Longines gives $200,000 to Hepburn Fund
By JCK Online Staff -- JCK Online, 6/17/2003 2:00:00 AM
Longines Watch Co. on June 11 gave $200,000 to the Audrey Hepburn Cares Team at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the final portion of a $700,000 contribution to establish the unit by the watch brand, a founding sponsor.
Michael Benavente, president of Longines US, presented the check to actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, “ambassadress” for the Team. Also participating were Sean Ferrer, Audrey Hepburn's son, and Dr. Karen Kay Imagawa, director of the Audrey Hepburn Cares Team at the hospital.
Hewitt also received a timepiece from Longines’ new limited collection "A Heart for Children.” The collection’s Longines DolceVita watches are set with diamonds framing a mother-of-pearl dial with a diamond-set heart, the latter symbolizing Hepburn’s devotion to children and her belief that every children was entitled to basic human dignities.
The total $700,000 donation included revenues from an entertainment-filled "Heart for Children" gala on Nov. 14, 2002, in Hollywood.
The late Audrey Hepburn, a movie and fashion icon, devoted the latter part of her life to the world’s less-fortunate children, traveling the globe on their behalf, often for the United Nations. The Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund was created in 1994 to commemorate and continue her work to improve their lives.
The Fund and Longines have established the Audrey Hepburn Cares Team at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles to provide comprehensive medical and mental health services to children who are victims of maltreatment, sexual and physical abuse, neglect and HIV infection. The hospital is a leader in pediatric and adolescent health care and research.
Established in 1832, Longines is a company of the Swatch Group of Switzerland, the world's largest watch manufacturer and distributor with 18 brands.
