Kazuri Bead Collection Helps Kenyan Women, Funds Clean Water Projects

Brighton Collectibles is continuing its tradition of creating jewelry to support organizations that empower women by introducing a limited- edition necklace, bracelet and earrings featuring Kazuri Beads that are hand-made by women in Kenya, Africa.

Between June 27 and July 27, 2008, Brighton Collectibles stores across the nation and in the Belmar shopping center in Lakewood, Colorado, will be selling the jewelry collection created by Brighton's team of in-house designers using beads made by Kazuri, Ltd.

The organization was started by an Englishwoman, Lady Susan Wood, to improve the lives of women and their families in Kenya. In a country where one job holder often provides for an extended family of 20, Kazuri employs over 250 local, disadvantaged women, offering them fair wages in an area of high unemployment.

Proceeds from the sale of the Kazuri Bead collection will fund another important need in Africa: clean water. Brighton Collectibles will donate $15 from the sale of every $69 Kazuri Bead necklace, $10 from every $50 Kazuri Bead bracelet and $5 from every $36 Kazuri Bead earrings to organizations that provide clean water and basic sanitation to impoverished communities in Kenya.

Clean water is something most of us take for granted. We simply turn on the tap and water comes out, clean. Yet more than 1.1 billion people on the planet --- one out of every six --- do not have access to this most basic human need.

As Brighton's founder and owner, Jerry Kohl explains, "I recently visited Kenya to experience first-hand how this crisis affects the people there, and I was overwhelmed by just how much need exists in this developing country. Clean drinking water is unavailable to 40 percent of the population, and a number of the region's hospitals are without clean water as well. The average American uses 150 gallons of water per day; but the clear water we are used to seeing from our taps is nothing like the dirty water the people of Kenya must drink to survive. Every day, women and children walk for miles to gather water for their families; water from any source they can find, that is filled with bacteria and parasites, and will inevitably make them sick."

To immediately help alleviate this suffering, Brighton is partnering with non-profit organizations to build freshwater wells for 10 hospitals in Kenyan villages where they are most needed. charity:water is one of the extraordinary non-profits. In just under two years since its inception, charity:water has funded more than 600 projects, building wells, rainwater catchments and bio sand filters in 11 nations. Those projects will help more than 250,000 people gain access to clean drinking water.

To raise awareness and funds for this important cause, all 125 Brighton Collectibles stores will also be selling bottles of Brighton water for $20 and water awareness wrist bands for $5 throughout the month of July. Afull 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of those items will go to support charity:water's efforts to build freshwater wells in Kenyan villages where they are most needed. A $20 donation can provide one person with access to clean water for 20 years.

For more information on charity:water, visitwww.charitywater.org/brighton To learn more about Kazuri Beads, visitwww.kazuribeadsusa.com

The Kazuri Bead collection is one of several jewelry collections that Brighton has designed in recent years to benefit women. Brighton has donated more than $2.6 million to breast cancer charities through the sale of limited-edition Power of Pink jewelry, and more than $1.1 million to the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign to protect women from heart disease.

Known for excellent quality and a broad-ranging assortment of finely crafted accessories, Brighton also produces handbags, belts, footwear, small leather essentials, eyewear, luggage, fragrances, and gifts. Visitwww.brighton.com to see the entire product line.

CONTACT: Carol Lanham
BWG Agency
972-818-0895
carol@bwgagency.com