The Diamond Empowerment Fund (D.E.F.) has announced the names of the three honorees who will be felicitated at D.E.F.’s Diamonds Do Good Awards Gala on June 4, 2017 at the Four Seasons Ballroom in Las Vegas.  They are H.E. Graça Machel Mandela, former First Lady of both Mozambique and South Africa; David Oyelowo, acclaimed actor and visionary advocate of social justice and Helzberg Diamonds, the over 100-year old jewellery retailer in the US.

H.E. Graça Machel Mandela will receive the Diamonds Do Good Global Humanitarian Award for her lifelong championing of sustainability and the empowerment of girls and women throughout the world. David Oyelowo will get the Diamonds Do Good International Vanguard Award for his visionary work in the fields of social justice, arts and in the education empowerment of vulnerable girls in Nigeria.

The Diamonds Do Good Corporate Legacy of Philanthropy Award will be given to Helzberg Diamonds for its 100+ years of strong commitment to the betterment of lives in their local Kansas City community as well as the lives of children throughout the United States.

The latter’s community involvement dates back to as far as the Great Depression, when it sponsored the ‘Helzberg Sweetheart Hour’ radio program that provided uplifting entertainment to listeners each week. Then owner Barnett Helzberg also provided counseling for the Girl Scouts, support for the Kansas City Zoo, and establishing the Diamond Council of America and his son Barnett Jr. continued this tradition. He developed the ‘I am loved’ line and button promotion while proposing to his wife Shirley and this became a hallmark campaign of goodwill sent to celebrity ‘heroes’, military men serving in the Vietnam War, children in hospitals and was eventually translated into more than 11 languages.

More recently, after the company was sold Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffet, its new leader Beryl Raff established “Helzberg Helps” to honor the company’s philanthropic traditions. This organisation, made up of Helzberg Diamonds Associates leads fundraising efforts and organizes volunteer activities primarily for a variety of charitable entities including Make-A-Wish America, helping to grant the wishes of children throughout the country.