Harry Winston, the world’s leading luxury jewelry and watch retailer, hosted a gala dinner and silent auction on Tuesday, September 20th at Burj Al Arab to further support a unique charitable initiative to benefit Dubai based Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre. In association with Paint a Smile Foundation, a non-profit Swiss organization that hires artists to decorate the walls of children’s wards in hospitals and special needs schools, Harry Winston has donated funds towards decorating the walls of the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre. A silent auction of 3 special Harry Winston watches, held in conjunction with the gala dinner, raised additional funds for the project. The eight week project, due to commence mid-October 2005, will be carried out by a team of Smile Painters.
The gala dinner was attended by some of the Emirates’ high profile residents and was presided over by Mr. Thomas O’Neill, CEO of Harry Winston, Mr. James Seuss, President of Harry Winston, and other senior executives of the company who flew in from New York and Geneva to attend the event. Partners in the Harry Winston – Paint a Smile charitable initiative, Emirates Airline, Burj Al Arab and Asteco, were also present.
In his welcome address, Christophe Nicaise, Regional Director for Harry Winston, said: “The Middle East has traditionally been one of our strongest markets worldwide. Since the establishment of our Middle East Regional Office 18 months ago, we have worked with heartfelt passion and steadfast commitment to forge even stronger partnerships here in Dubai and across the dynamic Middle East region. Harry Winston regards the community of Dubai as a family, and we will continue to work closely with all of our partners to enhance every aspect of the Emirate and of the UAE as a whole. With the support of all our partners in this project, we are truly honored to be able to share our success with Dubai, the UAE and the community at large.”
Mr. Thomas O’Neill, CEO of Harry Winston, added, “The drive behind this project comes from Harry Winston’s long-held belief that corporations should contribute to the communities in which they operate. In this regard, we are honored to be able to contribute to the success of Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre.”
The gala dinner featured a silent auction of three donated custom-made Harry Winston watches in support of the Harry Winston – Paint a Smile project. Each watch was designed around the themes of Discovery, Friendship and Family with a Paint a Smile drawing engraved on each watch. “The silent auction raised several hundred thousand Dirhams,” stated Nicaise. “We are delighted with this outcome, which resulted in far more funds than anticipated,” he continued, “This is great news for all those involved and especially for the children of the Centre.”
During the evening guests were also treated to a private concert by Lebanese singer, Ragheb Alameh as international models showcased spectacular rare jewels by Harry Winston that had been flown in to Dubai from New York, Paris and Geneva especially for the event.
Speaking on behalf of Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, Ahmed Hashem Khoory, Founder, said, “We are excited about this project. Paint a Smile’s design concepts and implementations reflect our joint philosophies of inclusion and participation. As a centre, we could not operate successfully without the assistance of our community and we thank Harry Winston for making us the recipients of this very special gift.”
Harry Winston supports Paint a Smile in its mission to bring joyful smiles to children around the world with their collection of colourful characters. The Paint a Smile team works closely with doctors and nurses to create a friendly and therapeutic environment for the children and this year, Harry Winston and Paint a Smile Foundation selected Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre based in Dubai as the beneficiary of this special initiative.
“The Paint a Smile Foundation is honoured to have been approached by Harry Winston to bring the Paint a Smile’s concept to the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre in Dubai,” said Laura Cotton, founder of Paint a Smile. “Dubai will be the first city in the Middle East to receive such a special gift, and we know that the murals, painted on walls, doors, cabinets, and even the ceilings, will allow the children to create a fun and happy imaginary world that will accompany them in their daily life at the Centre.”
Harry Winston has cultivated a very high-end and faithful clientele in the Middle East region over the last fifty years. The opening of the Middle East Regional Office in February 2004 coupled with initiatives such as bringing the Paint a Smile Foundation to Dubai is a reflection of the company’s commitment to the Middle East region.
About Harry Winston:
Founded in 1932, Harry Winston is one of the world's most prestigious diamond jewelers, and is at the forefront of American luxury goods brands. The Harry Winston name is synonymous with the most famous gemstones and jewelry designs in the world, including the Hope Diamond, the Jonker Diamond, the Taylor-Burton Diamond, the Star of Sierra Leone and the Star of Independence. Harry Winston was known as the “King of Diamonds,” a title that remains associated with his name to this day.
Harry Winston Rare Timepieces was created in 1989 by Ronald Winston, Chairman of Harry Winston and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Loyal to his father’s credo of “only the exceptional,” Ronald Winston created two distinct product lines: on the one hand, delicately set jeweled watches for ladies vouching for Harry Winston’s century-old know-how, and on the other, complicated watches including a number of world-famous firsts in the genuine traditional art of Swiss luxury watchmaking. Through its quest for excellence, Harry Winston has become a name in the world of fine horology in less than 15 years.
