Doing the Write Thing

Let's face it: The last 12 months, at least from a financial point of view, have been pretty darn lousy. While all of us have felt the credit crunch to some extent, one of its most unfortunate ripple effects is a decline in corporate charity donations ... just as those organizations need help the most.

That's all the more reason to pat Mont Blanc on the back for Signature for Good, its current project to benefit UNICEF. This iconic pen company (that also makes opulent jewelry, leather goods and watches) has partnered with the charity for year, but is actually stepping up its donations right now instead of scaling them back.

For Signature for Good, 12 Hollywood glamorous celebs, like Eva Longoria and Sienna Miller, each posed as their favorite literary character for photographs that they autographed with a one of a kind gold Mont Blanc pen. The portraits will be exhibited in several cities around the world until Sept. 8 — International Literacy Day — when they'll be auctioned off to benefit UNICEF's global literacy efforts. The 12 images and their accompanying pens are expected to raise over $1.5 million for the charity.

On Friday night, the photos were unveiled at an elegant dinner Sotheby's in New York City. The event was predictably glitzy — with guests like artist Jeff Koons and designer Erin Fetherston — but never let its goal be forgotten: to help make sure that children around the globe, no matter what their means, learn to read and write.

Before the dinner started, Mont Blanc's worldwide CEO Lutz Bethge (pictured here with Koons) explained why fighting illiteracy is such a fervent cause for the company. "For a brand like ours, it's very dear to our hearts, because the brand has its roots in more than 100 years of writing culture," he said. "Whatever happens on Wall Street, reading and writing has enormous power. It's probably the greatest gift you can give to children because it makes independent. If they are able to read and write, they can be independent minds."

And whatever happens on Wall Street, Mont Blanc's committed to helping kids in need. As Bethge put it, "The year 2008-2009 has not been the easiest year for any of us. There's no little village on the earth that hasn't heard about the financial crisis. In the end, I believe in what John F. Kennedy once said: 'When I hear crisis, I always thinking about the Chinese because they have two characters for that. One says risk and the other says opportunity.' This is what I call an opportunity because it allows us to support children all over in the world to ensure that they get the power to read and write."

New Yorkers have the opportunity to see the photographs at Sotheby's through Wednesday.  For more details on the project, go to www.signatureforgood.com.