The Glow of Gift Giving

Thanks to Jan Bergman of Venderberg Communications for sending this on about glassybaby. I look forward to hearing from more businesses about their philanthropic endeavors.

(December 1, 2009)--Need a shopping trip without the accompanying guilt trip? Seattle-based glassybaby continues its emphasis on giving during the holiday season, making choosing from their more than 400 colors (with names such as Angel, Molten and Rudolph) the only choice to make when shopping for the holidays. All five glassybaby stores will give 10% of their proceeds to local cancer care organizations. In New York City proceeds go to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center through December 31.

glassbaby New York 555 Hudson St.
The company, glassybaby, makes and sells decorative glass cups to be used for votives, vases, containers, and many other purposes. Cancer survivor and founder Lee Rhodes has made it her personal goal to donate to those now walking in her same path. To date, glassybaby has given more than $300,000 to charity, and owner Lee Rhodes’ goal is to earmark 10% of all glassybaby sales to charity by the end of 2010.

“Part of the reason I started growing this company was to be able to donate back to the very people that helped me during my darkest times,” says Rhodes. “glassybaby is a vessel for giving.”

About glassybaby:
glassybaby were born in 1998 when founder Lee Rhodes was in her third round of battle with a rare form of lung cancer. Lee found serenity in a small, tough, colorful glass vessel made by a family member for whom she had purchased glass-blowing lessons as a Christmas gift. When Lee’s recovery progressed, she started making these glass vessels on her own, which she called “glassybaby”. She opened her first glassybaby store and studio in Seattle in 2003. Today, there are 5 retail locations, more than 70 employees and a dedicated legion of followers.

More about glassybaby…
Most votive candleholders are indistinguishable, but the hand-blown ones from Glassybaby, in Seattle, which have developed a loyal following, stand out for two reasons. First is the compelling back story: Glassybaby was born after Lee Rhodes, a mother of three, learned she had lung cancer in 1998. To relieve her husband’s stress, she bought him glass blowing lessons and he began to make votives, which she later started selling. Second is how great they look: they come in more than 300 deep colors, in a gently rounded form that enhances the appearance of the flame.
(New York Times)

“One of the most exciting designers in the area is Lee Rhodes, who has a cult following for her handblown votives, which double as drinking glasses or bud vases and come in a crayon-box range of shades. They are on display at glassybaby, a 5,700-square-foot boutique-slash-studio where visitors can watch the elegant vessels being made. Rhodes, who is a cancer survivor, also produces a Goodwill line; proceeds support local and national organizations.”
(Travel & Leisure)

“I can’t resist these handblown votives. ..an amazing piece of art to warm the soul…”
(Sunset Magazine)

“Lending themselves well to any number of functions, each Glassybaby spreads warmth to a room whether lit or not…Their stores maintain the same conscientious ethos that lies at the heart of the Glassybaby brand: to live in harmony with the earth and goodwill for all. From ‘bag cleansing’ to donating a portion of sales to various cancer research and support organizations, their efforts shine as brightly as their votives.“
(Coolhunting.com)


For more information on glassybaby, including photos, please go to www.glassybaby.com.