CND and the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation (BCL) have announced the BCL CND Tippi Hedren Nail Scholarship Fund. The Scholarship Fund was founded to support professional nail education and will be administered starting January 1, 2014 through BCL for member schools of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). CND will honor Hedren’s commitment to the professional nail industry with this scholarship fund in her namesake.

CND, on behalf of the company and its Vietnamese partner distributors, presented a donation of $184,000 to BCL for the scholarship fund during a press conference held at Cosmoprof North America in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, July 14th. In addition to this initial pledge, CND will continue to raise money for the fund through their distributor partnerships.

“This important program invests in the successful future of the nail professional industry and honors Tippi Hedren’s life-long commitment to the education and empowerment of women in the nail community,” says Jan Arnold, co-founder of CND. “We can all feel proud that we have contributed to this growth and success which makes ‘paying it forward’ all the more rewarding,” adds Arnold.

Tippi Hedren, the American actress, former model and humanitarian, has always been at the forefront of the Vietnamese nail salon movement. She committed herself to the education and empowerment of Vietnamese women by helping them find work in the professional nail salon industry over the last three decades. Vietnamese-Americans now make up over half of the $9 billion dollar nail salon business in North America.

The program will fund scholarships for approximately 38-75 students (depending on the school and state requirements) for young, bright, new talent to join the nail profession. In addition, the fund will offer a bridge program to help recipients take the step from student to salon and will offer Salon-Match benefits.

“We are extremely grateful to Jan Arnold and the CND family for the significant scholarship gift, for enabling BCL to elevate the nail professional career and for honoring Tippi Hedren whose passion for the Vietnamese community created a vibrant industry.” says Lynelle Lynch, President of Beauty Changes Lives.  Lynch added, “This scholarship, while celebrating diversity, will enable creative and passionate individuals from all ethnicities to enter the rewarding nail profession.”

Together, CND, BCL and Tippi Hedren will continue to elevate, educate and expose the richness of a beauty and wellness career in the professional nail industry.  BCL will also honor Tippi Hedren at the Legacy of Style Award Ceremony on September 23, 2013 in California.