10 May 2017 Our Kids And Pets Are Changing The World

Do you need advice on finding the perfect gift for your grandmother? You could buy her flowers, a book, perfume… or you can do what one bidder did and surprise your granny with a lunch with Silvio Berlusconi, the renowned former Italian prime minister.  It’s not the cheapest gift. The winner bid €70,000 to win the lunch, auctioned by CharityStars. The amount, however, was completely worth it. The proceeds directly supported the central Italy earthquake victims.  To make the gift even more special, the lunch is going to take place at Berlusconi’s personal residence in Arcore.  “Dear friends, I decided to auction this experience to support the victims of the Italian earthquake. I think everyone should do everything in his/her means to help our fellow citizens, and sometimes we can be helpful even with smaller gestures. I’ll be really glad to meet and have lunch with the generous winner of the auction, that I hope is going to be sold to a high price, since the proceeds will support the Italian Red Cross!” - Silvio Berlusconi

Mother’s Day is just around the corner! Are you still looking for the perfect gift for your mom? Here’s our advice for finding a truly original gift. It’s not easy to find something different to give your mom on Mother’s Day, especially if you’ve already given many gifts in the past. Jewelry, perfume, books.. yawn.. Why not try a unique idea that’s sure to add that wow factor this Mother’s Day: Gifts for music-loving moms: If your mom adores music and you’re all out of ideas why not treat her to a meeting with a famous singer? CharityStars gives you the chance to meet Italian and International singers from Alessandra Amoroso to Piero Pelù, Arisa and Aerosmith. Another great way to leave your mom speechless this Mother’s Day is to send her a personal video-message from her favorite singer! And that’s not all. At CharityStars you will find a host of original gift ideas such as signed t-shirts or guitars, Xfactor tickets, meet&greets with singers and much more. All you have to do is find the auction you want to bid on or ask us for a personalized experience via our dedicated page. Gifts for food-loving moms: Does your mom love cooking but you’re tired of giving her cookery books and kitchen utensils? We’ve found the solution! There are plenty of sites that offer cookery courses at all kinds of different schools but what if it was Cracco or Canavacciuolo in person to reveal their secrets to the perfect dish? CharityStars gives you the chance to treat your mom to experiences with some of the biggest celebrity chefs. Bid on the chance to meet Carlo Cracco or have a dinner personally prepared for you by Alberto Barbieri or Antonino Cannavacciuolo.   Gifts for fashion-loving moms: Is your mom a fashion follower? Don’t know what to give her this Mother’s Day? What if you could surprise her with tickets to a fashion week show? You’d be giving a unique gift and an unforgettable experience! At CharityStars you can buy passes for some of the hottest fashion week runway shows. Or instead bid on bags, accessories, pieces worn by celebrities and many other items that you’ll find in our Auctions section.   If you’re wondering where you can buy these unique Mother’s Day gifts all you have to do is check our current auctions or ask for a personalized experience via our dedicated page!  

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.   

 Having Chiara Ferragni as a personal shopping assistant is not something you can have every day. However, Debora and Solange were rewarded for their generosity with just this. These two girls were the winners of the auction “A shopping session with the glamorous fashion blogger Chiara Ferragni” to support World Wildlife Fund (WWF). This unique experience took place in a Stefanel Store in the center of Milan, which opened its doors to exclusively host the two winners and their celebrity shopping assistant. “I had a whole store in my city just for me, with amazing clothes, my best friend and an stunning personal shopper… what more could I ask for? Morevoer, it was also an amazing way to give back, I suggest CharityStars to anyone who wants to make some good for the others and also for themselves!” said Debora, one of the two young winners. The proceeds of the auction directly supported the Virunga Emergency. The Virunga National Park is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, under its amazing landscapes are oil fields, which have attracted oil companies that threaten the delicate ecosystem of the park and its species preservation.