August was one of my best months this year, hands down. There were some really great personal achievements,
some amazing career successes and just as important as my personal and career
highs - - - was my continued commitment to philanthropic endeavors. This month, I was ALL OVER Los Angeles, ‘paying
it forward’.
Stephanie’s
Day
On
August 13th my ‘Let’s Talk!’ family (co-hosts & creative team) went out to
the CBS studios in Studio City to support ‘Stephanie’s Day’.
Stephanie’s Day is a resource fair to provide
families with children impacted by autism and other special needs, one place to
gather valuable information, enjoy fun activities and more.
The event was started by Steve Mauldin,
General Manager of CBS2/KCAL9 fifteen years ago in Dallas in honor of his daughter,
Stephanie, who has autism.
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| LtoR: Gissel, Naibe, Steve Mauldin, Stephanie, Bel and me |
And
I got to meet Stephanie! She is a doll and she loves purses; making sure all of
our purses were zipped up! Good looking out Stephanie. She has a bright playful
spirit and you can just tell she is a very sweet and loving young lady. As a past national spokesperson for ‘What’s
In Your Lunch Box?’ a non-profit for autism awareness, I was proud to be
supporting a cause I love and believe in.
For
information on Stephanie’s Day visit http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/stephanies-day/
A
Place Called Home
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| It was a chilly day but that didn't stop the kids! |
I
got to spend a whole day at Will Rogers state beach on Aug 17th with 200 kids
ranging in age from kindergarten to high school and boy was that an awesome
day!.
Most of these amazing kids who
came from the south central LA area had never been to the beach in all their
lives. Makes you appreciate the little
things that’s for sure.
And
guess what they wanted to do the minute they hit the beach? Swim, of course!
They turned into little mermaids and mermen out there. Seeing all these cute
little faces giggling and laughing all day was so heartwarming.
At the end of the day, one of the mentors
from ‘A Place Called Home’ thanked us and told us how much this meant to him
personally. As he tried to hold back tears he told us that he’s been working with some of
these kids for months and he had never seen some of them smile or laugh until today,
and for that, he was deeply grateful.
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| click photo: see the long line of kids :) |
A
Place Called Home is a safe haven in South Central Los Angeles where
underserved youth are empowered to take ownership of the quality and direction
of their lives through programs in education, arts, and well-being; and are
inspired to make a meaningful difference in their community and the world.
For A Place Called Home volunteer
information: Email: volunteer@apch.org
Strike Out ALS
 |
| Juan Quintero in picture |
Play
Ball! Did someone say softball? Bring it! This wonderful event brought out my
competitive spirit but more importantly it brought out a whole community out to
support one of their own…Juan Quintero.
Juan is Rick Quintero’s brother.
You know Rick as the CHP traffic cop who also reports the traffic for the
number one rated morning news show “Good Day L.A.” But on Saturday, August 27th
the spotlight was not on Rick but on his wonderful brother, Juan.
 |
| The Ringer's or Ragamuffins, one in the same :p |
Five
years ago, Juan was diagnose with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS–what
most of us know as Lou Gehrig’s disease and his loving family has been there
every step of the way. Their family bond
and spirit is amazing and full of strength in light of their brother’s
health.
This year marked their 5th
fifth annual fundraiser “Strike Out ALS” to cover the continued medical needs
of Juan and to also share some of the proceeds with other ALS patients in
need.
 |
| Madeline, Lorena, Rick Quintero, Gisset, and Kikey |
In
solidarity of the Quintero’s family plight a group of my friends formed a team
consisting of Let’s Talk! co hosts, Encounters web series creative team, a PR
pro from Terry Hines & Associates, a Univision employee, a
Hollywood makeup artist and more. We
played hard and came out the winners!!!
Oh did I forget to mention we played a team of mainly kids who nearly
kicked our butts??? Well played young
opponents… well played…
I
will definitely be there again next year and will recruit more of my friends to
come out and play. Watch out, I could be recruiting YOU on my team next year!
To
form a 2012 “Strike Out ALS” team visit www.strikeoutalsla.com
Share your "Paying It Forward" story
in the comment section
Isn't it a lot of fun and such a rewarding feeling to serve and give to the community? Just knowing I made someone's day gives me a big smile at the end of my day. Hey, if August was great for you, let the rest of 2011 get even better!
ReplyDeleteJason,
ReplyDeleteit is fun and rewarding. It's addicting prob one of the reasons I keep doing it.
You are a busy gal! So good to see you out there making a difference in the world. And keeping us aware of the organizations out there to support and consider. Keep up the good works!
ReplyDeleteHi Ramon,
ReplyDeleteThat's what they call me "Busy Gal!" :) Thank you for your kind words i means a lot. Yes, I hope this inspires others to get involved with these organizations or any other non profits!