Apo Yessayan of Classic Designs Jewelry in Valencia recently attended the semiannual conference of the Independent Jewelers Organization (IJO) held in Charlotte, NC, home of the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. It has been IJO’s practice to raise funds to benefit a worthwhile cause in the city they visit. According to IJO President and CEO Jeff Roberts, “We bring close to 3,000 visitors to the sites where we hold our conferences, and several years ago we decided to leave a little something of ourselves behind for the good of the community — our way of spreading good will in addition to saying thank you for hosting us.”
After some research, it seemed a natural choice to name The Jeff Gordon Foundation as the recipient of the fundraising proceeds. Jeff Gordon made it his personal mission to help provide financial and advocacy support to the children facing adversity when he witnessed his former crew chief’s son Ray struggle through the years of chemotherapy and treatment after being diagnosed with Leukemia. What began as a relatively small project, driven by one special child, The Jeff Gordon Foundation has raised more than $7 million for children’s charities.
“We chose Jeff Gordon’s foundation because he is a man who has put his name and money towards an unbelievable fight against pediatric cancer, a horrible disease for anyone to endure and one that should just never fall upon a child,” said IJO’s conference director Jennifer Herold. “We set up a treasure chest for our members to deposit whatever quantities of scrap gold they wished to donate, and we compiled enough to make a impactful contribution.”
“We were totally blown away by what we accomplished in Charlotte,” Yessayan says. “Our little bits and pieces of scrap gold added up to just about $44,000 for the foundation! It was a great idea and I’m really proud, and privileged, to have been a part of it.”
IJO is the world’s largest buying group for retail jewelers, and Classic Designs Jewelry is the Santa Clarita area’s exclusive member. Buying from a local Master IJO Jeweler ensures customers receive the quality and integrity they expect and deserve. Classic Designs Jewelry is located at 24260 Valencia Boulevard in Valencia, California.
For more information, please call 661-254-4155 and visit www.classicdesignsjewelry.com .