Enesco Supports Easter Seals, St. Jude, Boys & Girls Clubs
Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 3/1/2001
Enesco, Itasca, IL, introduced Love One Another, the final 9" Precious Moments figurine benefiting Easter Seals. The double figure is a special version of the first Precious Moments figurine introduced in 1979. It is limited to 1,500 pieces, and retails for $500-all of which will go to benefit Easter Seals. Collectors who purchase the figurine will receive a glass display dome to showcase the piece. One participating retailer will win an all-expense-paid trip to the 2001 Easter Seals annual Corporate Partner Recognition weekend in Las Vegas in April. Since the 9" Precious Moments figurine program began in 1987, Enesco has donated more than $37 million to Easter Seals' mission of helping people with disabilities gain greater independence. Although the program is ending, the company's relationship with the charity is not. Rachel Perkal, vice president/general manager of Enesco Classics said, "Not only have we introduced Precious Moments figurines that helped raise money for Easter Seals, but we hold Enesco fundraisers that our associates participate in, such as raffles, drawings, bake sales, weekly bagel sales, etc. We will continue to support Easter Seals for many years to come."
Enesco's Cherished Teddies collection is also working for charity by partnering with Radio Flyer to create a special figurine to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The figurine is called Booker and Fletcher-Together, Wherever We Go, and depicts two bears riding in a Radio Flyer red wagon. The figurine will retail for $28.50 through Cherished Teddies authorized dealers from April 16 to May 13, during the fifth annual Cherished Teddies/St. Jude Philanthropic Pin-Up Program. Enesco will donate 10 percent of the proceeds to St. Jude, and Radio Flyer also agreed to donate a portion of its royalties. Enesco presented the hospital with a check for $205,925 in October 2000. The donation represented Cherished Teddies fundraising throughout 2000, and was a 66 percent increase over the 1999 donation. So far, the company has donated $530,000 to the hospital.
On September 20, 2000, Eugene Freedman, founding chairman of Enesco, presented President Clinton with a 9" Precious Moment Commemorative Boys & Girls Clubs of America figurine. The President is the honorary chairman of the Boys & Girls Clubs. The figurine, called "You Tug On My Heart String," was made specifically for the President, and symbolizes the annual donation Enesco makes to the clubs through the sales of a smaller version of each year's commemorative figurine. Since the partnership began, Enesco has raised $325,000 for the organization.
