Helzberg has a soft spot for Jewelers for Children

By Michelle Graff
Courtesy of National Jeweler

North Kansas City, Mo.—Marvin Beasley subscribes to the theory that trying to be everything to everybody makes you important to no one.
That’s why when Beasley, the former chairman and chief executive officer of Helzberg Diamonds, took the reins at the North Kansas City, Mo.-based chain following the 2004 death of Jeff Comment, he opted to direct charitable giving to two causes, and two causes only—the United Way of Greater Kansas City and Jewelers for Children (JFC), the industry organization that concentrates on giving to children’s causes such as the Make-a-Wish Foundation of America and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“As much as you want to do a number of things, it’s better to be focused,” says Beasley, who resigned from Helzberg in April.

Nearly five years after Helzberg first partnered with JFC, the retailer has donated about $1 million to the organization and has become the main sponsor of JFC’s annual “Facets of Hope” dinner, held in conjunction with the Las Vegas jewelry shows.But that’s not what’s important to Beasley, father of three and grandfather of six.

What matters is that through the donations it makes to JFC, Helzberg has made a difference in the lives of countless children. “To save a child’s life, it’s a pretty noble thing,” Beasley says. “That’s where the rubber hits the road, really.”

A touching cause
There is an endless number of ways in which the head of an organization like Helzberg, a 94-year-old institution with more than 200 stores, can choose to give back.

Homeless shelters, AIDS research and disaster relief are all causes worthy of time and money.But there is something about helping children that strikes a chord deep within Beasley. He says he recognizes how lucky his own children are—they are all healthy and safe, and have parents who have the means to take care of them.“We are very fortunate in that regard,” he says. Other children, though, are not so lucky and a need a little extra help to get started in life, which is exactly what Helzberg hopes to give them.

The company makes a flat donation to JFC each year, and for the past four years has been running a holiday promotion in its stores—and a plush one at that.

Beasley says that to make Helzberg’s support of JFC even bigger, the company began selling $15 plush toys in its stores, an easy add-on to any jewelry purchase.  The toys cost the retailer $8, and Helzberg donates the remaining $7 from each toy sale to JFC.This year’s promotion was a stuffed version of Toodles, the Yorkshire terrier that stars in Helzberg’s most recent television ads. Beasley says the store’s toy sales generate a lot of excitement among sales staff, and for good reason: Not only are they a great add-on to every purchase, but the top five toy sellers get treated to a high-end dinner in Las Vegas each year.“They’ve become quite accustomed to it,” he says. “I think there’s always a lot of chatter about this year’s toy. It’s become part of our heritage, I think.”

Tough year for giving
Prior to his resignation from Helzberg in April, Beasley served as the JFC board’s vice president of fundraising for the second year in a row, a tough task in a year when money is tight all around.  His involvement will certainly be missed, and, in talking with Beasley, there is no doubt that he will miss the organization too, as the cause is one that is clearly dear to his heart.

Beasley recalls one incident in which he met a very sick little boy, no more than 5 or 6 years old, who was in need of a bone marrow transplant but had no medical insurance.The price tag on the operation—$250,000—was way beyond his family’s means, but St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital stepped in, agreeing to take the boy and foot the bill, 100 percent.

It’s hard to tell where that little boy would be today without St. Jude’s, a hospital known for groundbreaking cancer treatments and its willingness to take in children regardless of the family’s ability to pay.“Every single penny of that child’s treatment was paid for,” Beasley says. “That’s touching. It really is.”