This year’s Recipient of the Columbia Gem House Pebbles to Pines Fundraiser: The National Forest Foundation
Columbia Gem House, Vancouver, Washington, USA, has unveiled their fourth annual online fundraising event, the Pebbles to Pines Fundraiser!
This year’s proceeds will benefit the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and its Reforestation Program, which focuses on reforesting critical-need regions of our National Forests.
For every dollar raised, the program will plant one tree.
The initiative targets regions across the United States, including forests within Oregon, Montana, and Arizona – states from which this year’s featured gemstones were sourced.
Past Recipients
Columbia Gem House began its annual online fundraising event in 2021, raising money and awareness for the Navajo Hopi Health Foundation (NHHF). NHHF is a non-profit that works to provide safe, accessible, quality and culturally sensitive healthcare for its patients, based in rural Western Navajo Nation, Northern Arizona. This organization was selected in part because of the connections established through Columbia Gem House’s Anthill Garnet. The Navajo Hopi Health Foundation was especially in need during the pandemic.
In 2022, NEST – specifically their Jeweler’s United Program – which supports BIPOC jewelers (BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and makers who are coming into the industry. NEST supports historically marginalized communities across the US and invests in the preservation of important craft traditions. You can read more about this one HERE.
… and in 2023, the Columbia Gem House annual online fundraising event had as its recipient, CRRIFS – the Centro de Rescate, Rehabilitacion e Investigacion de Fauna Silvestre, A.C. This translates to English as the Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Research Center. This was a local non-profit that works directly with Columbia Gem House partners at the Cortez Pearl Farm, with Cortez Pearls being one of the donated gemstone varieties that year. You can find more on this fundraiser right HERE in the Roskin Gem News Report, and HERE at CGH.
And this year, 2024: the National Forest Foundation.
Gems & Jewelry Donated to the Raffle
Each piece of jewelry has been graciously donated to the raffle, and meticulously crafted by designers participating in the MJSA (Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America) Responsibly Sourced Design Challenge®. Inspired by a fictional story, these unique jewelry designs were brought to life using a variety of Fair Trade Gems® donated by Columbia Gem House, including Montana Sapphire, Oregon Sunstone, Yogo Sapphire, and Mesa Verde® Peridot from Arizona.
2mm Yogo Sapphire princess cuts from Montana rough
3.5mm denim Montana Sapphire round brilliants
5x3mm Oregon Sunstone Pear shape
*designers were required to use a minimum of one of each variety but were encouraged to use all of them in their designs.
With a total of nine jewelry pieces featured in the raffle, tickets can be purchased for $25 each from October 1-31, 2024, at www.columbiagemhouse.com. Each piece will have 100 tickets available, with no limit on the number of tickets one can buy, provided they remain in stock.
Natasha Braunwart, Brand & Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Columbia Gem House, shared her enthusiasm for the partnership, stating that, “While direct environmental reclamation at mining sites may not always be feasible, this project demonstrates how we can still make a positive impact by intentionally offsetting some of the environmental effects through collaboration and support for local communities. We are excited to work with the National Forest Foundation to help restore critical-need areas, some of which are in states where we source our American gemstones.” She added that Columbia Gem House aims to keep environmental considerations central in discussions about responsible sourcing and is committed to finding ways to continually improve, as this is one of the Company’s Fair Trade Gems® Principles.
With the support of raffle ticket purchasers, Columbia Gem House has set a goal to plant 10,000 trees, which would require the sale of 400 raffle tickets.
For more information about the Pebbles to Pines Fundraiser and to preview this year’s jewelry pieces, visit www.columbiagemhouse.com/pages/pebbles-to-pines-fundraiser. You can also subscribe to their email list for updates and reminders when tickets become available.
Tap here for more details on this important event!
