Longines and Harry Connick, Jr. Raise $300,000 for Habitat programs in New
Orleans and Houston
HOUSTON, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Swiss watch brand Longines joined brand
Ambassador of Elegance Harry Connick, Jr. for a benefit event that raised
more than $300,000 dollars in total, which will benefit the Ellis Marsalis
Center for Music in the New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village and
Operation Love Thy Neighbor, two Habitat for Humanity programs. The
highlight of the night included an auction of the remaining five Longines
evidenza Harry Connick, Jr. limited edition timepieces that contributed to
almost half of the overall money raised. The exclusive event took place in
Houston at the residence of Landry's Restaurant, Inc. President, Chairman
and CEO, Tilman Fertitta and wife Paige.
(Photo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/200611221756.jpg )
(Video: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/200611221741.flv )
Recognizing the impact of last year's devastating storms on the Gulf
Coast, and Connick's heartfelt commitment to the rebuilding efforts,
Longines decided to host an event in Houston, the city that embraced the
more than 150,000 displaced evacuees.
Connick, a native of New Orleans, is one of the most active celebrities
supporting the rebuilding of the Crescent City. Together, Longines and
Connick auctioned off the five remaining exclusive Longines evidenza
limited edition watches in a series of 11, featuring a timeless
tonneau-shaped rose gold case with case-back signed by Harry Connick, Jr.
Auction winners of the five Longines timepieces include Mr. and Mrs.
Anthony Petrello, Mr. Tracy Krohn, Mr. and Mrs. Gary Peterson, Mr. Vinod
Ramani and Mr. and Mrs. Tillman Fertitta. All proceeds from the ticket
sales and timepieces directly benefited New Orleans-based Ellis Marsalis
Center for Music in the New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village and
Houston-based Operation Love Thy Neighbor.
Earlier this summer, Longines raised $220,000 with the first five
Longines evidenza limited edition Harry Connick, Jr. timepieces (in a set
of 11 exclusive watches worldwide) during the five sold-out benefit
performances of the recent Roundabout Theatre Company's Tony Award winning
revival of The Pajama Game, held June 13-17 at the American Airlines
Theatre in New York. All proceeds from the five auctioned watches benefited
Habitat's New Orleans Musicians' Village. Musicians' Village was conceived
by Connick and fellow musician Branford Marsalis shortly after Hurricane
Katrina devastated New Orleans, to rebuild homes for displaced musicians
and other deserving families.
For more information on Longines and to find a local retailer, visit:
http://www.longines.com.
Longines:
Founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, Longines has nearly 175
years of producing unique precision and elegant timepieces. The brand's
achievements include creating one of the first wristwatches in 1905,
producing an exclusive timepiece designed by Charles Lindbergh after his
historic first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, as well as
the status of being Official Timekeeper for multiple sports events.
Expanding on its "Elegance is an attitude" campaign, in 2005 Longines
commissioned a Harris Poll survey on elegance in the U.S. and signed one of
the top choices as a Longines Ambassador of Elegance, Harry Connick, Jr.
Other ambassadors include Aishwarya Rai. Longines is a member of The Swatch
Group, the largest manufacturer and distributor of watches in the world.
http://www.longines.com
New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village:
The New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village, conceived by Connick and
Marsalis, will consist of 75 single-family homes and six senior-friendly
duplexes, plus 300 additional homes in the surrounding area, for musicians
and other qualifying homeowner families. Since breaking ground in March
2006, sponsors, volunteers, and partner families have concentrated their
efforts and have already completed 33 homes. Its centerpiece will be the
Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, a performance, instruction and recording
complex, dedicated to the education and development of homeowners and
others who will live nearby. For more information or to make a donation,
please visit: http://www.habitat-nola.org and click on Musicians' Village
or call New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity at 504-861-2077.
Operation Love Thy Neighbor:
Houston Habitat for Humanity has been addressing the need for
affordable housing in the greater Houston area since 1987. In that time,
the organization has built more than 550 homes with hard working families,
volunteers and donors. Prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 1-in-10
working Houston families lived in substandard housing. Recognizing that
these disasters would have a long-term impact on the city, Houston Habitat
for Humanity announced its landmark relief initiative "Operation Love thy
Neighbor." Less than a year after Katrina, more than 100 new homes have
been sponsored for families rebuilding their lives here in Houston - 70 of
who have already closed and received the keys to their new homes. These
efforts represent the fulfillment of a big dream. A dream made possible by
countless donors and volunteers. For more information or to make a
donation, please visit http://www.houstonhabitat.org
