On June 3, Chime for Change co-founders Frida Giannini (Creative Director of Gucci) and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reunited at the Gucci Fifth Avenue flagship store, together with co-host T Magazine Editor-in-Chief Deborah Needleman, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of The Sound of Change Live.
Headlined by Beyoncé at Twickenham Stadium in London on June 1, 2013, The Sound of Change Live was the first global concert event in history to support girls’ and women’s empowerment. Thanks to this special concert benefit, the campaign has funded 310 projects in 81 countries through 101 non-profit partners.
The two co-founders came together with Gucci President and CEO Patrizio di Marco, James Franco, Solange (who treated guests to a special DJ Set), Blake Lively, Pedro Andrade came together to to reflect on the impact of the Chime For Change campaign in its first year and to raise further funds to support projects focused on Education, Health and Justice for girls and women.
Gucci said in a statement:
Beyoncé committed to donate $500,000 to fund Chime For Change projects for girls and women in the areas of Education, Health and Justice as follows:
- EDUCATION: $125,000 to support 100 school girls at Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) schools in Kenya for one year.
- · HEALTH: $125,000 to provide 320 Embrace infant warmers to 100 rural health facilities in 11 Millennium Village sites across 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Mali, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, and Ethiopia). The Embrace infant warmers will help more than 1,900 at-risk newborns survive and thrive.
- · JUSTICE: $125,000 to provide 600 Sisters in Strength Youth Leaders and Alumni in New York City with the critical educational and mentoring support, job training, counseling services, and resources they need to successfully navigate and graduate from high school and college through Girls for Gender Equity.
- · JUSTICE: $125,000 to provide 25 human trafficking survivors in Los Angeles with counseling, medical care, legal services, and individual recovery treatment to rebuild their lives through the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST).
As part of the anniversary celebration, and to raise additional support for girls and women around the world, Gucci will donate 10% of sales in its Fifth Avenue Flagship store from June 2 to June 5 to further support Shining Hope for Communities, Millennium Promise in partnership with Embrace Innovations, and Girls for Gender Equity.
Blake, Beyonce and Solange looked stunning at Gucci, of course. Check out these photos courtesy of Gucci.
