JCK Events has announced the recipients of its 2013 Industry Fund.

The winners include: Jewelers’ Security Alliance, Jewelers Vigilance Committee, Alliance for Responsible Mining, Jewelers of America, Women’s Jewelry Association, American Gem Society, and Diamond Development Initiative. Monies will be allocated and put to use immediately.

The JCK Industry Fund was established 15 years ago to support the growth of jewelry professionals and/or organizations by distributing funds where they are most needed. To date, the fund has awarded more than $5 million in grants to deserving jewelry entities.

“The Industry Fund has been helping jewelry professionals and organizations achieve their goals for well over a decade and has made a substantial impact on our industry as a whole,” said Yancy Weinrich, group vice president of JCK Events. “Each recipient over the years has impressed us enormously with their devotion to jewelry and focus on making improvements that matter. We have been honored to support them.”

Check out the recipients’ reactions to the news and what they plan on using the money for:

“The grant the society receives from the JCK Industry Fund is of tremendous help to the AGS; it also has a positive domino effect within our industry. Because of JCK’s generosity, we are able to continue providing leading speakers and the finest educational programming all under one roof at Conclave. The grant helps us serve our members with their continuing gemological training, which in turn helps better our industry.”
—Ruth Batson, CEO, American Gem Society and AGS Labs

“Jewelers of America is very appreciative of the JCK Industry Fund’s ongoing support of our legislative advocacy efforts. This grant allows us to expand the association’s influential (and critical) work to fight legislative and regulatory measures that could harm jewelry businesses and consumer confidence.”
—David J. Bonaparte, president and CEO, Jewelers of America

“We are extremely grateful for JCK’s generous Industry Fund grants, as they have enabled JSA to carry out innovative projects to help make the industry safer from crime for years. For example, in the past, we’ve set up local crime prevention networks for jewelers and an online stolen jewelry database. This year’s grant will enable JSA to reach out more broadly to the 17,000 police departments in the U.S. to help educate and inform them regarding jewelry crime. With JCK’s support, the partnership between the FBI, local police, and the jewelry industry will be strengthened.”
—John Kennedy, president, Jewelers’ Security Alliance

“News of the JCK Industry Fund’s grant to DDI has just reached me in Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where I have been helping to get one of our projects up and running. If you could meet the artisanal miners I’ve been with over the past 10 days, you would know what a huge difference small investments can make in the lives of very poor people. News like this is always important, but receiving it here has made it so much more meaningful.”
—Dorothée Gizenga, executive director, Diamond Development Initiative

“The Industry Fund grant is very important to us; we couldn’t do what we do without it. It is a wonderful means for us to be able to support our ongoing efforts to maintain standards for legal compliance within the industry. This year, for example, with the new Federal Trade Commission guideline revisions coming out, we will use the funds to explain what they mean and assist jewelry companies with their own compliance measures.”
—Cecilia Gardner, president, CEO, general counsel, Jewelers Vigilance Committee

“We are so grateful for the support from JCK. The organization has consistently supported WJA for many years and this partnership has enabled us to flourish and grow. We are very excited to receive the grant for our In the Know Conference being held on March 8, 2013. This grant has allowed us to attract premier speakers within the jewelry and fashion industries. It is a day that attendees can expand their knowledge and build long term relationships with people in the jewelry and watch industry.”
—Tryna Kochanek, president, Women’s Jewelry Association

“Receiving this grant will make a great positive impact on the impoverished communities we in the Alliance for Responsible Mining support. The lives and conditions of artisanal and small-scale miners are unknown to many, as is the enormous potential their work has for developing communities and generating sustainable incomes—all while protecting the environment and respecting rights of workers, women and children. With this grant we can directly support training of communities and raise awareness with stakeholders, governments, consumers, jewelers, the industry, and the international community, each of whom have a role in changing the miners’ conditions for the better. We thank JCK Events for this great opportunity and look forward to turning it into tangible outcomes for the 3,000 artisanal and small-scale miners the project will benefit.”
—Lina Villa, executive director, Alliance for Responsible Mining

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