Beirut – The all-new Red MINI Cooper was raffled off at the Annual Fundraising Gala Dinner for Skoun, held at the Sursock Palace gardens.  

The MINI Cooper was donated by Bassoul-Heneine sal, the exclusive importer of MINI in the country, for the annual fundraiser.

“As Bassoul-Heneine and being the exclusive importers of BMW Group and one of the longest serving businesses in Lebanon, we feel that it is our responsibility to help the youth to have a good start in life,” said Nagy Heneine, General Manager for Commercial Affairs at Bassoul-Heneine s.a.l. “We have always made it our priority to support charitable organisations such as Skoun to ensure that our country offers the best social care and support to its people.”

The Red MINI Cooper was placed in the garden entrance being the object of admiration as the guests started to turn up.

Many renowned designers such as Rana Salam, Rabih Keyrouz and Marwan Hamza offered their innovative ideas and designs exclusively for the Skoun event.

“The new MINI Cooper is a class-leader in innovation, style and performance, and the MINI brand has a strong fan following here in Lebanon. This is why we felt it was the perfect car to donate for this event,” Heneine continued.

Skoun is the first outpatient centre in Lebanon to specialise in the treatment and prevention of addictions, including drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The charity group

treated over 170 patients in 2008 and held awareness and prevention training sessions for over 3,500 children.

The annual fundraiser, which Skoun relies on as its primary revenue source, has become a highly-respected fixture on Beirut’s social calendar, attended by the social elite and business leaders of Lebanon and the Arab Region. Previous guests of honour have included French actress Catherine Deneuve.

The lucky winner of the MINI Cooper was Richard Cesar Chediac.

In addition to Skoun, Bassoul-Heneine sal regularly supports a host of charitable organisations for different causes including CapHo, Paradis D’enfants and Arc en Ciel.