Signet Jewelers, the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewelry, has announced a $100 million commitment to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

The commitment will support the hospital’s efforts to advance research and treatment for pediatric cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The gift also will fund ongoing research and support for survivors through the After Completion of Therapy Clinic, which provides annual checkups and education to ensure that they stay in remission, and the St. Jude LIFE study, a lifetime cohort evaluation aimed at increasing survivorship and helping survivors thrive.

Signet Jewelers, which includes Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared and Banter by Piercing Pagoda, previously raised $100 million for St. Jude Children’s over 25 years. The company raises funds by donating proceeds from the annual sale of plush puppies and bears at its stores, inspiring customers to donate money at the register and online, and encouraging employee and corporate support.

“Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent in the United States, and we at Signet are so proud to have been a partner in the fight to increase survivorship,” said Signet Jewelers CEO Virginia C. Drosos. “Our next $100 million commitment will help increase this even further and also go toward increasing survival rates around the world, where they are much lower. We won’t stop fighting for a world in which no child dies in the dawn of life.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/FatCamera)