Diamonds Direct honors mothers of MUSC patients with donation to Children’s Hospital
Diamonds Direct donates to MUSC Children’s Hospital
Mother’s Day presentation to honor mothers of patients
Charleston, S.C. – Diamonds Direct, a direct diamond importer based in Charlotte, N.C., with a new location in Mt. Pleasant, will present a check to the campaign for the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital as a pre-Mother’s Day salute to those mothers who have or have had children as patients at the Medical University of South Carolina. The check presentation will be held on Thursday, May 5 at 8:30 a.m., 7th floor Atrium of the MUSC Children’s Hospital. Officials from MUSC and Diamonds Direct will be in attendance. Dr. Andy Atz, pediatric cardiac intensive care director, and Dr. John Cahill, associate professor of pediatrics and a neonatologist at MUSC Children’s Hospital, will be in attendance to welcome Diamonds Direct. “We are very excited and happy to partner with one of Charleston’s newest corporate citizens,” said Dr. Cahill.
This check presentation is the result of a partnership between Diamonds Direct and the Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital at MUSC. The two teamed up in March to celebrate the opening of Diamonds Direct’s seventh and newest location in Mt. Pleasant. A series of events to benefit the hospital, starting with a VIP party on March 10 through Charleston Fashion Week’s Raise the Runway luncheon, fashion show, and auction on March 16, marked the occasion. “We wanted to show both appreciation and commitment for all that MUSC does, and to recognize the challenges that mothers of young children at the hospital face,” noted Dovy Klarberg, senior vice president for Diamonds Direct. “We look forward to supporting and partnering with MUSC Children’s Hospital for many years to come,” added Klarberg.
Fundraising started with a catered VIP celebration on March 10, “Diamonds and Dreams,” which helped to raise money for the hospital with a theme underscoring how donations could help little ones affected by a medical issue and give them the chance to dream and “imagine” the possibilities as a result of the expert team and resources available at MUSC. That weekend, Diamonds Direct hosted a trunk show and flew in high-end designers in from New York City and Los Angeles to punctuate the event with an even broader inventory offering. Customers were offered a 20% discount throughout the weekend, and Diamonds Direct donated a percentage of those profits to the hospital.
That following week, Diamonds Direct co-sponsored the Charleston Fashion Week Raise the Runway luncheon with designer Tacori and donated $8,000 for that event. Diamonds Direct also donated a jewelry item, which raised $3,500 at the live auction.
To promote this special weekend and charity event, Diamonds Direct launched a custom radio ad campaign, in addition to tapping traditional and social media. The impact of that radio campaign was that 1,828 radio spots aired with 5.1 million gross impressions, reaching 448,000 adults.
Outside of the radio spots, Diamonds Direct will have donated $17,120.00 to the Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital at MUSC in their first few months as a corporate newcomer to the Charleston area.
Located at 1911 Hwy. 17 N., Diamonds Direct features a 6,500-square-foot showroom featuring a wide selection of mounted and loose diamonds, varying in size, carat weight, shape and certification.
About the Campaign for the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital
Named in honor of Charleston-based BenefitFocus’ co-founder and CEO, MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital will replace the 28-year-old MUSC Children’s Hospital currently located on Ashley Avenue, providing much needed space for the thousands of patients and families served by MUSC each year. The new facility will provide more spacious, family-centered amenities and expanded services, including an expanded neonatal intensive care unit, an entire floor dedicated to the care of children with cancer, and the most comprehensive pediatric heart center in South Carolina. The Campaign for the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital launched publicly in February 2015 and is co-chaired by entertainer Darius Rucker and his wife, Beth, both of whom are members of the MUSC Children’s Hospital Fund Advisory Board. In May 2015, Mr. Jenkins, in consultation with his family, made a $25 million commitment to the campaign, and Medical University’s Board of Trustees subsequently voted to name the new hospital in his honor. The Medical University expects to break ground in 2016 and open the doors to the new hospital in 2019 on the corner of Calhoun Street and Courtenay Drive.
Diamonds Direct’s founders began as diamond manufacturers based out of Tel Aviv Israel. In 1995, the first Diamonds Direct opened in Charlotte, N.C., eliminating the middleman and selling diamonds directly to the end customer from the manufacturing facility in Israel. Today, Diamonds Direct is one of America’s largest and most successful independent jewelry companies with seven locations in the U.S. Each Diamonds Direct offers loose and mounted diamonds, a multitude of engagement ring mountings by America’s top designers, diamond and gemstone fashion jewelry, wedding bands, pearls and much more. Diamonds Direct’s retail stores are located in Charlotte, N.C., Raleigh, N.C., Birmingham, AL, Richmond, VA, and Austin, TX, with new locations opening in Oklahoma City, OK, and Charleston, S.C., in early December. For more information visit www.DiamondsDirect.com.
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