March 17, 2010/New York, N.Y.      Ferrari North America has named CMMB as the major beneficiary of an auction of the first Ferrari 458 Italia to arrive in North America.  The auction and the unveiling of the exciting new model will take place in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 18^th. 

In choosing CMMB, delivering the highest caliber of aid to the people of Haiti now and in the long-term, Ferrari is focusing its ongoing commitment to social responsibility to a cause that not only is close to everybody’s hearts but that is still in need of tremendous support. CMMB has been working in Haiti since 1912. Like Ferrari, they settle for nothing less than the best.

In the two months since a magnitude 7.1 earthquake destroyed most of Port au Prince and the surrounding regions, CMMB has deployed more than 235 medical volunteers and secure and raised more than $17 million in emergency aid to serve the people of Haiti in this time of disaster.  To date, the organization has delivered more than 66 tons of medicines, medical supplies and other emergency aid.

As efforts in Haiti move from the emergency to recovery phase, CMMB has placed an assessment team on the ground to determine the focus of its long-term efforts to provide healthcare to the people of the island.

Over the next three years, CMMB envisions a three-part recovery and rehabilitation phase:  provision of health care services and medical volunteers; provision of pharmaceutical supplies and medical equipment; and, physical rehabilitation and reconstruction of health facilities.

John F. Galbraith, CMMB’s president and chief executive officer, stated:  “ CMMB is committed to raising $50 million for Haiti’s recovery and Ferrari’s generous support, via this auction, gives CMMB a huge boost.  The earthquake changed the face of health care in Haiti and CMMB must respond to that in the most effective way possible.  This will help us to do that. Haiti has a very special place in the hearts of all of us at CMMB.  We were there in 1912, we are there now, and we are not leaving.”

CMMB traces its roots to 1912, in Haiti, when an anesthesiologist from a New York City hospital ministered to lepers there.  He was so struck by the need that he vowed he would continue to help.  Today, CMMB has a main office in Port-au-Prince and two satellite offices, one in Jacmel and another in Cap Haitien.

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About CMMB

From that one visit to Haiti in 1912, CMMB was born and has grown to be a global leader in international healthcare.  Last year, the organization received support totaling more than US$289 million dollars.  97.8% of the donations received by CMMB went directly to provide healthcare services to the underserved throughout the world.  CMMB three programmatic areas of activities are HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, and neglected tropical diseases.  In addition, Healing Help – its medical donations program – and MVP – its medical volunteer program – collectively help more than 1 million people annually.  In total, CMMB works in more than 40 countries in the developing world. www.cmmb.org

About the Ferrari 458 Italia

The Ferrari 458 Italia represents a genuine evolution of Maranello’s mid-rear engined V8 sports cars.

As with every new Ferrari the 458 Italia is a concentration of innovation thanks, in no small part, to the company’s racing expertise. Employing exactly the same techniques and methods used to develop the Scuderia’s F1 cars, Ferrari’s engineers concentrated their efforts on obtaining the maximum in terms of efficiency in every aspect of the car, and their commitment was repaid with levels of fuel consumption and C02 emissions that set the benchmark in this market segment.