Sheryl Sandberg and Tom Bernthal Raise Millions for Global Girls with Wedding Gifts

American business executive Sheryl Sandberg married Tom Bernthal in Wyoming on Saturday, August 20, 2022. And she did it as a free woman — free of her Facebook and Meta executive responsibilities that is. Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan were guests at the wedding. So was Serena Williams. And that a very nice touch.

Sandberg announced in June 2022 her decision to step down as chief operating officer of Meta Platforms, which includes Facebook. The executive will remain on Meta’s board of directors. Bernthal is the founder and former CEO of Kelton Global.

Rob Goldberg, the brother of Sandberg's late husband Dave, served as the couple’s co-officiant for the wedding service. Dave Goldberg was the founder of LAUNCH Media and the CEO of SurveyMonkey at the time of his sudden death in May 2015

It’s Rob Goldberg who introduced the couple in 2019, after Bernthal’s divorce. Together they have five children.

Sheryl Sandberg on Serena Williams Retiring from Tennis

Serena Williams Utters 'Retirement' in Vogue US September 2022 Cover Story AOC Fashion
Serena Williams is expected to retire from tennis after the US Open, which opened August 23 at Flushing Meadows. Today, the 24th Serena is practicing at Ashe Stadium, right now this minute.

Serena means so much to so many people, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover Sandberg’s IG comments about the big change coming in Serena’s life.

More importantly, Sandberg wrote how Serena was there for her all the way with the shattering news of her first husband Dave Goldberg’s deadly heart attack.

Serena Williams just announced her retirement from tennis. Today, I am celebrating her for all she is to the world — and for the incredible friend she is to me and so many others.

A tennis legend, Serena has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles — the most by any player in the Open Era. She’s spent 319 weeks at the top of the world rankings. And she’s a four-time Olympic gold medalist.

But Serena is not just the GOAT, she is a generous and extraordinary person. When my husband died, she did what she always does for her friends; she used her strength to hold me up. Despite traveling and playing in tournaments around the world, she would check in on me regularly. She’d send messages saying, “you are the strongest woman I know.” At the time, I felt anything but strong, and Serena’s support helped carry me through.

Serena, you are an inspiration to so many. Whatever your next chapter, I know you’ll touch even more lives — as a treasured friend and a global icon. We’ll all be cheering you on.

Wedding Gifts for VOW for Girls and CARE

Sheryl Sandberg and Tom Bernthal asked that guests donate to VOW for Girls and CARE to fund anti-child marriage programs and poverty alleviation efforts in lieu of gifts. Sandberg’s rep told People Magazine that to date the couple has raised $1 million for VOW for Girls and $10 million for CARE, where she serves on the Global Advisory Council.

GRAHAM CROUCH/© GIRLS NOT BRIDES

VOW for Girls, founded in 2018, is backed by elements of the global wedding industry. Founder Mabel van Oranje is a human rights activist, who had been attending a ceremony at which the couple requested charitable donations instead of gifts. In her ’ah-ha’ moment, van Oranje asked herself: “What if we could work with engaged couples, brands and wedding professionals to create a moment of philanthropy as people are celebrating love?”

AKA HRH Princess Mabel van Oranje-Nassau, van Amsberg-Wisse Smit, of the Netherlands, the princess who also lost her husband to a tragic ski accident, is an accomplished social activist. In addition to VOW for Girls, Mabel van Oranje also founded Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage (2011), the Girls First Fund (2018)

Sheryl Sandberg Background

Prior to Facebook, Sheryl was vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, chief of staff for the United States Treasury Department under President Clinton, a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, and an economist with the World Bank.

Sheryl received a BA summa cum laude from Harvard University and an MBA with highest distinction from Harvard Business School.

Returning to Sandberg’s IG just now for her Serena quote, she has a heartfelt post about girls and child marriage.