News

Celebrity Dogs Unleashed!

NEW YORK-(Business Wire)-September 26, 2008 - Thirty life-size, fiberglass dogs painted by a pack of charitable and artistic celebrities, will hit the streets of New York City starting this month at the Jumeirah Essex House. The striking dogs — painted by celebrities like Richard Gere, Katie Lee Joel, Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, Robert Kennedy, Jr., Robin Quivers, Clive Davis and Vanessa Williams — are part of CELEBRITY DOGS UNLEASHED, a fund-raising art project to benefit Green Chimneys, a 60-year-old non-profit organization that operates a special education school, a residential treatment center for children and a farm and wildlife rehabilitation center in Brewster, NY. The auction for these sought-after Dogs has kicked off at www.CharityFolks.com and proceeds will benefit the children and animals at Green Chimneys. The auction continues through November 1.

CELEBRITY DOGS UNLEASHED is sponsored by Halo Purely for Pets. Alan Kerzner, president, Halo Purely for Pets, comments, “We are delighted to be part of Green Chimneys Celebrity Dogs Unleashed. The organization's work mirrors Halo's love and respect for animals and demonstrates the emotional and developmental rewards these animals can provide children and all of us.”

Celebrity Dogs in New York City

Now!		Sneak preview at the Jumeirah Essex House, 160 Central Park South, NYC

Oct. 5		Cathedral of St. John the Divine for the Blessing of the Animals - sneak preview

Oct. 10		Celebrity Dogs Unleashed Official Debut at the Jumeirah Essex House

Oct. 13		Marching in the famous Columbus Day Parade on the Green Chimneys float

Oct. 13-31		On display at the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle

“Through these important relationships that allow for creative expression, Jumeirah is pleased to support the local community,” said Katherine Gass, curator for the Jumeirah Essex House. “We are excited to feature a selection of these unique dogs on display in the hotel. New York City is a dog and art lovers’ town and we believe and support the incredible work that Green Chimneys does in the metro New York area.”

Other celebrity artists include: pop group Menudo, actors Chevy Chase, Glenn Close, Dan Aykroyd and Donna Dixon, primatologist Jane Goodall, Cyndi Lauper, CNN’s Soledad O’Brien, MSNBC’s Maria Bartiromo, film star Jane Powell, actor Jay O. Sanders, late night show band leader Paul Shaffer, Judith "Judge Judy" Sheindlin, actor Stanley Tucci, comedian Joe Piscopo, former NY Rangers goalie Mike Richter, pet socialite and TV personality Wendy Diamond, Annemarie Lucas of “Animal Precinct,” NBA All-Star Bill Walton and local artist Katherine Petitti-Kornel. There will even be a Lego© dog constructed from the colorful children’s toy building bricks and an Art Deco dog painted by artists from the Jumeirah Essex House as part of the hotel’s artists-in-residence program.

ABOUT GREEN CHIMNEYS

Founded in 1947, Green Chimneys restores possibilities and creates futures for children with emotional, behavioral, social and learning challenges. Headquartered in Brewster, NY, it is world renowned for its animal-assisted therapy program and operates a residential treatment center for children, an accredited special education school, a farm and wildlife rehabilitation center, an organic farm and horticulture therapy, a therapeutic riding program, community based services including a runaway shelter and community outreach center, Clearpool Education Center, Nature’s Nursery and Hillside Summer Camp, group homes, the Good Friend mentoring program, LGBTQ programs in New York City, programs and special events for the public and adult services programs in Connecticut. Each year, Green Chimneys serves more than 3,500 children and their families. More information on Green Chimneys is available at www.greenchimneys.org.

ABOUT HALO, PURELY FOR PETS®

For twenty years, Halo, Purely for Pets® has created holistic pet products of uncompromising quality. At Halo, we believe nutrition is the single most important factor in the quality of a pet’s life. With it, good health follows. By staying as close to nature as we can, we have seen phenomenal changes take place in the lives of thousands of pets and the owners who love them.

Since Halo’s inception, the company has been an active advocate helping conscientious pet owners better understand how nutrition plays a role in their pet’s health and vitality. Named for our belief that pets are our little angels, Halo continues to develop innovative and high quality pet products which help pet-owners better love and care for their “extra member of the family.”

In March 2008, award-winning talk show host and comedienne, Ellen DeGeneres, became a part-owner of Halo, Purely for Pets®. At the same time, the company also expanded its line of all-natural pet food and pet care products. The company also expanded distribution with a variety of major retail chains such as Whole Foods and Petco, as well as thousands of independent pet specialty and natural outlets.

For more information, please visit www.halopets.com.

ABOUT JUMEIRAH ESSEX HOUSE

The 509-room Jumeirah Essex House celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007 and recently completed a major $90 million soft goods refurbishment project which includes South Gate, a spectacular new Tony Chi-designed restaurant, featuring renowned Executive Chef Kerry Heffernan. This historic New York City hotel, with a coveted Central Park address, is ideally located in the heart of Manhattan. Jumeirah Essex House is part of the Dubai-based luxury international hospitality group Jumeirah and sister to the world’s most luxurious hotel, Burj Al Arab. Features of the hotel include breathtaking views, unrivalled conference and banqueting facilities. Jumeirah Essex House is a recipient of both the Michelin Guide’s 2008 “Five Pavilions Award,” and the 2008 AAA Four-Diamond Award. The hotel garnered three awards at the 2007 Annual World Travel Awards in New York including “North America’s Leading Hotel,” “North America’s Leading Business Hotel” and “New York’s Leading Business Hotel” voted by travel agents worldwide and was ranked second in the “Best Hotel in the U.S.” category in Global Traveler Magazine’s 2006 GT Tested Awards. For reservations, please call Jumeirah Essex House toll free at 1-888-645-5697 or visit www.jumeirah.com.