REA Industry Achievement Honoree: HomArt

rea_2011_logoThat’s right. More good news to share.

We’re tickled pink to announce home accessories manufacturer HomArt will be honored with the Gift For Life Industry Achievement Award during Gifts & Decorative Accessories’ 63rd Annual Retailer Excellence Awards (Sunday, August 17, 2014, in New York). The award recognizes overall excellence and contribution to the gift and home industry.

In 1994, inspired by California living and architecture, Dave Thomas and Kevin Mundt launched HomArt to design hand-finished home accessories that forged a contemporary link with California’s romantic past. With a continued commitment to that original mandate, HomArt has added two other core values: to promote green living and the sustainability of our planet; and to utilize technology to better serve its customers and the Earth.

Today, HomArt’s stylish home product line ranges from candles, lanterns, hurricane lamps, and designer matches to a full assortment of decorative mirrors, vases, and bookends, bottle openers, corkscrews and much more. This exclusive collection of refined yet affordable home accessories is created for everyday use from all-natural, recycled, and new materials, simple and tastefully designed to comfortably mix with any décor. Showcasing the handwork of skilled craftsmen, the HomArt collection evokes the warmth and serenity of a less-hurried era.

“On behalf of Kevin and the entire HomArt family, we are honored to accept this award,” said Dave Thomas, partner. “We are a company focused not only on forward-thinking design and global responsibility, but also inclusiveness and generosity. We humbly thank Gift for Life and Gifts and Decorative Accessories magazine.”

“HomArt has successfully balanced sustainability, savvy design, and functionality and has raised the industry bar,” said Stuart Teller, chair of the Gift for Life board. “We are proud to present the 2014 Gift for Life Industry Achievement Award to such an innovative company and its generous founders.”

Hooray for HomArt—we’re happy to cheer your accomplishments!

For info about the REAs, click here.

Welcome aboard…the Board!

AIDS-ribbonPlease join us in extended a warm, heartfelt welcome to the newest members of the Gift for Life Board of Directors:

And a fond, very grateful farewell to two women who served GFL well during their tenure, as GFL Board Chairs:

  • Tabitha Bowling
  • Leslie Nathan-Street

If you know the new folks, thank them for stepping up. It’s that kind of commitment that keeps GFL rolling strong.

Only 29 days until NY AIDS Walk 2014

summary_infographic_28horizontal29Following the success of last year’s participation, the GFL/NSS team is lacing up, warming up, and talking up the NY AIDS Walk 2014, ready to make their mark.

For the third year in a row, Gift for Life is partnering with the National Stationery Show to participate in the country’s largest AIDS fundraising walk, to be held May 18, 2014. That doesn’t mean you have to be a member of GFL or attending NSS; virtual walkers are all the rage, allowing those of us who can’t be in Central Park to support the cause from afar.

To sign up (walking or as a virtual walker), visit the GFL/NSS Team page. As you garner donations, our numbers increase and the impact grows. After all, even a small donation can have a major impact on lives. Lots of lives. Just check out the graphic above.

So….what are you waiting for? Get cracking, folks! We want to make last year’s numbers look like the warm up act.

And what a party it was…!

p1001763466-4It’s official. This year’s Party for Life raised more than $185,000, which is no small feat when you’re up against the Super Bowl and snow storms. Color us happy.

“No other industry event combines the fun, the networking and the generosity of the annual Party for Life,” said Stu Teller, Gift for Life chairperson. “Congratulations to our honorees and thanks to everyone for helping make this event a big success.”

The celebration featured numerous NYC-themed food stations, multiple bars and a short program honoring industry leaders: 

  • Kurt S. Adler, Inc. company was honored with the Chuck Yancy Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Clare Brett Smith, president emerita of Aid to Artisans, received the Bert Tonkin Gift of Giving Award
  • Norman Glassberg, founder of Trade Associates Group Ltd (tag), was honored posthumously with the Trailblazer Award, which in future years will be called the Norman Glassberg Trailblazer Award

In addition to recognizing industry legends, guests competed for a wide array of prizes at silent and live auctions including jewelry, home décor, vacation packages, market trips, marketing assistance, and much more.

Each year, Gift for Life hosts events throughout the U.S. benefitting DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS. The primary mission of Gift for Life and DIFFA is to eradicate the AIDS pandemic in the U.S.

Working together, Gift for Life and DIFFA will continue to raise funds for HIV/AIDS service and education programs, honoring those who came ahead of us, and those who follow next.

To view photos from the event:

  1. Visit thephotogroup.com website
  2. Enter: g4l2014
  3. Click on images to view
  4. Select “download” to open/save

To download the official press release, click here.

Party for Life: Cheat sheet

PFL-2014-logoIt’s here…Party for Life! So that you feel fully up to speed before sauntering through the door, here’s what a well-versed attendee should know:

Where and when
Tonight! (Monday, February 3, 2014)
6:30 – 10:00 p.m.
Central Park Boathouse
East 72nd @ Park Drive North
New York, NY

To the Boathouse from the Javitz
Free shuttle (check for signs, but this is probably going to be from the lower level)

To the Boathouse from elsewhere
The Central Park Trolley runs every 15-20 minutes, picking up from three spots along 5th Avenue:
- At 72nd Street
- At 80th Street, near the Metropolitan Museum’s garage
- At 90th (east side of the street only)

Leaving the Boathouse at the end of the evening
Two options:
- Central Park Trolley back to the three stops listed above
- Academy shuttle bus dropping off at The Plaza Hotel

We’ll be honoring….
Kurt S. Adler, Inc. (Chuck Yancy Lifetime Achievement Award), Clare Brett Smith (Bert Tonkin Gift of Giving Award), and Norman Glassberg (Trailblazer Award, granted posthumously). Want to know why we selected them? Click here.

Snag great swag
Silent auction items can be previewed (and bid on, ahead of time!) here. Use your smart phones to bid throughout the day and during the event, or simply use iPads provided at the event—proceeds support Gift for Life.

Share the joy
We’d love to hear and see Party for Life through your eyes. Please share comments, laughs, and phone pics on our Facebook  page (click here). The more, the merrier!

Now…what do you say we raise a little money for the cause? Party on!

Getting to Party for Life

PFL-2014-logoSo you’ve packed your party shoes, you’re already eyeing silent auction items…but you’re stumped about how to get to the big shindig on Monday night.

Stumpeth no more. Here’s the skinny:

To the Boathouse from the Javitz
Free shuttle (check for signs, but this is probably going to be from the lower level)

To the Boathouse from elsewhere
The Central Park Trolley runs every 15-20 minutes, picking up from three spots along 5th Avenue:
- At 72nd Street
- At 80th Street, near the Metropolitan Museum’s garage
- At 90th (east side of the street only)

 Leaving the Boathouse at the end of the evening
Two options:
- Central Park Trolley back to the three stops listed above
- Academy shuttle bus dropping off at The Plaza Hotel

It’s not too late to get tickets—click here to purchase online, then pick them up at the door.

Ready…set…BID!

GG_Logo_1

The celebration is days away (not that many days, so if you don’t have tickets yet, get cracking), but Party for Life silent auction bidding is already up and running.

Thanks to Gavel & Grand (who donated their auction services, by the way), we’ve entered the modern age of bidding. No longer will you need to lurk behind huge potted plants, then leap to the table just in time to scribble a final bid, mere seconds before staff whisks the sheet away. Oh, no…. Now, you can “go stealth,” outbidding the friend next to you while sharing cocktails at the bar.

Prefer to lurk–n–launch at the display tables instead? No sweat. There will be iPads scattered around the room, in addition to iPad kiosks, where you can bid by touchscreen, right up ’til the last moment.

As for a peek at the loot, well…here you go. Bidding has already opened online, showcasing treasures you’ll see that night (there are even more goodies on the way, so keep checking back).

Can’t make it to the party? We’ve got you covered. Register online, then keep bidding right up until 9:30 p.m. EST on Monday (night of the event) with the rest of us.

To bid online:

  1. Visit http://gavelandgrand.com/auctions/giftforlifesign_up 2014-01-29 1500
  2. Scroll through the photos, then when you find one you like, click the photo for more info
  3. Click Register for a New Account

 

To bid at the event:

  1. Register when you arrive at the event
  2. Use the supplied iPads to bid throughout the evening

(Of course, if you fall into the aforementioned “stealth” crowd, register online now, bookmark this link on your phone, then bid on the sly, right up until 9:30 p.m. EST that night.)

Let the bidding begin!

Honoree profile: Norman Glassberg (posthumous)

NormanGlasbergOur third and final profile is bittersweet, honoring a  man who was larger than life…then left this life too soon.

Norman Glassberg
Trailblazer Award 

As founder of Trade Associates Group Ltd (tag), Mr. Glassberg is being honored posthumously with the Trailblazer Award (in future years, to be called the Norman Glassberg Trailblazer Award). Glassberg founded a company called tag while a sales representative firm in the Chicago Merchandise Mart in 1975; today tag is recognized as one of the leading designers and distributors of quality giftware, tabletop, home décor items, furniture and seasonal accessories. In addition to his business accomplishments, Glassberg was a noted philanthropist, who served dozens of local and national organizations, foundations, and public service groups. And he blazed an important trail in design and manufacturing standards that are responsible, sustainable and earth-friendly, through utilization of recycled and renewable materials. The company also practices ethical, fair trade policies and prioritizes manufacturing resources that preserve cultural traditions, encourage hand crafts, and provide a living wage to craftspeople and artisans.

Please join us in celebrating all three Honorees at Party for Life, held on Monday, February 3, 2014 in New York.

Honoree profile: Clare Brett Smith

ClareBrettSmithToday, we’re pleased to introduce you to the second of our three Winter Honorees:

Clare Brett Smith
Bert Tonkin Gift of Giving Award

President emerita, Ms. Smith was a craft importer for 15 years before joining the nonprofit Aid to Artisans, where she served as president for more than 20 years and helped to create economic opportunities for low-income artisan groups around the world. Believing in “trade not aid” – she brought Honduran cornhusk flower makers to Williams Sonoma’s Pottery Barn in the 1980s; Peruvian ceramics to Jonathan Adler in the ’90s; and then items such as Salvadoran hammocks, Macedonian rugs, Haitian metal angels and more to homes in the U.S. and Europe. Today, as an independent crafts professional based in Farmington, CT, Smith continues to be active in the industry – working with programs such as the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise, hosted by the Aspen Institute; and the HAND/EYE Fund and magazine.

Please join us in celebrating all three Honorees at Party for Life, held on Monday, February 3, 2014 in New York.

Honorees profile: Kurt S. Adler, Inc.

KurtAdlerFamilyTwice each year, Gift for Life selects individuals and organizations who have had a significant, positive impact on the gift and home industries, recognizing them with prestigious awards reflecting those unique contributions. It’s a pretty exclusive club, including industry luminaries, visionaries, and creatives that raise the bar high with their generosity of heart and kindness of spirit.

This is the first of three updates, showcasing our 2014 Winter Honorees.

Kurt S. Adler, Inc.
Chuck Yancy Lifetime Achievement Award

Founded in 1946, Kurt S. Adler Inc. has been a leading importer of holiday decorations for more than 60 years. Its well-known lines include Steinbach and Hollywood Nutcrackers, Noble Gems and Polonaise blown-glass ornaments, Fabriché Santas, Snowfall lights and many more. With headquarters in New York City and showrooms around the country, Canada and Hong Kong, the business continues today to be run by Kurt Adler’s children – Howard, Clifford and Karen. A one-stop source for all holiday needs, Kurt Adler and the Santa’s World brand showcase talented designers and iconic licenses with products from some 200 factories in 15 countries.

Please join us in celebrating all three Honorees at Party for Life, held on Monday, February 3, 2014 in New York.

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