Press Releases

Jewelers for Children Celebrates 18 Years, Honors Stuart Lee and Dennis Ulrich

Published

8 years ago

June 10, 2016

INSTORE Staff

Facets of Hope

(Press Release)
NEW YORK, NY – On June 5, Jewelers for Children 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 its 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,” says 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 evening began with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner and the program. During the program, the organization recognized Stuart Lee, executive vice president of merchandising for Signet Jewelers, 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 giveaway 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 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 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.

Jewelers for Children was founded in 1999 by the U.S. jewelry industry with the mission of helping children in need. Since its inception, JFC has donated more than $51 million to programs benefiting children whose lives have been affected by illness, abuse or neglect through its charity partners.

You Wouldn’t Cut Your Own Hair. Why Run Your Own Retirement Sale?

After being in business for over a quarter of a century, Wayne Reid, owner of Wayne Jewelers in Wayne, Pennsylvania, decided it was time for a little “me time.” He says, “I’ve reached a point in my life where it’s time to slow down, enjoy a lot of things outside of the jewelry industry. It just seemed to be the right time.” He chose Wilkerson to handle his retirement sale because of their reputation and results. With financial goals exceeded, Reid says he made the right choice selecting Wilkerson to handle the sale. “They made every effort to push our jewelry to the forefront of the showcases,” he says, lauding Wilkerson for their finesse and expertise. Would he recommend them to other jewelers who want to make room for new merchandise, expand their business or like him, decide to call it a day? Absolutely he says, equating trying to do this kind of sale with cutting your own hair. “The results are going to happen but not as well as if you have a professional like Wilkerson do the job for you.”