News and Knowledge

For the fourth consecutive year, Jewelers for Children has pledged an additional $50,000 to support OAR’s Kit for Kids program. This brings Jewelers for Children’s total contribution to OAR to $170,000. The Jewelers for Children Board of Directors announced the 2021 contribution during the organization’s annual board meeting in Las Vegas on August 29, 2021.

OAR is excited for the additional funds to support the Kit for Kids program, including future cycles of the Autism Education Grants program. The funds will assist in establishing the program across the nation, which is one of OAR’s most significant program goals. OAR hopes that as the Kit for Kids program continues to expand, it will plant seeds of understanding and acceptance during children’s elementary school years that will grow and ultimately serve to reduce bullying in middle school years over time.

In attendance for the pledge announcement were OAR’s executive director, Mike Maloney, and deputy executive director, Kristen Essex. As Maloney noted, “There are two things about Jewelers for Children that make this gift and our relationship with them so exciting: their obvious generosity in the moment and their commitment to support autistic children through OAR in the long term.”

OAR looks forward to developing the relationship with Jewelers for Children over the course of many years to have a greater impact on autism acceptance and understanding in classrooms across America.

Jewelers for Children, founded in 1999 by the U.S. jewelry industry, has been supporting children’s causes for more than 20 years. Through its charitable support, it unites the giving efforts of the jewelry industry to have a greater impact to help children in need. To date, it has donated more the $58 million to programs that benefit children affected by illness, abuse, or neglect. OAR is honored to be included as one of its benefitting charities.