August 6, 2015—Gift for Life, the gift and home industries’ sole charitable organization, announced today that three industry leaders—Suzy Batiz of Poo-Pourri®, Howard Henschel of The Norman Group, and Arun Agarwal of Nextt—will be honored during Gift for Life’s 24th Annual Party for Life, taking place Monday, February 1 in New York City.
Suzy Batiz, the creator and CEO of Poo-Pourri®, the Before-You-Go® toilet spray, is being honored with the Norman Glassberg Trailblazer Award. Poo-Pourri® began in 2006 and is now available in 100 countries and is sold in more than 9,000 stores across the U.S. Suzy’s entrepreneurial spirit and single-minded passion for the business has helped her create a dynamic business that has grown exponentially.
Howard Henschel, president and CEO of The Norman Group, is the recipient of the Chuck Yancy Lifetime Achievement Award. Henschel is being honored for his decades of leadership and service to the industry and for his business achievements of Norman’s Hallmark, founded 75 years ago in Trenton, New Jersey and currently more than 45 stores. Howard’s dedication to retail and his support of all aspects of the gift and stationery business has supported countless employees and hundreds of manufacturers.
Arun Agarwal, CEO and director of Nextt, is being honored with the Bert Tonkin Gift of Giving Award. Agarwal’s leadership of the largest bedding company in North America is complemented by a spirit of generosity across organizations and institutions in the U.S. and internationally. Arun’s personal involvement in organizations such as Gift for Life has resulted in more money contributed, more awareness raised, and more education and care to individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS.
“These amazing honorees are dynamic, generous, inspirational figures who personify compassionate leadership,” said Frank Joens, chair of the Gift for Life board. “They are worthy of recognition for their continuing influence and contributions to our industry.”
Make plans now to attend Gift for Life’s 23rd Annual Party for Life, benefiting DIFFA, on Monday, February 1, 2016, at The Boathouse in New York City’s Central Park. Individual tickets are $125, and sponsorships ranging from $500 through $25,000 are available. For details, contact Steven Williams at swilliams@diffa.org, (212) 727-3100.
Each year, Gift for Life hosts events throughout the U.S. benefitting DIFFA. 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. For additional information please visit www.giftforlife.org. Follow Gift for Life’s efforts via its free e-newsletter, available at http://www.giftforlife.org/about_gfl/press-releases-and-newsletters/.
ABOUT GIFT FOR LIFE and DIFFA
Gift for Life unites the gift and home industries against AIDS with more than $5 million raised since its inception in 1992. In 2008, Gift for Life selected DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, one of the largest funders of HIV/AIDS service and education programs in the U.S., as its sole charity partner. Since its founding in 1984, DIFFA has mobilized the immense resources of the design communities to provide more than $40 million to hundreds of AIDS organizations nationwide. More information is available at www.giftforlife.org
