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IndependentsAug 31, 2017
Funds Being Raised for Houston Jewelers Affected by Hurricane
Jewelers of America, the Diamond Council of America and National Jeweler have launched a GoFundMe page to collect donations for independent jewelers in the area hit by Hurricane Harvey.
New York--Jewelers of America, the Diamond Council of America and National Jeweler are raising money to be help jewelers in Houston who were affected by Hurricane Harvey.
According to CNN, the hurricane had dumped 51 inches of rain as of Wednesday afternoon, the highest amount on record from a tropical cyclone in the continental U.S. Losses are estimated to be somewhere around $75 billion, with an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 homes destroyed in the Houston area and 33 counties in Texas declared federal disaster areas.
Now, a GoFundMe page has been created to raise funds to go to independents retailers most affected by Hurricane Harvey.
All funds will be given out equally and directly to independent jewelry stores, regardless of affiliation.
To help organizers begin to compile a list of jewelers in need, jewelry owners affected by Hurricane Harvey can submit their details on Jewelers.org.
As of right now, a deadline for fundraising or timeline for distributing funds hasn’t yet been established as Jewelers of America determines the full impact of the destruction.
“Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by Hurricane Harvey,” said JA President & CEO David J. Bonaparte. “Jewelers of America was founded by jewelers to help jewelers, and it’s in times like these that we are so clearly reminded of the importance of that mission. With our partners Diamond Council of America and National Jeweler, we hope the Hurricane Harvey Jewelers Support Fund gives the jewelry community a way to support the jewelers most impacted. Any support is welcome; there is no donation too small to help reach our goal.”
National Jeweler is a for-profit subsidiary of Jewelers of America, though the organizations act independently of one another. JA also inked an agreement in June with the DCA to align the two organizations.
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