Swarovski's holiday donation

This year Swarovski donates over $ 200 000 to the annual Edition holiday ornament to Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation. The money are destinated to the improvement of the life of almost 15 000 000 children in the US who live every day with a devastating serious illness.

Swarovski Press Release:

Christie Brinkley Unveils Swarovski's 550 pound, 25,000 Crystal Star and Celebrity-Decorated Mini Stars on The Ice Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center(R) on Behalf of Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation

It's the most wonderful time of the year and Swarovski kicks off the 2007 holiday season with Christie Brinkley by unveiling a custom-designed 9.5 foot, 550 pound star adorned with over 25,000 crystals that sits atop the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.


Swarovski is donating $250,000 from sales from its Annual Edition holiday ornament to Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with chronic and life-threatening medical conditions by providing education, entertainment and family events. This donation brings the company's cumulative gift to more than $600,000.

"We are honored that Swarovski has chosen Starlight for the third year in a row as the charity recipient of this signature annual event," said Paula Van Ness, CEO of Starlight. "Due to Swarovski's consistent generosity, we are able to continue our expansion efforts as we endeavor to reach the nearly 15 million children in the US who live every day with a devastating serious illness."

Sharing the ice for this unveiling will be the celebrity-designed miniature stars, back for a second year by popular demand. Participating celebrities, including Laila Ali, Patricia Arquette, Patti Austin, Cindy Crawford, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dakota Fanning, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Teri Hatcher, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dave Koz, Nicole Lapin, Tea Leoni, Debbie Matenopoulos, Robin McGraw, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Brittany Snow, John Stamos, Kiefer Sutherland, Mena Suvari, Meredith Viera and Christie Brinkley have lent their "star power" and design talents. These dazzling creations will be auctioned off on eBay to raise funds for Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation from November 1 - 8 at www.ebay.com/swarovskistars.

"Working with Swarovski and Starlight this holiday season is wonderful because they truly impact the lives of children and families challenged by illness in positive ways. Facilitating connections for families throughout the Starlight community is always important, but it becomes especially significant during this time of year," said Christie Brinkley

Taking 12 weeks to design and over 2,500 hours to create, the Swarovski Star required a team of 15 designers, engineers, crystal makers, lighting consultants and construction technicians in both Austria and New York. This dedication and hard work brings forth this striking combination of art, science and technology and allows it to sparkle throughout the ever-changing New York City winter weather. The Swarovski ornament retails for $70 and is available at Swarovski stores nationwide. For retail outlets, call 1-800-426-3088 or visit www.swarovski.com.

About Swarovski

112 years ago, in 1895, Daniel Swarovski I, a Bohemian inventor and visionary, moved to the village of Wattens, Tyrol in Austria, with his newly- invented machine for cutting and polishing crystal jewelry stones. From these beginnings, which revolutionized the fashion world, Swarovski has grown to be the world's leading producer of precision-cut crystal, for fashion, jewelry and more recently lighting, architecture and interiors. Today, the company, still based in Wattens, family-owned and run by 4th and 5th generation family members, has a global reach, with some 20,000 employees, a presence in over 120 countries and a turnover in 2006 of 2.37 billion Euros. Swarovski comprises two major divisions, one producing and selling loose crystals to the industry and the other creating design-driven finished products. Swarovski crystal components, known by their product brand names CRYSTALLIZED(TM) - Swarovski Elements for fashion and STRASS® Swarovski® Crystal for architecture and light, have become an essential ingredient of international design. Showing the creativity that lies at the heart of the company, Swarovski's own-brand lines of accessories, jewelry and home décor are sold through more than 1150 Swarovski stores and concessions in all major fashion capitals, while the exclusive Daniel Swarovski accessories collection has become the company's Couture signature. The Swarovski Crystal Society has close to 400,000 members worldwide, keen collectors of the celebrated crystal figurines. And in Wattens, Crystal Worlds, the multi-media crystal museum, has attracted over 7 million visitors since it was opened in 1995, as a celebration of Swarovski's universe of innovation and inspiration, of crystal as the ultimate creative material. The Swarovski corporation also includes four industrial brands, Tyrolit®, manufacturing grinding tools, Swareflex, for road safety reflectors, Optik, producing precision optical instruments and Signity, Swarovski's brand for genuine and created gemstones. Illuminating Fashion and Culture, Home and Leisure: www.Swarovski.Com.

About Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation

When a child or teenager has a serious medical condition, everyone in the family is affected. For nearly 25 years, Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation has dedicated itself to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. Starlight's programs have been proven to distract children from their pain, help them better understand and manage their illnesses, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. Through a network of 32 offices, Starlight provides ongoing support to children, parents and siblings in all U.S. states and Canadian provinces with an array of outpatient, hospital-based and Web offerings. Programs are also delivered internationally through affiliates in Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Source: Swarovski