Sunday, November 1, 2015 was a day to remember! Several members of the ALEX AND ANI team joined the Cranston East High School cheerleading squad for the adoption of a child from our CHARITY BY DESIGN partner, Friends of Jaclyn (FOJ). The mission of this amazing organization is to improve the quality of life for children who are battling pediatric brain tumors by pairing them with college and high school sports teams around the country.
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Samantha Kohn from our Global Brand Relations team is assistant coach of the cheerleading squad and helped arrange the adoption ceremony. The exciting event took place during the first ever Game Day Competition in Rhode Island at Portsmouth High School.
During the competition, Kohn and her team adopted five year old Celia Hope Furtado and held a ceremony for the cheerleaders, coaches, and spectators. Denis Murphy, FOJ founder, spoke about his daughter, Jaclyn, the formation of the organization through her idea, the partnership with ALEX AND ANI, and about Celia and her family.
Kohn shared,
“It was such an amazing experience not only for my team, but for all of Rhode Island to be introduced to Friends of Jaclyn.”
Not only was the official adoption ceremony exciting, emotional and encouraging, Cranston East High School also won first place in the small division as well as Best Sideline Cheer and Best Halftime!
Kohn added,
“Out of the 18 teams that competed, Cranston East won the most awards. We believe Celia and her sister were definitely our good luck charms!”
Since the creation of the Elephant Charm Bangle in 2012, ALEX AND ANI has donated over $574,000 to Friends of Jaclyn! Thanks to our amazing fans, ALEX AND ANI has been able to pair over 30,000 coaches, team members and families.
We’re both honored and humbled to partner with wonderful non-profit organizations through our CHARITY BY DESIGN collection and look forward to all that lies ahead.
