Swarovski Calendar 2004: To light a light. To give children ...
Visions for the world - from the Tyrol
Previous projects with Swarovski
"The prerequisite for long-term success, however, is to endeavor to think not only of oneself, but also of one's fellow human beings. When this is achieved, true blessing cannot help but follow." (Daniel Swarovski I)
"The more difficult it becomes to live in our performance-oriented, technological world, the more loving and caring we should be to the child who needs us today, for tomorrow he/she will be responsible for the quality of our own existence." (Hermann Gmeiner)
This co-operation symbolises a common belief in the importance of the family for the development and future of the children of our planet. It recognises the need to help children, who currently do not enjoy the security of a stable family environment.
January photo of the Swarovski Calendar 2004 - Photo: H.-G. Kaufmann
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Swarovski Calendar 2004: To light a light. To give children a chance.
For 2004, Swarovski has carried out a fantastic project to support SOS Children's Villages: 25,000 copies of the Swarovski Calendar 2004 have been produced, which portray images of Brazilian SOS children. Through his photos, German photographer Hans-Günther Kaufmann impressively succeeds in conveying to the observer an understanding of the dreams, wishes, vitality and energy within the hearts of these children. With this extraordinary calendar, Swarovski calls upon its partners, friends and customers worldwide to make donations and become sponsors for children living in SOS Children's Villages.
"A crystal has all the colours of the rainbow dancing in it. Light streams out. Light that opens our eyes to the light hiding within us. The children are full of joyful expectation. They have an undiscovered country before them, many opportunities are there waiting for them. They teach us to be inquisitive again and to want to discover and walk on the new land. The children have inspired me with the fire of their hope. Together we could feel that good lives, hope lives, indeed, it is life! What a beautiful idea to interpret crystal and its ability to bring hidden light to life in this way. I thank Swarovski for this task. I thank the children for this beautiful time," is how Hans-Günther Kaufmann summed up his impressions.
Further parallels can also be found in terms of the organisations' origins and past development.
Visions for the world - from the Tyrol
It was a different century and a different world in which a young man from Bohemia by the name of Daniel Swarovski invented a machine that enabled him to produce cut crystal jewellery stones with unheard-of precision. That was the beginning of the Swarovski crystal saga and the birth of a highly successful family business. Over the decades what started as a small glass-cutting business in the Tyrol rapidly grew in size and crystal diversity and soon became a leading global concern.
With 14,000 employees internationally, Swarovski is today one of the biggest corporations in Austria and can now look back on a more than one-hundred-year tradition of communicating crystal visions to the whole world.
Hermann Gmeiner was born in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg in 1919. Confronted with the sufferings of so many orphaned and homeless children after the Second World War, and convinced that help cannot be effective where a child has no home, he established the very first SOS Children's Village in Imst, Austria in 1949. His SOS Children's Village idea soon spread to every continent as a proven childcare concept for all peoples.
Previous projects with Swarovski
Right from the start of the cooperation in 1999 on, a number of creative ideas have been implemented to benefit children in the SOS Children's Villages:
Crystal Planet - symbol of partnership
Swarovski created the Crystal Planet as a limited millennium edition and a token of its support for SOS Children's Village facilities during 2000 in Urumqi (China), Gorazde (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Awassa (Ethiopia) and Portoviejo (Ecuador). The Crystal Planet was designed to welcome the new millennium. It shows the Earth as it is otherwise only seen by astronauts in outer space - as a little blue-and-white jewel.
The globe unites five stylised continents in the form of cut crystal inlays and is crowned by a crystal dove carrying a silver olive twig and spreading its protective wings over this fascinating sparkling world - a fine symbol of hope, peace and love.
Following the end of the Millennium project, new paths of cooperation were sought and found. The partnership has continued in 2001, with Swarovski organising several charity events to raise money for SOS Children's Village facilities.
Swarovski has raised a considerable amount for the International SOS Holiday Camp in Caldonazzo (Italy). The company organised a raffle and lucky dips on board a week-long Mediterranean cruise arranged for members of the Swarovski Collectors Society, which set sail from Venice at the end of May 2001.