(NEW YORK) – On June 5, 2016, Jewelers for Children (JFC) held the 18th Annual Facets of Hope event in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The charity announced that $3.1 million had been raised to support their charity partners in the year ahead and that since 1999 $51.4 million had been donated on behalf of the industry to help children in need. “What an amazing milestone for the charity, and particularly for our industry,” said Dennis Ulrich, JFC board chair and one of the evening’s honorees. “Over the past 18 years, we have touched the lives of so many thousands of children and their families.”
The evenings began with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner and the program. During the program, the organization recognized Stuart Lee, executive vice president, merchandising for Signet Jewelers, Ltd. and Ulrich, CEO of the Richline Group. Guests heard from seven year-old Nicolas, a patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Annmarie Rainwater, representing the National CASA Association.
The evening also included a watch give-away sponsored by Swiss Watch by JCK and LUXURY Watch and a special, limited raffle for a gold and diamond replica of the popular BB-8 from the recent Star Wars movie. Attendees also had the opportunity to enjoy dessert, coffee and after-dinner cocktails during an after-party sponsored by Hallmark Jewelry.
Ulrich announced that the charity was pledging $700,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, $750,000 to Make-A-Wish America, $700,000 to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, $650,000 to the National CASA Association, $140,000 to Make-A-Wish India and $35,000 to the Santa-America Fund. The organization is also setting aside $100,000 to reward in a local grant, social media voting campaign to be held later this year.
This nationwide success is due to the continuing generosity of jewelry trade organizations, jewelry and watch manufacturing companies, jewelry retail stores, individual jewelry professionals, and jewelry consumers.
