In the summer of 2017, sisters Kadriye ‘20 and Aliye Hargett ‘22 started a philanthropic jewelry line to raise money for pediatric dental care for underprivileged children. Their initiative, Pearls for Pearly Whites, has already raised thousands of dollars towards its cause.

 Kadriye said the philanthropic jewelry line was inspired by a passion “to help underprivileged kids feel more confident about their healthy smiles.” She paired this strong fervor with her and her sister’s shared enthusiasm about pearls and thus formed the line.

“Pearls are always a good idea—especially when they help kids have healthy pearly whites,” Kadriye said.

All of the jewelry is handmade and incorporates freshwater pearls with a leather cord. Initially, ten percent of all proceeds were donated to American Dental Association’s (ADA) Give Kids A Smile program. This cause is dedicated to providing oral health care and education to kids in need all over the nation.  

Because the business was so successful in its first year, according to Aliye, the sisters have since decided to donate forty percent of the total profits to the ADA’s Give Kids A Smile program.

The Give Kids A Smile program was started in 2003. According to the ADA’s official website, the campaign acknowledges that “more than five million underserved children have received free oral health services over the last 13 years.”

 These free services are provided by approximately 10,000 dentists annually, along with 30,000 other dental team members.

Because both founders are students at the University and seek to embody the values of unitas, veritas and caritas in  their cause, the sisters decided that they wanted to do something extra to help make a differnece. Pearls for Pearly Whites is now collaborating with NOVAdance by designing a special necklace for NOVAdance. 

“One-hundred percent of proceeds from this special NOVAdance Druzy design will be donated to NOVAdance,” Kadriye said. 

The sisters chose to collaborate with NOVAdance because “on any given day, approximately 46 families hear the words ‘Your child has cancer..’ Not only does NOVAdance help provide financial assistance to help fight against cancer, but also cultivates lasting relationships with them.”

Kadriye is a member of the University’s chapter of the Delta Delta Delta sorority which is one of the founding organizations of NOVAdance. She has a particular connection to Correll, a B+ Hero is a child who is being spotlighted by NOVAdance.

“On the day we met Correll, he was shy at first but eventually spent the whole time playing cornhole with us and making over twenty shots in a row,” Kadriye said.

At last year’s NOVAdance, the sisters recalled how Correll was able to play with members of the University’s basketball team and how that was a special memory for Correll. 

Kadriye also has a special connection with B+ Hero Jibril who in 2016 lost his battle against childhood cancer. 

“Everything we do, we do for our B+ Heroes Correll and Jibril, who motivate us to continue fighting for a cure.” 

All of the proceeds raised from the unique necklace and the pop-up shops will be donated to NOVAdance. The next pop up shop is scheduled tentatively for Feb. 21 where all proceeds raised from the unique necklace line and other jewelry sold will be donated to NOVAdance.

It is likely there will be more pop up shops in the coming weeks and more information can be found on the organization’s social media sites. 

“Buying this jewelry is great because you get something for yourself but you also know that you are helping someone else, someone in need,”Charlotte Hyde ‘20 said.

Last year, NOVAdance raised over $250,000 for the Andrew B.McDonough B+ Foundation.NOVAdance is scheduled for March 24th this year and Pearls for Pearly Whites will continue to strive to make a difference amongst other initiatives.