George Clooney's Oscar Gift Bags Auctioned For Charity

George Clooney's Oscar Gift Bags Auctioned For Charity

The personal wardrobes of Mariska Hargitay, Sharon Stone, and Marcia Cross will also be part of QLu's online auctions to benefit a wide range of the celebrities' charities.

ST. LOUIS, April 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Beginning today, QLu, the online celebrity auction site, will begin a series of auctions on behalf of talented and diverse artists and their significant humanitarian efforts. Started by Susie Busch-Transou and her partner, Cindy Lee, QLu has raised numerous funds for celebrities' favorite charities since its inception in March, 2007.

   (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080424/DC20345-a )   (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080424/DC20345-b )   

George Clooney, continuing to set leadership examples in philanthropy, offers his Oscar Nominee Gift Bag for auction to benefit his newly formed organization, Not On Our Watch (NOOW), a registered 501(c) 3 charity. NOOW's mission is to focus global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities. Not On Our Watch has taken on the crisis in Darfur as its inaugural issue, making strategic grants to aid organizations in the region and embarking on a comprehensive advocacy campaign. Clooney's Oscar 08 Nominee Bag and Oscar Pre-Party Gift Bag are filled with elegant items such as a Personal Heineken Beer Tender, Marilyn Monroe 'Classic Series' wine goblets, exclusive spa packages including a gift certificate for a two night stay at La Costa Resort and Spa, Oscar Gold Havaianas, Swarovski Crystal Pet Collar and more. George Clooney's auction will begin today, 12 noon EST and run for ten days.

Mariska Hargitay, founder of Joyful Heart Foundation, invited her friends in the field of arts and entertainment to join her at an afternoon tea to support her philanthropic efforts, asking each to bring or send a bag of their personal wardrobe to QLu to be auctioned to benefit The Joyful Heart Foundation. The mission of The Joyful Heart Foundation is to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues. "I am very excited to be partnering with QLu to raise funds and awareness for my organization, the Joyful Heart Foundation. In keeping with Joyful Heart's groundbreaking programs, designed to help survivors of sexual assault recover lives of joy, possibility, and freedom, we are always looking for partners who take an innovative and impassioned approach to making a difference in the world."

Mariska's friends, Sharon Stone, Maria Bello, Courteney Cox, Marcia Cross, Bridget Moynahan, Kim Delaney, Julia Louis Dreyfus and more, were delighted to help and responded in spades. Sharon Stone's 100 piece couture shoe and gown auction along with fabulous designer pieces, designer comp gifts and everyday fun pieces belonging to these talented women began April 10 and will run continuously with daily postings on www.myQLu.com. Auctions will run through May or until all pieces are sold.

On behalf of The Farley Family and The Chris Farley Foundation, QLu will pay tribute to the late beloved actor by auctioning special wardrobe pieces of Chris', a signed script from the March 8, 2008 Saturday Night Live show and several family signed copies of Chris' authorized biography, The Chris Farley Show to be released May 6, 2008. Auctions will benefit the Chris Farley Foundation which was founded by the Farley family to create programs dedicated to teaching teens through humor how to resist the dangers of substance abuse.

Susie Busch-Transou, "Susie (Q)," and Cindy Lee, "Cindy (Lu)," two childhood friends, founded QLu just over a year ago, with a desire to provide a new service for artists, actors and athletes that respectfully auctions their personal giveaways to support their respective philanthropic efforts. "We are honored to work with these talented and generous individuals and give their fans the opportunity to own meaningful finds while bringing positive attention and needed funds to significant philanthropic efforts here and abroad," said Busch-Transou.

QLu is headquartered in St. Louis, MO. It is a service business dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the philanthropy of celebrities, and giving fans a healthy connection with the stars they admire by joining them in their philanthropic efforts. To date, QLu has worked with 38 celebrities and has raised funds for 25 of their causes. For more information on the auctions, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.myqlu.com/" www.myQLu.com.

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Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080424/DC20345-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080424/DC20345-b
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: QLu

CONTACT: Dava Guerin, +1-215-293-9020 or +1-215-262-0740, for QLu; or
Susie Busch-Transou of QLu, +1-850-544-9227

Web Site: http://www.myqlu.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment