Jewels and Pinstripes Gift Bag becomes the Grand Prize at the Volvo Best Buddies Challenge Hearst Castle

Legendary Bike Race Made Even More Special by the Presentation of Deluxe Gift Bags to Celebrities

SAN SIMEON, CA (PRWEB) October 13, 2005 -- Jewels and Pinstripes, one of the nation’s premier gift bag companies, created a special gift bag for The Volvo Best Buddies Challenge Hearst Castle, making celebrities feel like winners even if they didn’t make it across the finish line.

Stars such as Cindy Crawford, Sean Hayes, Maria Shriver and David Caruso were given a High Sierra Bubba Cross-Sport 22” Duffel bag filled with gifts such as a 3-night stay at the Loew’s Ventana Canyon Resort in Arizona, a photowow.com gift certificate and a Amy Schwab Designs handbag, as well as other items.

“Jewels and Pinstripes created a beautiful gift bag that is filled with so many unique and wonderful things,” said Mark Wylie, VP of Talent for The Volvo Best Buddies Challenge. “This race is already legendary and the Jewels and Pinstripes gift bag further elevates our reputation which ultimately helps us raise more money to help those in need of our assistance.”

Following is a list of the products included in the gift bag:

High Sierra Bubba Cross-Sport 22” Duffel bag, $40

Each bag has been embroidered with the Best Buddies logo by Hollingtons.com

3 night stay at the four diamond Loews Ventana Canyon Resort , $1045

Photowow.com gift certificate $100

Amy Schwab Designs “Julia” handbag, $80

Shari’s Berries gift certificate for one dozen chocolate covered strawberries, $80,

Britto/Fragrance and watch $65,

Julie Miles Beaded Fitted Tie Belt, $60

Rene Furterer after-sun repairing mask, $23

Other recipients of the gift bag included Maria Shriver, David Caruso, Dakota Fanning, Goo Goo Dolls, Catherine Oxenberg, Casper van Dien, Carl Lewis, Thora Birch, Marla Maples, Jonathan Togo, Maureen McCormick and Garcelle Beauvais.

The Volvo Best Buddies Challenge Hearst Castle is a premier cycling ride from Carmel to the renowned Hearst Castle in the lush hills of San Simeon. Special athletes participated alongside hundreds of cyclists, high-profile personalities. 100% of the money raised by riders benefits Best Buddies International in carrying out its mission of providing friends and jobs for people with Intellectual Disabilities

As always, Jewels and Pinstripes offered two additional gift bags for auction. While one was available only to attendees of the silent auction, a second, celebrity-signed duffle will be auctioned on www.charityfolks.com. Proceeds will benefit Best Buddies.

About Jewels and Pinstripes

Founded in October of 2004, Jewels and Pinstripes is a premier designer of luxury gift bags, specializing in creating VIP thank-you bags for charity benefits. Inspired by the dedication of the organizations it works with, Jewels and Pinstripes regularly donates gift bags for auction, and has raised more than $135,000 for events that include EXTRA Awards Lounge, The Carousel of Hope, Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night and Chris Evert's Pro-Celebrity Classic. Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry, Matthew Perry, Faith Hill, Beyonce, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood top the long list of lucky Jewels and Pinstripe recipients. The gift bags and the extraordinary contents regularly attract the attention of leading media outlets including People, Extra, Us Weekly, Entertainment Tonight, Inc.com, and FoxNews. For more information about Jewels and Pinstripes, please visit our website at www.jewelsandpinstripes.com.

About Best Buddies

Best Buddies ® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated employment. Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant, international organization that has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,000 middle school, high school, and college campuses across the country and internationally.

###