Jewelers for Children

Jewelers for Children works with jewelers and other members of the jewelry industry to host bon voyage parties for Make-a-Wish^® Foundation Wish recipients and their families. By hosting one of these bon voyage parties, jewelry companies and their employees give back to their local communities—and the memories that are created last a lifetime!

Rio Grande has hosted several of these bon voyage parties for wish recipients in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area, and it has always been an enjoyable experience. "It was life affirming to participate in the event as it reminded me of the power of impacting others’ lives," Nicole Reyes, Rio Grande's HR recruiter said.

Hosting a party has a financial commitment of less than $500 and only takes a few hours to organize—most parties need a time investment of less than 10 hours.

Most venues are happy to cooperate with party planning and often offer group discounts and donations. When you host a bon voyage party, your local Make-a-Wish® Foundation chapter will assist you in coordinating and generating local news and social media coverage.

Rio Grande hosted a bon voyage party to celebrate Nathan as he prepared for his first-ever trip to Maui, Hawaii. Staff from Make-a-Wish^® New Mexico and Rio Grande were there along with Nathan, his 16-year-old brother, Jacob, and his parents, Tammy and Jose. Thanks to the generosity of Jewelers for Children’s supporters, Nathan and his family were able to spend a week combing beaches, taking a helicopter ride and sampling seafood.

“I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be flying out to Hawaii in only a few days,” Nathan said.

Rio Grande associates presented Nathan with a New Orleans Saints baseball cap and hoodie, along with a pair of Adidas slide sandals and Jazzmintton paddles perfect for the beach. His little brother, Jacob, didn’t get left out as he got a Green Bay Packers baseball hat and shirt.

Rio Grande hosted a bon voyage party at Isotopes Baseball Park for a very special teen, Amadeo, with an extremely rare life-threatening medical condition called Cerebral Cavernous Malformations. Amadeo threw the opening pitch at the game before joining his family, friends and associates from Rio Grande in the stands to cheer on the Isotopes. At the game, Amadeo was presented with a baseball, signed by each Isotopes player, mounted in a glass case.

Since 1999, Jewelers for Children has donated more than $53 million to help children who are the victims of catastrophic illness or life-threatening abuse and neglect. The organization strives to involve more and more jewelers in its efforts and to promote the good work being done by the jewelry industry. Donate now and support the fundraising efforts for such a worthy cause!