Charity Auction - the World's Largest Custom Oil Painting of a Wedding Portrait

    SEATTLE, WA, February 04, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The charity auction of the world's largest custom oil painting of a wedding portrait is live on eBay through February 4th 2009, and the start bid is US$1. painting4u.com has decided to donate 100% of the proceeds raised to IFRC.

"We are very pleased that painting4u.com has decided to hold this charity auction, to sensitize people about the crisis in global humanitarian assistance," said Simon Missiri, Head of IFRC Resource Mobilization and Relationship Management.

"While the world financial crisis may have serious repercussions on humanitarian aid budgets, the Federation wants to remind governments that they cannot be oblivious to the worsening problems of the most vulnerable people in countries around the world," said Federation Head of Communications, Pierre Kremer. "In the context of the 'globalisation' of crises, humanitarian issues are everyone's concerns."

"What we can do might be very little, but we hope to make the world aware that there is a much worse disaster outside Wall Street now! And we are delighted to work with the IFRC to be part of the solution," said Thomas Luce, the co-founder of painting4u.com.

"The World's Largest Custom Oil Painting of a Wedding Portrait" will be 8 meters wide by 2.7 meters high. The auction winner will provide a wedding photograph, and artists from painting4u.com will turn it into the world's largest wedding portrait oil painting on canvas.

Visit www.painting4u.com/charity or shop.ebay.com/merchant/painting4u-com for more information or to place a bid. The auction will be closed on Feb. 13rd and the winner will be announced on Feb. 14th 2009, Valentine's Day.

About IFRC
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is the world's largest humanitarian organization.

About painting4u.com
painting4u.com is the world's leading oil painting studio as well as the first online painting studio committed to charity support. It provides 100% hand-painted oil portraits, painted from customers' photographs, a unique and original gift idea for all occasions.

Contact:
Sandy Chong
Marketing Director, painting4u.com
Tel: +1.206.274.9440 | [email protected]

Marie-Francoise Borel
Media and Public Communications, IFRC
Tel: + 41.22.730.4346 | [email protected]

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