A Cause Marketing Partnership Inspired by Employee Enthusiasm & Ice Cream

Ice cream for breakfast anyone?  It’s a tradition nearly 7,500 children experience with their families each year at Give Kids The World Village (GKTW), a 70-acre, nonprofit “storybook” resort in Central Florida that provides memorable, magical, cost-free experiences to children with life-threatening illnesses.

Watching a child battle a life-threatening condition is a heart-aching experience no family should ever have to endure.  Fortunately, GKTW Village gives those families and children a chance to take a vacation from their illness. Upon arrival at GKTW Village, families are able to escape instantly into whimsical venues, entertainment attractions, and fun activities like a Winter Wonderland celebration (complete with carriage rides), old-fashioned fun at the world’s largest and only life-sized CANDY LAND game, daily surprises from the Gift-Giving Fairy, and ice cream practically anytime of the day – even for breakfast! 

These activities have inspired more than joyful moments for families though; they’ve inspired corporate-nonprofit partnerships like that of GKTW Village, ALEX AND ANI and the brand’s philanthropic division, CHARITY BY DESIGN.

Celebrating Life’s Goodness with Sweet Treats

In 2014, A Wish Come True, Inc., a wish-granting organization partner from Rhode Island, introduced Give Kids The World Village to ALEX AND ANI, a lifestyle brand that creates unique jewelry such as bangle bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings.  The ALEX AND ANI philanthropic division, CHARITY BY DESIGN, was born from the ideal of spreading positive energy worldwide and strengthening charitable organizations through innovative partnerships and collaborative experiences. There was instant synergy and excitement between GKTW Village and ALEX AND ANI, which only grew when employees from ALEX AND ANI were able to tour and experience the Village while traveling to Florida for business.

The employees returned to headquarters with enthusiasm, ready to share the many different activities families have access to when visiting GKTW Village. One of the most memorable was the Village tradition to eat ice cream at their Ice Cream Palace anytime of the day and their Scoops of Hope Campaign, which was inspired by a Village wish family who celebrates the anniversary of their trip each year by eating ice cream for breakfast. Both became the inspiration for the ALEX AND ANI | CHARITY BY DESIGN Sweet Treats bangle. Depicting a 3-D ice cream cone, the Sweet Treats charm is a reminder of blissful energy in connection to shared moments with loved ones. It is a carefree symbol of the simple enjoyment found in savoring a decadent treat. It is the goal of ALEX AND ANI that it will provide encouragement to fill each day with joyful moments and celebrate life’s goodness before it melts away.

On July 28^th, 2014, CHARITY BY DESIGN kicked off the launch of the partnership through the Sweet Treats Bangle by hosting a Scoops of Hope ice cream social with Give Kids The World Village at ALEX AND ANI headquarters located in Cranston, RI.  Through this fun Village-inspired event, they were able to raise funds for GKTW Village and educate the ALEX AND ANI team about how important the partnership is in helping families benefit from GKTW Village.  Since the launch, several CHARMED BY CHARITY^® in-store events have been held at ALEX AND ANI retail locations nationwide, and Scoops of Hope fundraising events have been held at ALEX AND ANI showroom and distribution center to educate its employees about GKTW Village’s mission and partnership with CHARITY BY DESIGN.  ALEX AND ANI employees have also joined in the fun volunteering at GKTW Village’s weekly Pirates & Princesses Party.  The partnership with GKTW is one that CHARITY BY DESIGN shared is close to their hearts. 

“Through our partnership with Give Kids The World Village, we are able to see first-hand the impact our relationship is making on the many children with life-threatening illnesses and their families who visit the resort.  It is truly a special privilege to be a part of giving those who are going through a difficult journey the trip of a lifetime.  We are excited to continue working with and spreading the mission of GKTW Village; something we all believe in,” says Nicki Maher; Vice President, ALEX AND ANI | CHARITY BY DESIGN.

Through its partnership with GKTW Village and other nonprofits, CHARITY BY DESIGN has used its influence through employees, customers, and corporate giving to unite community members around a passion for taking action and getting involved.  Since launching its partnership with Give Kids The World Village in 2014, more than $144,000 has been contributed to GKTW Village as a result of the sale of the ALEX AND ANI Sweet Treats bangle, CHAMRED BY CHARITY events benefiting GKTW Village, and Scoops of Hope fundraisers.  20% of sales earned by ALEX AND ANI from its Sweet Treats Bangle will be donated to Give Kids The World Village through December 2015, which you can purchase online at http://www.alexandani.com/sweet-treats-charm-bangle.html.