This summer I had the
honor and pleasure of traveling to Memphis Tennessee as part of the Brizo,
Blogger19 Reunion. Rooted in the fashion and design communities, the Brizo
brand is the primary sponsor of fashion Designer Jason Wu’s fashion shows, and
is the first national sponsor of the St. Jude Dream Home® Giveaway. Named for a Greek goddess who appeared in the
dreams of mariners, Brizo products are available exclusively at Brizo
Impressions Showrooms.
WHAT IS BRIZO BLOGGER19?
Blogger19
represents an elite group of designers, architects and influencers. Established in 2010, this self-named group
has since grown to include nearly 130 leaders in their fields from all over the
globe. While diverse in their aesthetic, the Blogger19 ‘s are all united by a
shared experience at New York Fashion Week, hosted by the premium faucet brand
Brizo. A primary sponsor of fashion designer Jason Wu, Brizo believes
high-style applies not just to the clothes we wear but is a lifestyle that
extends to our aesthetic at home.
I am proud to be a part
of this amazing new family of friends and call myself a Brizo Blogger19 Alumni….
you can read more about my trip here...
Ok so blah
blah blah blah….I could go on and on about the wonderful amazingness of being
part of Blogger19 and you can read more about my trip to Fashion week in the
links above, but I would first like to
share with you the importance of why Brizo brought us all to Memphis of all
places.
WHY MEMPHIS?
I have to
admit that when I think of luxury plumbing fixtures Memphis isn’t the first
city that comes to mind. But in fact
Memphis is where the magic of the Brizo Brand comes to life and wait until
you hear about the amazing connection to St. Jude Hospital because that really
is where the story is.
Having created Blogger19, Brizo
decided to invite this elite group of Blogger19 Alumni, from across the globe to be their
guest in Memphis Tennessee for a Blogger19 Reunion. Brizo wanted to bring all of us together in one place to connect in person, give us a tour of one of their factories
and to share with us their
involvement with St. Jude and the Dream Home Giveaway.
During the reunion trip
we were able to reconnect with our fellow alumni and meet in person those from
the other groups; it was reminiscent of a big family reunion. And let me just point out that it was a
family reunion like no other which included luxury accommodations at The Peabody
Hotel in downtown Memphis. Brizo really
is first class all the way. Our
itinerary included some really fabulous social time events where we were able
to just truly spend time together, we also attended several hands on
presentations about Brizo’s latest and greatest product development, we were
thrilled to get a factory tour of the Jackson Plant where we got to see where
and how the Brizo product is made. Though for me, hands down the highlight of the
trip was seeing Brizo’s connection to St. Jude hospital and our amazing tour of
St. Jude.
ST. JUDE HOSPITAL {...this was where I
laughed, where I cried….}
So what does St. Jude
have to do with Brizo? St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital is one of the world's leading pediatric cancer
research organizations and relies heavily on charities, donations and
philanthropic campaigns, such as the Dream
Home Giveaway, to help raise money and awareness for its
mission. Formed in 1991, the program allows for newly
built homes to be raffled off with all proceeds directly benefitting St. Jude.
It has raised more than $224 million for the hospital and awarded 280 homes
over the past 20 years. In 2010, the
Brizo brand became the foundation's first national sponsor and has since
contributed over $1.5 million in products and donations to St. Jude.
Bravo Brizo!!
I remember a time when
cancer was not so common place, and now I don’t know too many people who haven’t
been touched by cancer in one way or another.
I, like many, have seen cancer up close and personal through my dad’s
cancer battle.
 |
| Me and my Dad ~ Albert Alton Christensen Jan.1941 - Sept.2004 |
Knowing in advance that
my trip to Memphis would include a visit to St. Jude hospital, I was worried
about how I would handle this emotional subject when faced with children who
were having the same fight. Having
experienced cancer first hand through my dad’s cancer journey…I was unsure about
how I would react being in a “Cancer” place again. In retrospect I can say as worried as I was
to bring up the memories of my father and his struggle with cancer I now know
what a wonderful amazing place St. Jude is.
I really don’t know
where to begin. Besides the fact that
St. Jude provides free (yes free) care
for all patients and accommodates the patient families in their onsite
residential living facilities, the one thing that really just awed me was the
fact that they treat patients and do research to find a cure. Here is a quick video and a glance into St. Jude....
The doctors that work at
St. Jude are not given limitations to their research. They are not governed by the restrictions of
a patient’s health insurance coverage.
They are free to treat their patients without the burden of what someone
can afford or what type of insurance they have.
They treat patients to save lives, research and fine cures....
More importantly, the cancer research that is
done at St. Jude is open to be shared with other researchers across the
globe. They are not holding onto their
discoveries to win fame or fortune, they are sharing and collaborating with the
sole purpose to save lives and find cures.
Other amazing things
that St. Jude is doing that stand out in my mind are:
- The whole hospital is
run and maintained completely on donations
- The whole St. Jude
campus is designed with thoughtfulness to the children
and families that spend months,
sometimes years there going thru treatment.
- They have amazing survival
rates, that means cure for short! Here are a few
of their statistics
 |
chart image credit ~ stJude.org
|
We spent a day touring
St. Jude, learning about what they do, how they do it and seeing and meeting
some of the children. I had moments of
joy, sadness, laughter and crying. It
was an emotional day filled with excitement for the children who were getting
this amazing care and sadness thinking about the many people including my
father who lost the their battle with cancer.
St. Jude is helping people
because that is their goal; they reach out and have made it their mission to
find cures purely for the sake of saving lives.
They are amazing!! Imagine a
world with no cancer….St. Jude is working towards exactly that and are willing
to share what they know, imagine if everyone felt that way!
If there is ever a time that you are looking for a place to donate or make a contribution this is the place!
 |
| CLICK HERE |
HANDS ON PRESENTATIONS
What would a trip to
visit with Brizo be without an opportunity to learn about what makes their product
so wonderful? We got to see up close and
personal some new and upcoming technology (no photos allowed on the top secret stuff) and learn about
some of the latest and greatest Brizo products. Complete with a water technology show and tell....
FACTORY TOUR
I think taking a factory
tour and seeing exactly how something is manufactured is the single best way to
understand the quality of a product. We
arrived at the Jackson Plant, were given a pair of stylish safety glasses and
we got the VIP factory tour. We got to
see the nuts and bolts of how Brizo produces and assembles their products from
start to finish. With over 600,000 square feet and nearly 800
dedicated employees this factory and distribution center was pretty
impressive. It was a very clean,
organized and efficient facility and the employees we met were so friendly,
knowledgeable and it was evident they are dedicated and proud of where they
work.
CONNECTING AND SOCIAL
TIME {...this was where I
laughed, where I cried again….}
Brizo knows how to throw
a party! I think the photos speak for
themselves! They are first class all the
way! Right down to the champagne and
cookie that was left with departing wishes in each of our rooms the last night
of our stay at the Peabody.
Thank you Brizo for another amazing
experience!
Visit www.brizo.com or call 877-345-BRIZO (2749) for more
information and to locate a Brizo
Impressions Showroom.
. From the moment I opened it I was drawn in by the beautifully curated collection of Sandra's design talent. Having a personal love of travel I felt an instant connection to Sandra and her love of travel and how it has influenced and shaped her passion for interior design.
