12 May 2017 A Few Of Our Favorite Things

Did you know that our kids and pets are changing the world? Find out how!

On August 24th 2016, a strong earthquake hit Central Italy, killing hundreds of people and destroying entire villages.  The news was especially devastating to those of us in the Milan office. Like the rest of Italy that day, we spent hours trying to get in touch with friends and relatives in the affected areas. As we watched the news coming in, we wished there was some way we could help. But at CharityStars, we realized there was something we could do. We immediately reached out to celebrities and created a campaign supporting the victims. The response was amazing. Dozens of celebrities, athletes, and singers joined the initiative, auctioning experiences to support the cause.  We worked relentlessly for weeks to make it possible, driven by our desire to help those people who lost everything.  Thanks to the campaign, we raised over €200,000 to support the earthquake victims in Italy. We are currently still hosting CharityStars auctions that directly benefit Italian earthquake victims.  This is what we love about our work: every day we have chance to help someone in need, and when we go home after a long day in the office, we know that we did something good.   

We’ve all played Candy Crush, the addicting app that broke so many records. Conceived by Riccardo Zacconi, the app reached the highest position in every game ranking and had over 45 milion unique monthly users. It was this amazing result that convinced Francesco and Luca, two entrepreneurs in the app business, to bid 25,500€ for the opportunity to have lunch with Riccardo Zacconi. “Both of us really admire Riccardo, since he is one of the few Italians who created a billion dollar company in the same market we operate in. He represents an example from which we can learn so much, and that is why we were extremely interested in the opportunity to visit King headquarters and have lunch with him”, said the auction winners. The proceeds of the auction supported Liberamente Onlus and its project, which helped renovate “La Casa Pediatrica”, the pediatric wing of the Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Milan, Italy. However, Francesco and Luca were not the only winners. Our CharityStars team had its own little victory as well. The hospital thanked CharityStars for the collaboration and the visibility of the campaign, and a plaque with the CharityStars logo was hung in the hospital to remind everyone that even an app can have a “sweet” impact on people in need.

Winning a new limited edition Yamaha YZF-R1 is a dream, especially if it’s been signed by the 9-times world champion Valentino Rossi. But what if Valentino Rossi personally delivers it, too?  Marco got to live this dream after winning a CharityStars auction. A huge fan of Valentino Rossi, Marco met his idol and received a beautiful motorcycle directly from Rossi.  Thanks to his generous donation, Marco has supported La Gotita Onlus, a charity  that provides education and health assistance to children in need in com munities throughout Bolivia. Furthermore, Marco decided to donate his new Yamaha YZF-R1 to a music school.  “As a long time Motorsports lover, this thrilling experience has been a dream come true. Receiving a Yamaha motorbike, handed to me by no other than the legendary Valentino Rossi, was the ultimate experience. I’d like to thank Valentino, Yamaha, and CharityStars for this once-in-a-lifetime chance. I couldn't be more happy to have supported La Gotita Onlus, and for having the chance to donate the bike to a music school I have been collaborating with for a long time.” - Marco