25th Anniversary Party for Life Raises $225,000+
Gift for Life's 25th Anniversary Party for Life raised more than $225,000 for AIDS treatment and prevention. The annual event, which benefited DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, drew a record 500+ attendees – including 20+ past GFL honorees – to The Boathouse in New York City's Central Park on February 6. At the event, Jan van der Lande of Kikkerland Designs was presented with the Chuck Yancy Lifetime Achievement Award. Party for Life also featured great food and drinks, a live band, and a wide array of silent-auction prizes donated by 40+ leading gift and home suppliers. For more information on Party for Life, visit www.giftforlife.org.
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| Chuck Yancy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Jan van der Lande of Kikkerland. |
Centerpieces designed by Mark Blackwell. |
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| From left: Incoming GFL Chair George Kacic, Kikkerland's Jan van der Lande, Outgoing GFL Chair Frank Joens, and GFL Founder Peter Schauben. |
Attendees reviewing silent auction items. |
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Sign Up for AIDS Walk New York
Gift for Life and the The National Stationery Show are once again joining forces to sponsor a team to walk in AIDS Walk New York on Sunday, May 21. AIDS Walk New York raises funds to benefit the GMHC to help fight AIDS and find a cure.
Now is the time to sign up for the GFL/NSS team: TEAM 3894. Go to ny.aidswalk.net/GFLNSS2017 and create your page and set your personal fundraising goal. Then, reach out to friends, family, co-workers and colleagues and ask them to donate.
The GFL/NSS team raised more than $36,000 at last year's event, making it an elite GOLD Team once again. The team's goal this year is an ambitious $40,000! For more information, please contact GFL/NSS team co-chairs Su Hilty or Caroline Kennedy |
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Save the Date for These Upcoming Events
ICON Honors – Thursday, July 12, 2017, Atlanta, GA. The ICON Honors are produced and staged by AmericasMart Atlanta annually. An exclusive GHTA and Gift for Life Honor of Excellence recipient is named at the initiation of the judges.
"Up On The Roof" – Monday, July 31, 2017, Las Vegas, NV. International Market Centers hosts an annual summer market fundraiser and reception during the Las Vegas Market.
Retailer Excellence Awards – Sunday, August 20, 2017, New York City. Introduced in 1951 by Gifts & Decorative Accessories, the REAs are the gift industry's oldest and most prestigious awards for retailing and individual achievement. During this event, Gift for Life will present its Industry Achievement Award to the Beekman Boys.
26th Annual Party for Life – Monday, February 5, 2018, New York City. Gift for Life's annual fundraiser benefitting DIFFA.
(Full details on all events are forthcoming.)
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George Kacic Named New Chair of GFL Board
George Kacic, executive vice president of Retail Services at AmericasMart Atlanta, has been appointed as chair of the board of Gift For Life, replacing Frank Joens, senior vice president/general manager of the LA Mart, who has completed his two-year term as GFL chair and with whom Kacic served as vice chair.
In his role at AmericasMart Atlanta, Kacic is responsible for the direction and execution of all retail and design outreach and engagement programming supporting AmericasMart’s 16 annual markets with a primary concentration on key accounts, buying groups and professional organizations aligned with AmericasMart’s expansive gift, home furnishings and fashion apparel franchise. In addition to leading a team of 14 Retail Services specialists supporting AmericasMart’s various product centers and trade show categories, Kacic directs AmericasMart’s global outreach and business development programming. His career spans more than 40 years within the home and gift community.
Says Kacic: "The talent, vision and passion present in the Gift For Life board is unprecedented. It is both an honor and challenge for me to help guide the board's work in its charge to map Gift For Life's next 25 years of service to humanity. I certainly welcome this opportunity to lead that charge."
Assuming the role of GFL board vice chair is Matthew Katzenson, founder and CEO of Fine Lines, a manufacturer’s rep agency that manages business in the 13 US western states. A longtime supporter of Gift for Life, Matthew is proud and excited to take on the role of vice chair. HIV/AIDS has impacted his life deeply, having lost a partner and many friends to this terrible disease. For Katzenson, Gift for Life has been an opportunity to work toward eradicating this disease and build awareness around HIV/AIDS. He is committed to growing Gift for Life and expanding its reach within the gift, home, housewares and stationery industries. Bringing people together and learning from each other to impact change is what drives him. He is a collaborator, motivator and a leader who knows that people are just waiting for the opportunity to give – all we need to do is to create that opportunity.
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| George Kacic |
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| Matt Katzenson |
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Why Do You Support Gift for Life?
"The fact that more than 1.2 million people in the U.S. alone are living with HIV, and 1 in 8 of them don't know it, is astonishing and unacceptable. Chavez for Charity Co-Founder Julie Chavez and I are grateful that we are able to contribute to Gift for Life's efforts to support those working hard to help the many people affected by this unrelenting virus." – Joe Cerbo, Co-Founder & CEO of Chavez for Charity, whose cause-marketing program featuring red-beaded bracelets has raised 87,000 to date for Gift for Life. |
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Chavez for Charity Co-Founders
Joe Cerbo and Julie Chavez |
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Spotlight on DIFFA Grantee: SAGE
The Stonewall riots of 1969 shed light on the LGBT civil rights movement and ignited a path for dozens of gay rights groups across the city and beyond, including Service and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE). Founded in 1978 by a small group of activists at a time when LGBT elders had been overlooked, SAGE works to achieve a high quality of life for 4,000 LGBT older adults in New York City.
Through a variety of initiatives and programs, SAGE provides a network of support to a community who struggle to survive against poverty and social isolation. With five LGBT senior centers across New York City – the first of their kind in the country – and 30 national affiliates across the country, LGBT elders have the opportunity to participate in community gatherings and peer to peer support. Of the many issues affecting LGBT elders, SAGE offers support, education and advocacy for those living with HIV/AIDS.
“An estimated 50% of the entire population living with HIV/AIDS in New York is age 50 and older. We’re only just learning how antiviral medication affects an aging body and how they are mentally impacted by living through an epidemic that decimated their support networks. We’re addressing these important issues by offering a community of support and access to care,” said Keith Butler, Director of Institutional Partnerships at SAGE.
SAGE offers the country’s first support groups for LGBT older adults living with HIV/AIDS, which have been highly successful for nearly 30 years. A grant from DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS supports this critical program which allows groups of 15-20 people to meet weekly. The smaller groups encourages personal relationships and tight-knit camaraderie which results in a low turnover rate.
(To read more about SAGE, click here) |
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Did You Know?
Every two minutes, an adolescent between the ages of 15 and 19 is infected with HIV – two-thirds of them girls. According to UNICEF's "For Every Child, End AIDS: Seventh Stocktaking Report," HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death for teens globally, and while deaths due to AIDS have decreased for all other age groups since 2010, among adolescents deaths have actually increased. |
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