PearlParadise.com Reaches Goal of Donating $1 Million Dollars in Pearl Jewelry to Charities Nationwide (link)
LOS ANGELES--(
BUSINESS WIRE)--In 2007, Jeremy Shepherd, President and Founder of
PearlParadise.com, announced the launch of the company?s Giving Back Program to help out charities in need. Three years later, the goal has been reached and $1 million dollars in pearls has been donated to non-profit organizations around the United States. Due to the company?s success and the popularity of the Giving Back Program, Shepherd and PearlParadise.com are going to extend the program with the hopes of having donated a total of $2 million dollars worth of jewelry by the end of company?s 15th anniversary year of 2011.
?With their support, we were able to offer critical nourishment -- and hope -- to hungry men, women and children around the country.?
Shepherd?s intention was to make the process simple and accessible to as many people as possible. All that a charity is required to do is to go to PearlParadise.com, fill out a request form (
http://pearlparadise.com/images/givingback/DonationRequestForm.pdf) and provide documentation that the organization is a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Once verified, PearlParadise.com will send a genuine
pearl necklace with an estimated retail value of $500 to the charity for use in an auction or fundraising event to help raise money for the cause.
To date, PearlParadise.com has sent out well over 2,000 necklaces to various charities. Many of the necklaces have been auctioned off for well over their value of $500. Recently, PearlParadise.com was contacted by KindredSPIRITS and sponsored a special concert being held in aid of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. The pearls were sold at their silent auction for $4,700.00! The organization was able to calculate that with their leveraged buying power and estimated cost for 1 meal ($0.80), that the $4,700 that they raised from the sale of the 1 necklace would provide approximately 5875 meals. This is just one example of many that showcased the impact of one pearl necklace.
Shepherd feels that especially in these tough economic times, it is important to continue to donate and he plans to continue to the Giving Back Program indefinitely. According to Shepherd, ?It?s not just about writing a check. It?s about spreading the word and helping out charities that, in these tough times, need it most. The more that people take advantage of the Giving Back Program, the more causes we can help.?
"MAZON is tremendously grateful to PearlParadise.com for its commitment to meaningful philanthropy that makes a tangible difference in so many lives," said Barbara H. Bergen, MAZON's acting president. "With their support, we were able to offer critical nourishment -- and hope -- to hungry men, women and children around the country."
Founded in 1996 and brought online in 2000, PearlParadise.com has grown into the world's largest online pearl company, with 2006 sales topping $20 million. With a custom-built, 1,400-cubic-foot vault filled with pearls, the company offers a selection of pearls unlike any other pearl seller, online or off. The company?s success is based primarily on word of mouth, honest respectability and helpful service that Shepherd cultivates as carefully as his pearls. Although his company continues to grow exponentially, Jeremy Shepherd still delights in traveling to the far flung reaches of the globe to personally handpick and inspect each and every pearl for his customers.
For more information on the Giving Back Program, including restrictions, visit
http://pearlparadise.com/giving.
For list of some of the charities who have received pearl necklaces through PearlParadise.com?s Giving Back Program please visit:
http://www.pearlparadise.com/giving-back-recipients.aspx.
