NEW YORK, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Coty PR) - Jon
Bon Jovi and Kenneth Cole kicked off their "R.S.V.P. to HELP" fundraiser to benefit various homeless organizations last night. Combined with the proceeds of last evening's benefit, Jon and Kenneth, in their on-going commitment to help the homeless, have now raised in excess of $1,000,000 for the evening's three charity beneficiaries: Habitat for Humanity, HELP USA and the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation. Jon & Kenneth have pledged that a portion of the proceeds from the sales of R.S.V.P., the new Kenneth Cole men's fragrance manufactured by Coty Inc. and the sales of limited-edition collection of Kenneth Cole/Jon
Bon Jovi designer jackets will be donated to these three charities. Both items are available in stores now.
Doors opened to the sold-out event at the Tribeca Rooftop at 7:30PM, and the festivities began with a packed red carpet. Inside the party, patrons and supporters started bidding on over 50 silent auction items while DJ Maruizio set the tone as the crowd settled in. Comedian Lewis Black kicked off the live auction with Sotheby's auctioneer Geraldine Nager and the bidding frenzy began!
The live auction alone raised upwards of $750,000 and included a Desmond Tutu Habitat for Humanity Build package in Cape Town, South Africa that drew in $120,000, a Tiger Woods Pro-Am Experience & Private Lesson for $100,000 and 2 one week yacht vacations in St. Bart's for $100,000 each!
Richie Sambora, Howard Stern & Beth Ostrosky, David Schwimmer, Ron Perelman, Russell Simmons, Petra Nemcova, Deborah Gibson, L.A. Reid, Steve Bartels, John Sykes, Rob Light, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, Maria Cuomo Cole, among others, all came out in support of Jon and Kenneth's mission to unite, motivate and inspire the community to focus on "responding to the call" to bring about positive change.
"Once an idea becomes action, an energy is created that can be contagious," says Jon Bon Jovi, whose global rock icon status is offset by his commitment to the working-class community where he grew up. "People who want to help - or who need help - get discouraged because they don't know how to take the first step. I'm trying to make it a little easier by connecting the people with something to give with the people in need. When the connection is made, whatever town you call home becomes a better place."
The high point of the night was the presentation of a check to Jon Bon Jovi by Coty Inc. CEO Bernd Beetz and Kenneth Cole, pledging at least $1,000,000 towards Jon and Kenneth's collaborative efforts.
Jon Bon Jovi inspired the crowd with an acoustic set that included the hit song "Who Says You Can't Go Home," which is also the song featured in the television commercial for the Kenneth Cole R.S.V.P. fragrance.
The fundraising doesn't stop with last night's efforts ... the online auction of some very special, one-of-a-kind items will be open to public bidding beginning February 5th and ending on February 15th. Go to https://www.rsvptohelp.org to view the items.
One of the items being auctioned off is a custom 2007 Saturn OUTLOOK(TM) featuring one-of-a-kind touches: a special exterior color, interior trim, embroidered seats with Jon Bon Jovi and Kenneth Cole logos, triple DVD screen with Jon Bon Jovi entertainment package including DVD's and a pre-loaded iPod, stylish accessories like 19" Chrome wheels, chrome side assist step and Kenneth Cole leather luggage, key ring and sun glasses.
100 % of proceeds from the night went directly to benefit three (3) very special charities. They are: the international non-profit organization Habitat for Humanity; the national non-profit organization HELP USA, and the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation.
A portion of the proceeds from the continuing sales of Kenneth Cole R.S.V.P. will be donated to HELP USA, Habitat for Humanity and The Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation.
"I am honored to collaborate with Jon on such a heart-warming project as R.S.V.P. to HELP. We have the same vision of helping those less fortunate than us and our partnership just works," said Kenneth Cole. "The night was very special to me." This is the second charitable venture that Kenneth and Jon have worked on together. The first was a collection of co-designed jackets, whose sales proceeds also benefited the homeless.
"Kenneth Cole R.S.V.P. is an important launch for both Coty and Kenneth Cole," said Coty Inc. CEO Bernd Beetz. "R.S.V.P. is our seventh fragrance with Kenneth and it is the first to be launched with a charity platform, making it very appropriate to the brand as well as the Coty philosophy of giving back to the community. We are also thrilled to be working with Jon Bon Jovi on this exciting initiative. He is a well recognized figure throughout the world, not only for his "rock n' roll," but also for his philanthropic efforts."
