Celebrities Design Alex and Ani Jewelry Collection to Benefit EB Medical Research

Hollywood celebrities Kaley Cuoco, Mandy Moore and Elizabeth Olsen have designed the latest Charity by Design collection by eco-conscious jewelry brand Alex and Ani to benefit the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation (EBMRF).

To support the epidermolysis bullosa (EB) community, Cuoco, Moore and Olsen were each responsible for the design of one of the bracelets in the three-piece collection, each accented by a butterfly to commemorate the mission of the EBMRF. The three bracelets include a special hashtag, created specifically for this collection and for each bracelet.

According to a press release, the total proceeds from these bracelets — affordably priced at $38 each — sold by March 31, 2018, will be given to the EBMRF to raise awareness and funds for innovative research in epidermolysis bullosa.

Charity by Design was created in 2011 to help fund causes and share positive energy throughout the world. Each collection chooses a cause and raises awareness and funds. So far, more than $48.3 million has been raised to benefit its 50 nonprofit partners.

For each Charity by Design collection, Alex and Ani uses recycled materials with eco-conscious processes so that most funds are directed to the selected cause.

The Alex and Ani EBMRF collection is part of the #Bracelets initiative, a philanthropy model that allows for community-based support through limited edition collections.

The bracelet collection includes the EBMRF Kindred Cord #celEBrateME by Kaley Cuoco; the EBMRF Kindred Cord #celEBrateLIFE by Elizabeth Olsen; and the EBMRF Kindred Cord #celEBrateLOVE by Mandy Moore.

The EBMRF is an all-volunteer, nonprofit foundation raising awareness for EB and funds for EB research. The EBMRF pays no salaries, and all overhead costs are kept to a minimum, allowing more of the contributions to go directly to the research programs.

In 2010, the foundation established a collaborative research group made up of leading clinicians and clinical researchers in the field of EB called the Epidermolysis Bullosa Clinical Research Consortium (EBCRC). Its mission is to advance care and improve outcomes for patients with EB through internationally recognized research.

The EBCRC enrolls patients in the EB Clinical Characterization and Outcomes Database (CCOD) to identify potential participants for clinical studies and to gather data on EB to develop guidelines for clinical practice. The CCOD currently has nearly 500 patients enrolled.