NEW YORK-OCTOBER 21:FREEDOM BAY St. Lucia Presents LINGERIE NY with Atsuko Kudo & Carine Gilson to Benefit SEVEN BAR FOUNDATION on Thursday, October 21, 2010 at Cipriani 42nd Street, 110 E 42nd Street, New York City, NY. Couture Lingerie Runway Show and Gala to benefit Seven Bar Foundation (dedicated to funding microfinance programs that assist women from around the globe to empower themselves out of poverty). About: Give someone a hand-up, not a hand out—that is the concept of microfinance. It is the most sustainable, scaleable and cost-effective poverty alleviation tool. The idea is simple: individuals are provided with small loans to start or grow small businesses, allowing them to become economically self-sufficient, provide for their families for the long-term and replace dependency on limited donor funds. The rungs of our logo represent these loans – a ladder that allows impoverished women an effective and self-sufficient exit out of poverty. The Seven Bar Foundation is a manner of philanthropy that advances the traditional model of charity. We are a business that fuels underprivileged women’s businesses to create self-sustainability. Seven Bar Foundation found an untapped niche market in the luxury lingerie industry, and through co-branded products, luxury fashion shows and video streaming technology, they raise funds and redirect them to have a significant impact on women around the world by alleviating poverty through microfinance. The vision for Seven Bar was realized when Director and Founder, Renata Mutis Black, was approached by a woman in Thailand following the tragic tsunami of 2004. “She was strong-voiced, with piercing-eyes and she said to me, ‘I know you have money and I don’t want it, but why don’t you teach me how to make it myself?’” It was this remarkable encounter that sparked Renata’s desire to make a large-scale impact, and it is that very desire that is being realized today through the contributions of the Seven Bar Foundation to the global community. PHOTO CREDIT: ©Manhattan Society.com 2010 by Gregory Partanio tel: 718.614.7740 | e-mail: GregPartanio@aol.com with Stuart Rinzler | e-mail: pcsupport@skytel.com ********************************More Photos & Photo ID'S Coming Shortly ********************************************