Events, Support, Awareness Updates

Gift For Life Holiday Pop-Up Shop Debuts in NYC Retail Design Institute of NYC has selected Gift For Life and DIFFA as beneficiaries of its “Iron Design” Student Competition in which six teams of students design a pop-up shop — and the winning design will be built and operated in NYC this December. Proceeds from the shop, which is open December 2-6, will support Gift for Life/DIFFA. Product donations are needed for the Gift for Life Holiday Pop Up Shop. Contact Steven Williams to confirm your participation. Donated products must be shipped for arrival by November 13.  The shop will be designed to remind people that the fight against HIV/AIDS is not over and demonstrate the collective power we have to combat this disease. Give back this holiday season in a special way. GHTA Annual Conference Auction Benefits GFL GFL will receive a portion of the proceeds from the Gift and Home Trade Association (GHTA) auction held during the organization’s annual Bridgeway Collaborative Conference, November 10-12, 2015, in Austin, TX. On Wednesday, November 11, a GHTA evening social event will feature dinner, an auction and live entertainment for more than 250 conference guests. A special tequila tasting, hosted by Appleman Scahuben during the winter 2016 Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market®, will be live auctioned at the event. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of that item will benefit Gift For Life.   Party for Life Save The Date Gift for Life’s 24th annual Party for Life will take place Monday, February 1, at New York City’s Loeb Boathouse in Central Park. The annual fundraiser, which coincides with NY NOW, the Market for Home, Lifestyle + Gift, offers a night of food, drinks, dancing and a silent auction. Individual tickets are available for $125 and sponsorship packages also are available. The 2016 honorees are: 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. Party for Life tickets/sponsorships now available. Party on Peachtree Save the Date The second annual Party on Peachtree will take place Thursday, January 14, in conjunction with The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market®. Last year, nearly $60,000 was raised for DIFFA, GFL’s charity partner, and the Young Gift Executives charity of choice. Guests enjoyed small bites, drinks and dancing at the inaugural Party on Peachtree. REA Recap Tom Mirabile, senior vice president of Global Trend and Design for Lifetime Brands, was honored with the Gift for Life Industry Achievement Award during Gifts and Decorative Accessories' 64th Annual Retailer Excellence Awards which took place Sunday, August 16, 2015, in New York City. The award recognizes overall excellence and contribution to the gift and home industry. Mirabile provides creative direction and consumer insights internationally for many well-respected retailers and brands in the home, housewares and tabletop industries. He also serves as Consumer Trend Forecaster for the International Housewares Association and a Contributing Editor for Pantone. For more information on the REAs, please visit giftsanddec.com Tom Mirabile was awarded the Gift for Life Industry Achievement Award during Gifts and Decorative Accessories' 64th Annual Retailer Excellence Awards.

Chavez for Charity Raises More Than $12k for GFL in Quarter 2 Chavez for Charity, a leading fashion accessories company combining style with support of charitable causes, raised $12,122.26 for Gift For Life during the second quarter of 2015. Since January, 25 percent of the gross profit from the sales of Chavez for Charity’s Signature Collection black bracelets, black necklaces and earrings supports Gift for Life. Callen-Lorde Community Health Center Helps NYC’s At-Risk Youth Gift for Life’s beneficiary DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS makes grants to a wide-range of community-based AIDS service organizations. DIFFA’s grants fund prevention, education, and treatment, and over the last three decades, the organization and its partners have granted over $41 million across the United States. One such grantee is Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, which provides sensitive, quality health care and related services targeted to New York’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities, regardless of ability to pay. The organization’s history goes back more than 30 years, and today operates one of the largest HIV primary care programs in NYC, employing an early intervention, primary care approach. Through its HOTT Program: Health Outreach to Teens program, 1,100+ high risk and homeless LGBT youth, ages 13-24 across New York City, gain access to HIV/AIDS care as well as continued attention to health and wellness needs. All services are provided at no cost for HOTT clients and extensive supportive services, including HIV testing and post-testing coordinated care, are delivered in a youth clinical suite onsite and several community settings via HOTT’s mobile medical van. Callen-Lorde also provides medical care, prescription pharmaceuticals, laboratory tests, mental health treatment, psychiatry, case management, treatment education and adherence services, prevention services and nutritional counseling — all of which help this population know their HIV status and stay compliant with their health needs.