Hearts of Gold's Founder Honored by Cookie Magazine

Smart Cookie Awards, Recognizing Mothers Who Make a Difference Through
Philanthropy, Bestows Editors' Choice Award on Deborah Koenigsberger

NEW YORK, April 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hearts of Gold
(http://www.heartsofgold.org/), a not-for-profit organization that improves
the lives of New York City's homeless mothers and their children, today
announced that the organization's founder & executive director, Deborah
Koenigsberger, has been named as a 2009 Smart Cookie Awards honoree by Conde
Nast'sCookie (http://www.cookiemag.com/). Since 2007, the Smart Cookie Awards
have recognized mothers who are making a difference in the lives of women and
children. Koenigsberger will be honored at the Smart Cookie Awards gala
ceremony on April 20 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, alongside
celebrity honorees including Salma Hayek (UNICEF), Debra Messing (YouthAIDS),
and Uma Thurman (Room to Grow).

Founded in 1996, Hearts of Gold supports the mothers and children in residence
at three Manhattan shelters: Icahn House East, LLC; Semiperm HDFC; and
Nazareth Housing. Hearts of Gold's goal is to prepare families to exit the
shelter system and thrive on their own. To date, the organization has raised
more than $1.6 million for the city's homeless mothers and children, providing
everything from diapers, winter coats, and summer camp tuition for the
children; to mammograms, career counseling, and landlord negotiations for the
mothers.

"I am honored by the Smart Cookie Award, and I am grateful to Cookie for
recognizing Hearts of Gold. Thanks to its support and the ongoing generosity
of our donors and volunteers, Hearts of Gold can continue to help New York
City's shelter moms and kids in their time of immediate need, and inspire
people to do the same around the world," said Deborah Koenigsberger, Hearts of
Gold founder & executive director.

For more information on Hearts of Gold and the Smart Cookie Awards, visit
http://www.heartsofgold.org/ and
http://www.cookiemag.com/magazine/2009/04/deborah-koenigsberger.

About Hearts of Gold: Hearts of Gold (HoG) was founded in 1996 by Deborah
Koenigsberger, a former model and a fashion industry stylist who owns a
successful women's clothing boutique, Noir et Blanc...Bis, established in 1989
in Manhattan'sChelsea district. Her caring nature was touched by the
struggles of homeless women in her neighborhood, so in 1996 she founded HoG, a
not-for-profit organization that exists to improve the lives of New York
City's homeless mothers and their children. HoG has raised more than $1.6
million in support of city shelters including Icahn House East, LLC; Nazareth
Housing; and the former Alexander Abraham Residence. In 2008, HoG adopted a
new shelter, Semiperm HDFC. The organization has attracted the support of
such luminaries as Emme Aronson, Bobbi Brown, Kirsten Dunst, Edie Falco,
Marcia Gay Harden, Ivana, Hoda Kotb, Laura Linney, Soledad O'Brien, Susan
Sarandon, Tamara Tunie, Vanessa L. Williams, and Stevie Wonder. HoG is a
501(c)(3) organization. For more information on how you can help, visit
www.heartsofgold.org.

SOURCE Hearts of Gold

Deborah Koenigsberger, Hearts of Gold Founder & Executive Director,
+1-212-206-1461, dk(at)heartsofgold(dot)org; or Angelica Carey, Hearts of Gold
Publicist, +1-917-691-5334, press(at)heartsofgold(dot)org