The Jewelers Charity Fund For Children Presents $850,000 To The Make-A-Wish Foundation® At "Facets Of Hope" Dinner

Make-A-Wish Foundation of America
Friday, 27 June 2003

Celebrating five years of offering children hope for a better tomorrow, The Jewelers Charity Fund for Children (JCF) presented the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of America with a check for $850,000 during the jewelry industry's annual "Facets of Hope" Dinner in Las Vegas in June.

"We truly believe that children are the most precious of all gems," said Pattie Light, executive director of the Jewelers Charity Fund for Children, in presenting the contribution. "We are enormously proud of the benevolence of our industry and celebrate the partnership we have with the Make-A-Wish Foundation."

"We applaud The Jewelers Charity Fund for Children for its ongoing commitment to our special mission," said Paula Van Ness, president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. "The jewelry industry's generous support of the Make-A-Wish® mission has helped us to grant the wishes of hundreds of courageous children, enriching their lives with hope, strength, and joy."

Since 1999, the JCF has donated $2.6 million to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, granting 447 wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.

During the JCF's fifth birthday celebration in Las Vegas, more than $3 million in contributions were allocated to special programs with JCF's recipient charities: the Make-A-Wish Foundation, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates.)

About The Jewelers Charity Fund for Children

Since 1999, The Jewelers Charity Fund for Children has granted more than $10 million to vital programs. Armed with a mission to raise funds for charities that primarily benefit children, the JCF has benefited from the generosity of the jewelry, diamond and watch industries. Funds are raised throughout the year by a variety of special projects dependent upon the support of the jewelry trade organizations, multi-store retailers, independent jewelers and manufacturers who participate. For more information about the JCF, contact Pattie Light, executive director, at (561) 744-3222.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. It is the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 76 chapters in the United States and its territories and 27 international affiliates on five continents. With the help of generous donors and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted more than 110,000 wishes to children around the world since 1980. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit www.wish.org.

For more information, or to contact Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, see their website at: www.wish.org