VIDEO from Longines and Synaptic Digital: Longines and Town&Country Magazine Honor Extraordinary Women at 'Longines Women Who Make a Difference' Awards

Fourth Annual Awards Dinner Featured Special Guest - Tennis Legend, Philanthropist and Longines Ambassador of Elegance Stefanie Graf


New York, Oct. 1, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Town&Country magazine and Longines, the Swiss watch company, celebrated the "Longines Women Who Make a Difference" Awards on Thursday evening at the Hearst Tower in New York City. Saran Kaba Jones, Liz Ferro and Dr. Pam Cantor were honored for the extraordinary impact they have made on children's lives through their foundations - FACE Africa, Girls with Sole and Turnaround for Children.

See video from Swatch Group at: http://inr.synapticdigital.com/Swatch_Group/Award_Ceremony/

Tennis legend, philanthropist and Ambassador of Elegance Stefanie Graf and Emmy Award-winning FOX 5 News anchor Ernie Anastos were on hand to help pay tribute to the honorees.

"We're pleased to have a vehicle through which we can highlight the difference these women are making in the lives of children," notes Town&Country SVP/Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer Valerie Salembier. "It's our hope that our readers share our appreciation for the work these amazing women are doing and support them in all of their endeavors."

In addition to the awards dinner held in their honor, winners received a trip to New York for a professional photo shoot and the opportunity to create awareness for their charity with a special full page feature in Town&Country's February 2013 issue. To complete the winners' new elegant look, Longines awarded each woman a watch and made a donation on behalf of each guest to the charity of their choice. Attendees had the option of choosing among FACE Africa, Girls with Sole or Turnaround for Children.

"This is our fourth year celebrating women who make a difference and each year it becomes increasingly difficult to pick only three honorees," said Jennifer Judkins, U.S. Brand President for Longines. "We're proud to offer our support to Saran, Liz and Pam to help them continue the great work they do on behalf of the next generation."

To be considered for the "Longines Women Who Make a Difference" award, participants were asked to submit either a 200-word essay or a short video detailing why their nominee is a "Woman Who Makes a Difference." The nominees were collected by Town&Country and the three honorees were chosen by a panel of judges from the magazine and Longines.

The 2012 "Longines Women Who Make a Difference" award recipients are:
 

Saran Kaba Jones, FOUNDER, FACE Africa: Nearly 800 million people (roughly 20 percent of the world's population) lack access to safe drinking water. Lack of access to clean water not only severely impacts people's health, it also suppresses economic growth and negatively impacts women and girls' education advancement.

Founder Saran Kaba Jones launched FACE Africa in January 2009 to tackle the dire water and sanitation problem in her native Liberia, where three million people lack access to safe and clean drinking water. Through grants and partnerships with like-minded organizations, FACE Africa launched a series of water and sanitation projects, installing water purification systems capable of producing up to 20,000 liters of drinking water per day. www.faceafrica.org

Liz Ferro, FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Girls with Sole: As a foster child herself, Liz Ferro was adopted at the age of two and personally experienced sexual abuse as a child. Liz credits athletics and fitness for giving her the self-esteem and inner strength needed to overcome difficult times and view herself and her body as purposeful and important.

Girls with Sole helps young women who have experienced sexual and physical abuse, raising self esteem through a variety of fitness and wellness programs. Ferro focuses on healthy living, good nutrition and exercise to help hundreds of girls make healthier choices in all parts of their lives.www.girlswithsole.org

Dr. Pam Cantor, FOUNDER AND CEO, Turnaround for Children: Dr. Pam Cantor founded Turnaround for Children to address the profound influence of adversity and trauma on children's ability to learn in high-poverty, low-performing schools. Turnaround for Children partners with more than 60 schools in New York City, New Jersey, and Washington D.C. to help these schools create positive learning environments that foster intellectual, social and emotional growth in every student.

Reports show that partner schools became calmer and more productive environments with fewer behavior problems and higher ratings. Schools saw a 51 percent decrease in police-reported incidences, a 77 percent decline in teacher turnover and over a three to four year intervention period, students' math proficiency scores increased 33 percent at the elementary level.www.turnaroundusa.org

About Longines

Longines has been based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, since 1832. It is celebrating 180 years of non-stop craftsmanship in 2012 and its watch making expertise reflects a strong devotion to tradition, elegance and performance. It has generations of experience as the official timekeeper at world championships and as a partner of international sports federations. Longines is a member of The Swatch Group S.A., the world's leading manufacturer of horological products. With an excellent reputation for creating refined timepieces, the brand, whose emblem is the winged hourglass, has outlets in over 130 countries.www.Longines.com

About Town&Country

Town&Country (www.townandcountrymag.com) has chronicled American life since 1846, always putting an emphasis on people of style and accomplishment who give something back to the world, whether in service, philanthropy or creative endeavor. It is edited with a feeling for storytelling, combining the highest level of reporting with the very best photography. Town&Country is also an acute observer of the broader social landscape, documenting notable weddings and parties, chronicling the pastimes and passions of leading figures and families everywhere, and casting an anthropological eye on the lives of the rich and powerful in a way that exposes surprising truths about us all. The magazine is a trusted source of privileged information, taste, elegant living, and unpretentious fun. It is an irreplaceable guide to the very best that the world has to offer. Town&Country Weddings, established in 2003, is published twice a year. In addition to these print properties, Town&Country launched its first mobile app, the Town&Country Luxury City Guide, in 2010. Follow Town&Country on Twitter at @TandCMag.



            

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