31 August 2017 Better Than Ever...

 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.

In 1918, Pablo Picasso picked up a pencil and started sketching. He could have never imagined that almost 100 years later, that drawing would be auctioned for 120,000 pounds, nor that it could help hundreds of women and children in need.    The artwork was sold at the Global Gift Gala held in London in 2015 along with other unique art pieces, increasing exponentially the amount raised for the charity. Art, indeed, is one of the most involved industries when we talk about charity. Thousands of artists and galleries partner every year with the charities they care about, donating their works for a good cause.  And it’s not only about art pieces. There were many successful cases of art-related experiences, like having  a portrait made by a famous contemporary artist, a photo shoot from a renowned photographer, and a private visit to an art exhibition with the museum curator.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to art lovers making their dreams come true while supporting a great cause.   

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.

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