Jewelers for Children 2024 Facets of Hope Brad Hampton and the Corey Family Honored

PRESS RELEASE  On Sunday June 2, 2024 Jewelers for Children welcomed over 600 guests to the Murano and San Polo ballrooms at the Venetian hotel to honor Brad Hampton of Helzberg Diamonds and the Corey Family of Day's Jewelers. The evening included eating, drinking, networking and a special appearance by Make-A-Wish® recipient, Jayden.

Jewelers for Children (JFC) also announced donations of over $1 million to 6 nonprofit partners. Some of these partners have been grantees of JFC for 25 years, and received over $14 million dollars each since JFC began. This brings JFC's total giving for the last 26 years to $62 million.

A highlight of the night was Emcee Nick Di Nieri interviewing 11-year-old Jayden, who last year had his wish to become an actor come to life. Jayden reminded the audience that sometimes we all have bad days, but we have good days too, and that is what his wish day was. JFC funds 15 wishes a year.

The event was made possible by 27 underwriters, jewelry industry donors who donated $35,000 or more. 

Next year's event will take place on June 8th in Las Vegas, and more info can be found at the JFC website, www.jewelersforchildren.org. Options for all different levels of donations are available, including tribute ads and tickets to the event. 

Jewelers for Children was founded in 1999 by the U.S. jewelry industry with the mission of enriching the lives of children. Since its inception, JFC has raised more than $61 million for programs enhancing the lives of children through our charity partners St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Make-A-Wish America, and the National CASA Association. JFC also provides support to Make-A-Wish® International and the Organization for Autism Research.

About Brad Hampton

Brad Hampton is the Chief Executive Officer of Helzberg Diamonds, based in Kansas City, Missouri. Helzberg Diamonds is owned by Berkshire Hathaway and has a nationwide omnichannel retail presence. Before stepping up to the CEO role, Brad served as Helzberg's Senior Vice President - Chief Financial Officer, and lead strategist for five years. 

Prior to joining Helzberg Diamonds, Brad held executive financial roles with Sprint Corporation, including Business Unit CFO, Investor Relations Officer, and head of Financial Planning and Analysis. He also previously worked in Finance at Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Passionate about giving back to the community, Brad serves as a director on the board for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri & Kansas and President of the board of trustees for Center Place Restoration School. He previously was a Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City board member. 

Brad holds an MBA from LeTourneau University and degrees in Economics and Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico, an Executive Leadership Certificate from Duke University, and an Executive Education Certificate from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

About the Corey family

The Corey family has deep roots in Maine and in Day's Jewelers.   Jeff and Kathy started their own jewelry store in 1984.  In 1988, they along with Jeff's brother, purchased the Day's Jewelers chain, an eight store, 75-year-old business.  Their son Joe joined them in business in 2006.

In 2021, the Corey's helped create an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) that allowed ownership of Day's to move to its employees.  Today, Joe serves as president and Jeff and Kathy serve on the board of directors, with Jeff serving as chair.

Jeff, Kathy and Joe have always been active in their communities where they do business and in the jewelry industry.  Under the ownership of the Corey's, Day's was recognized as a Best Place to Work in Maine for multiple years, the Retailer of the Year in 2016 by the Retail Association of Maine, and in 2019, Day's was recognized with the Large Business Award by the Institute for Family-Owned Business of Maine.  

Jeff served as Treasurer and President of the Downtown Waterville Business Association and he was among the original founders of the Taste of Waterville and served as the chairman for many years.  He is also a past director and chairman of the Mid Maine Chamber of Commerce.  Jeff was inducted into Husson University's Hall of Fame in 2010.

Jeff is a past president of the Maine Jeweler's Association, a long-standing member of the JCK Las Vegas Show Advisory board and was induced into the National Jeweler Hall of Fame in 2000.  He served for eight years on the Jewelers of America board of directors and the Jewelers for Children board, as well as the De Beers/Forevermark Advisory Council and is currently a director on the Jeweler's Board of Trade board.  

Kathy holds a BS in Nursing and joined Jeff when they purchased Day's.  She has served on a dozen boards, including the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, the State of Maine's Main Street Program, the Waterville Recreational and Arts Cultural Center, the Kennebec Community College Foundation and is currently serving on the Northern Light Health Board and Diamonds Do Good. 

Kathy has also received many recognitions including the Elias Joseph Award for Chamber Service by the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, the Woman of the Year award from the Business and Professional Women's Organization, Retailer of the Year for the State of Maine by the Retail Association of Maine, and the Corporate Award for Excellence by the Women's Jewelry Association.

Before playing a leading role in developing the ESOP, and assuming the role of president, Joe, who holds a BS in Business Management, served in a number of roles at Day's, including V.P. of Store Operations, Store Manager, Assistant Manager, and Service Specialist.  He also serves on a number of boards including the Jewelers for Children, the Jewelers of America, the Jewelry Industry Coalition and the JCK Show Advisory Board.

In 2014, Day's celebrated 100 years in business and raised over $ 100,000 for Jewelers for Children, involving all of their employees and the local communities where their stores and customers are located.