Our Jewelry Drive was initiated to show survivors of abuse residing in shelters on Christmas morning, that that are seen, cared for and most importantly, that they are not alone.

The countless testimonials we have received show that although the gifts are appreciated, the meaning behind them is what touches the ladies so much.

Feeling worthless often accompanies particularly mothers during this phase. We are so happy that our gifts remind them they matter to all of us, and to the thousands of women who donate every year.

Due to the incredible efforts of our Board of Directors, ambassador team and the community, we have now given over 26,000 Christmas gifts (3-5 pieces of jewelry each) to survivors in shelters on Christmas morning!

Thank you to all who have packed, collected, donated and delivered to make this possible!

From October to December we do a big jewelry drive!

Thousands of people donate which results in our GEMS team being about to give out between 4000-6000 gifts each Christmas!

Once the 'GEMS' are received, we schedule 4 jewelry packing parties. Usually is it our ambassadors, board members, friends and family who attend but we will often open them to groups who have collected a lot for us.

At these parties, we clean, sort and then package all gifts with 3-5 complimentary items so the ladies who receive the gifts can wear in any combination.

These parties are a cherished tradition for our team and are so much fun!

After the packing is complete, all team members volunteer to distribute. Our ambassador team goes across the country and because of our incredible team, we are able to have a meaningful presence in every province most years!

The Jewelry Drive is the founding initiative of Gems for Gems! Simply put, collecting 'GEMS' and giving them to the 'GEMS' in the shelters is where our name came from and how this charity began!

The history of the Jewelry Drive is covered in more detail under the 'Founding Story' tab at top of each page.

In short, this initiative was not planned to continue past the first year. Nor were there any plans to turn this Christmas kindness into a charity. However, the women of Calgary rallied over and over again to support survivors in this unique way.

As more people joined, more could be done to help survivors. Before long, charity status was secured and we began building our vision of what we could be with our terrific team and the community!