will give the bulk of his fortune to the charitable foundation set up by Bill and Melinda Gates.
[Thanks, Ben]!
