Sheryl Sandberg and Tom Bernthal Donate $1 Million for VOW for Girls

The generosity of the couple, along with gifts from their friends and family, will support VOW's mission to end child marriage. 

NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of their wedding celebration, Sheryl Sandberg and Tom Bernthal have made a gift of $1 million to VOW for Girls in support of the nonprofit's mission to end child marriage. This generous gift will allow VOW to expand its work and reach more girls at risk of early marriage around the world so that they too can choose love on their own terms. 

"We are thrilled by this generous gift from Sheryl and Tom that will be instrumental to advancing girls' rights,'' said Clay Dunn, CEO of VOW for Girls. "It will allow us to support more girls to live lives of their choosing and we hope it will serve as an inspiration to other couples, showing how celebrations of love can also create meaningful impact. We are incredibly grateful for Sheryl and Tom's support."

In addition to the couple's generous personal gift in honor of their wedding celebration, Sheryl and Tom invited guests to donate to VOW for Girls in lieu of wedding gifts, allowing their friends and family to help make an increased impact. 

VOW for Girls' unique model raises funds alongside weddings and other celebrations of love. More than 8,000 couples to date have aligned their weddings with VOW. Sheryl and Tom's wedding marks the organization's first celebration that has raised in excess of $1 million. 

"All girls should be able to choose when and who they marry. Tom and I made the decision to marry each other - to choose a partner who we deeply love. Too many young girls are robbed of this same choice," said Sheryl Sandberg. "We hope our support can help put an end to child marriage so that millions more girls can live healthy, fulfilling lives."

"Sheryl and I know that child marriage leads to catastrophic consequences for girls and their families. We're honored to support VOW's work to end the practice and help all girls have the right to make their own decisions about their own lives," said Tom Bernthal.

The wedding celebration was planned by Lindsay Landman, a NYC-based wedding planner who also supports VOW for Girls with her business by being a proud member of the VOW Pro community, a global collective of wedding-aligned businesses that support ending child marriage.

To learn more about how to VOW your wedding, visit vowforgirls.org/couples. 

About VOW for Girls
VOW for Girls partners with the wedding industry, engaged couples, brands, and individuals to end the international child marriage crisis. Count to three…. A child just became a bride. VOW's vision is a world where no child is ever a bride.  As couples celebrate choosing each other they can help millions of girls choose love on their own terms. VOW provides a number of options for engaged couples to align their weddings with VOW from charitable wedding registries in lieu of gifts, replacing favors with a donation in honor of every guest or option to shop a range of products with proceeds that benefit VOW. 

Thanks to generous donors, 100% of the funds raised by VOW for Girls are invested in underfunded yet effective community-led efforts that advance girls' rights by providing education, job training, and vital life skills, so girls can own their futures. VOW for Girls is a vow for the future.

To date, VOW has supported over 175 organizations, 85% of which are women-led, and an estimated 260,000 girls have been directly impacted and 1.6 million individuals have indirectly benefited. Please visit vowforgirls.org and follow along @vowforgirls to learn more about VOW.

PRESSS CONTACT: Elodie Duyker
VOW for Girls
E: [email protected]
P: 914 325 7001

SOURCE VOW for Girls