L'OCCITANE Gives Back to the Visually Impaired

NEW YORK, Dec. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- L'OCCITANE to donate up to $100,000 to the American Foundation for the Blind.

This December, L'OCCITANE en Provence will give back by donating up to $100,000 to the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). Throughout the month of December, $5 for every gift set sold in-stores will help fund the AFB's award-winning programs like VisionAware, which provides help and hope to nearly one million adults new to vision loss, and FamilyConnect, a network that connects close to 200,000 families with vision loss resources each year nationwide.

As a beauty brand committed to offering a sensorial immersion in natural beauty and fragrance, L'OCCITANE has long supported programs that help the visually impaired throughout the world. In 1997, L'OCCITANE founder Olivier Baussan, began producing products with braille on the packaging, ensuring that everyone – even those who could not see – could shop in L'OCCITANE stores with ease.

Since that time the brand has continued its contribution to this cause, working with NGOs in developing countries to treat curable blindness, partnering with the AFB to host fragrance workshops at its Provence headquarters for young students, and most recently, creating a month-long Helen Keller exhibit at its NYC flagship store.

"Philanthropy is at the heart of L'OCCITANE's DNA and we have been committed to helping the visually impaired for nearly 15 years," said David Boynton, CEO of L'OCCITANE Inc. "This holiday season, we will partner with the AFB in a new way, helping to raise funds and awareness for its programs here in the US."

Visual impairment affects over 20 million Americans, and this season L'OCCITANE stores nationwide will provide shoppers with an easy way to help. By simply purchasing one of L'OCCITANE's beautifully packaged gift sets marked with a special "Look For The Eye!" token, they can take home presents for their loved ones that also benefit an important cause.

"We are extremely grateful to L'OCCITANE for its generosity and commitment to making a difference in the lives of people with vision loss around the world," said Carl R. Augusto, president and CEO of AFB. "This partnership will help us provide vital tools and resources to parents of children with visual impairments as well as to adults coping with vision loss for the first time." 

About L'OCCITANE:
Founded by Olivier Baussan over 35 years ago, L'OCCITANE captures the true art de vivre of Provence, offering a sensorial immersion in the natural beauty, fragrance and lifestyle of the south of France. From the texture of L'OCCITANE products to their scent, each skincare, body care and fragrance formula promises pleasure through beauty and well-being—a moment rich in enjoyment and discovery that goes beyond tangible benefits to create a different experience of Provence.

ABOUT AFB:
The American Foundation for the Blind's (AFB) award-winning programs help people with vision loss excel at school, at work, and in their communities. AFB changes lives every day by challenging misconceptions, breaking down barriers, and building a more inclusive, equitable world.

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SOURCE L'OCCITANE en Provence