Category Archives: Social Good

Feb6

February is All About The Heart: Alex & Ani Goes Red For The American Heart Association

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February is All About The Heart: Alex & Ani Goes Red For The American Heart Association

With my co-Hosts Audrey McClelland and Sherri Tracey at our Alex & Ani Party to benefit The American Heart Association

February is all about the heart, and The American Heart Association wants to raise awareness about the # 1 killer of women (& men) in America.  All this month through events like the Red on the Runway fashion show at Styleweek Northeast, Alex & Ani parties with a purpose, and the Go Red for women luncheon, the message of how to stay heart healthy is being spread.  

On February 1st to help kick off a month of Heart Health awareness for The American Heart Association , (deemed Wear Red Day by the AHA) ,  several  Alex & Ani stores held Parties With A Purpose.  Stores flooded with women in red shopping for a purpose, while awareness was raised about heart health, and the risks for women. The Alex & Ani Best Friends Bangle created in conjunction with The American Heart Association through Alex & Ani Charity By Design, which donates a portion of proceeds from each bangle to the charity.

Having lost my father to heart disease when I was 13 years old, this effort is near and dear to me.   I became involved with The American Heart Association last year, and before then had not realize that Heart Disease was the #1 killer of women.  I was also shocked to meet a couple of survivors who completely went against my perception of what someone who might suffer a heart attack would look like.  Both of them slim, fit, women in their mid-forties who eat right and exercise.

The most poignant quote that I heard from spokesperson Deb Kozial was when she asked her doctor if someone like her, in such good shape, could suffer a heart attack, then why bother doing all of the things she had been doing to stay healthy when it happened anyway? Her doctor replied that if she had not been in such good shape, the two of them would not be sitting there having that conversation, because her body would not have been strong enough to have survived.

The symptoms that women exhibit when experiencing a heart attack are different from what a men might experience, and are important to be aware of.   Women may experience chest Pain, Pain in Arms, Neck or Jaw, stomach pain or discomfort, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, light-headedness or fatigue. I love this short by Elizabeth Banks that so perfectly captures the mom mentality when it comes to her life.

The Go Red campaign intends to spread the message that women, who are so often busy taking care of everybody else, need to take care of themselves first, and remind other women they love in their lives, mothers, sisters, and girlfriends, to do the same. For more heart healthy tips on prevention go to the American Heart Association website. After all, in the month of February it’s all about the heart.

Feb2

#26Acts Of Kindness, Remembering Rachel D’Avino

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#26Acts Of Kindness, Remembering Rachel D’Avino

This post is extremely difficult for me to write.  Nothing we do will ever bring back any of the victims of the December 14th 2012 shooting in Newtown, CT. Just to think of that day, and those lives lost, washes me in a feeling of sadness, and despair.  The world continues to turn,  we all go on, we went back to routines like putting our kids on the bus to school, and going to work. But we are changed. In an attempt to counterbalance the horror with some good,  members of the Global Team of 200, including myself, are joining Ann Curry’s  #26Acts of Kindness movement by participating in a blog relay and link-up of  26 Act of Kindness.  We have committed to remembering the victims of the Newtown shooting with 26 bloggers posting for 26 days, each day highlighting one individual victim, and promoting the idea, initiated by Ann Curry, of 26 act of kindness.

“After the experience in Newtown. I thought, “What if? Imagine if everyone could commit to doing one act of kindness for every one of those children killed in Newtown.” So that’s what I tweeted. And guess what? People committed. I said in my tweet, “I’m in. RT if you’re in.” Not only did they commit to 20 acts of kindness, they wanted to up it to 26 acts of kindness for every child and adult who was lost at the school.”- Ann Curry

 

#26Acts of kindness will hopefully inspire ongoing, simple, daily acts that touch each other’s lives.  Kindness to your loved ones or strangers, acts large or small. Acts of kindness towards each other to perhaps make this world a better place.

Nothing we do can bring Rachel D’Avino back to her family, to her boyfriend, soon to be fiancé, or to all of the possibilities her young life still held. Read the rest of this entry →

Jan30

Love & Water

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Love & Water

Love & Water

“Water Is The Driving Force In Nature”- Leonardo da Vinci

Love is another driving force in human nature, like water it has the ability to be pure and powerful, and we need to help each other like we need Love & Water.  Water is the lifeblood of the world, and it is hard to appreciate how valuable it is unless you don’t have it.

Worldwide 800 million people do not have access to it and 2.5 billion have nowhere safe and clean to go to the toilet.  As a result, 2,000 children die every day from easily prevented diarrheal diseases with countless more unable to attend school. Millions of women are unable to work because they spend so much time collecting water and caring for sick children.- Water Aid

Clean water and sanitation are two issues that I am passionate about. Read the rest of this entry →

Jan29

StyleWeek Northeast Does Red On The Runway To Benefit The American Heart Association

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StyleWeek Northeast Does Red On The Runway To Benefit The American Heart Association

Last Night, was the second night of StyleWeek Northeast and the Red On The Runway StyleWeek fashion show challenge featured first responders, survivors, caregivers, and advocates of Heart Disease strutting down the runway to benefit The American Heart Association.  Heart disease is the number 1 killer of both men and women in America, and the American Heart Association is working hard to raise awareness, and promote preventative healthy lifestyle changes to help curb that statistic.  Survivors, first responders, caregivers and advocates working as models were paired with designers to walk the runway in one of a kind designs to help raise money and awareness, and to kick off Heart Month in February.

The winning design by Kara Wickman

The show was set up as a design challenge and a panel of judges including John Smith the RISD museum director, Christina Robbio of Redken, Jenna Pelletier from the Providence journal, Ashley Erling of The Rhode Show, Jayne Avery from Massachusetts College of Art, Jim Hannon from the School of Fashion Design in Boston, Rachel Russell of Lola Boutique, and stylist Jill Marinelli  selected the winning design by Kara Wickman.

With Congressman David Cicilline

It was great fun to see some of my husbands’ friends and colleagues strutting their stuff on the runway like Pediatric Cardiologist Sara Ford and Cardiologist Michael Gilson.  Other models included Jill Andy, and Nurse Lisa Connelly.  A few friends from our town who took to the catwalk were first responder Fire Fighter Mike Mernick and  Tara Wood a heart attack survivor. Tara’s story highlights the need to break down stereotypes about who is at risk of heart disease. She was 44, slim, low cholesterol and blood pressure with healthy fitness, and eating habits, with no family history, yet it happened to her.   Martin Ortiz walked the walk, he is not only a survivor, but also the father of StyleWeek Northeast founder Rosanna Ortiz Sinel.  Also modeling were Paul Brooks, survivor, caregiver and AHA board member, and Mary Velardo who lost her husband to a heart attack in 2009 (pictured above in the winning dress). Model Louise Dinsmore lost her three year old daughter to a congenital heart defect , and went on to found  the Gabrielle Dinsmore Heart & HopeFund , and Gabrielle’s Heart camp to provide a fun, safe summer camp experience to children with heart disease, and honor Gabrielle’s memory.

The StyleWeek Northeast Red on the Runway show was a great girls night out.  We had fun shopping at the accessory showcase, ogling fun designs like the Haute Tags sold by fellow blogger Becky DiStefano, and fabulous handbags by designer Kent Stetson, taking in the fashion show, and socializing during the cocktail hour. StyleWeek Northeast runs through Saturday at the Biltmore in Providence so, check out the schedule, because there are five more fabulous, fashionable fun-filled nights ahead!

With Miss Rhode Island (I know it’s like we’re quadruplets!)

Kent Stetson handbags

Haute Tags

Jan19

Human trafficking: The Crime That Shames Us All

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Human trafficking: The Crime That Shames Us All

Photo By Elizabeth Atalay

I am embarrassed to admit that prostitution was legal in Rhode Island until 2009, but still I remember my disbelief when I heard about the case of four young American women being held against their will as part of a human trafficking ring in Rhode Island last year.  I was driving in my car as the news came over the radio and when they mentioned the age of the girls involved I remember looking in the rear view mirror at my two daughters in the back seat.  They were not that far off from the ages mentioned, and looking at my own daughters’ young faces my chest clenched, these were children they were talking about.  No child should ever end up in that situation. Read the rest of this entry →