The Red Hat Society is an international organization inspired by a poem by Jenny Joseph which begins “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me”. The leader of each fun-loving group is called a queen; their clothing, regalia.

According to an article in The Dominion Post, ‘Queen Kinsa’, as Mrs. Hays is known in the group, saw a need for a such a group in Upper Hutt which would allow women to be social, be fully self-expressed, and take part in a variety of interesting activities. The first outing of the group featured a lunch at the Mayfair Cafe after a ride on the Silver Steam Rail.

Future events are also being planned – the group is considering a train trip to Wairarapa to visit antique shops, travel to  Akatarawa Valley and/or Matiu-Somes Island, or other shopping, pampering or shooting excursions.

Cermak is the owner of 37-year old family company Rowell, Inc., which manages about 30 different home and condo complexes in the Chicago suburbs. Cermak and Rowell are inviting residents – including renters, owners and village officials – to take part in the ‘Pay it Forward’ planting project created in the Landmark program, planting bushes, trees and perennials and causing connections in the community.

Getting people involved and connected to one another is one of the main goals of the project, according to Rowell assistant manager Christine Cott. Hanover Part police officers have taken up on that idea at one of the work sites, taking part in the planting to build better relations with the community. The full story can be read at the site of the Daily Herald.

The event, tickets to which cost $10, was held at the First Lutheran Church in Montclair, and featured DJ music, refreshments, and a variety of goods and services generously provided by local businesses and prizes and raffle offerings.

“Over the past year I have been looking at getting what I want out of my life and in doing so I have been taking courses with Landmark Education,” Thornton explained. “The course I am currenlty enrolled in is called the Self Expression and Leadership Porgram; in this course we are assigned to pick a community project that would make a difference in one of the communities in our lives. I cam up with 3 ideas for projects and this one is by far the most challenging.”

Thornton was influenced in her choice of project by having a stepfather, stepsister and stepbrother who all have served in the military. Visit the website of Operation Shoebox New Jersey to contribute or find out more about them.

Money is being raised via a ‘Help 4 Haiti’ event at the Windlesham House School in West Sussex taking place on March 21 from 10:30 am to 1pm. The event will feature a series of three-legged races, one of which could end up being the largest three-legged race ever put on.

Fundraising is also taking place online at the Just Giving page for the event – the original fundraising target of £1,000 has already been far exceeded before the event has even taken place, with £2,570 generated as of this writing. Go to the link above and make a contribution or read more.

UPDATED: In total, £4,295 was eventually raised.

Specifically, much of the money went for badly needed supplies for the Charle Street short term residential facility, which starts homeless men on the road to sobriety free of charge by having them stay there and take part in a twelve-step program. The facility is volunteer run, all of whom are sober but many of whom were former residents.

Money raised also goes towards the Hamiltom House medium-term facility for 12 newly recovered alcoholics. All of the money for the organization comes from private citizens.

Jochum, who took on the project in his Landmark Education self-expression and leadership program, accomplished much of the fundraising simply through Facebook and other simple means. His latest post indicates $8200 has been raised.

In addition to the fun of book swapping, the event if featuring raffles, drinks and donations, all of which will go towards Pelican Post, thus funding great books as well for those in Africa who may not otherwise have access to them.

The event is taking place on June 1, 2010 at the Royal College of Physicians.

The event, which was held May 2 in London, featured music from a wide variety of modern and traditional artists. Performers included Mecca2Medina, a socially conscious hip hop band, guitarist Anita Maj, London Rapper/beatboxer MC Xander, Algerian artist R-A and many others.

SWiSH’s latest success took place at the New York AIDS walk held May 17 – the SWiSH team raised $5,000 for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and other HIV/AIDS organizations. For more information about SWiSH and Sena, visit the swishpride website.

The Bucks County Courier Times of Pennsylvania recently published a story about the Landmark Self Expression and Leadership Program of Vicki LaRosa, whichy  raised money for the Dress for Success Organization.

Helping women dress for success

by Kate Fratti

The hardest part of the work day, in my estimation, is getting dressed.

What to wear? What to wear?

And the thing is I’m under no pressure to be fashionable at work. The newsroom dress code is fairly liberal. The rule of thumb is that a print journalist ought to be dressed to cover either a fire or funeral. Mostly, I think editors are just relieved when some of us don’t wear our underwear on our heads or sport two different colored shoes.

Which reminds me that a guy in the office recently sidled up to my desk to show me that he had, in fact, gotten dressed too quickly and pulled on two different loafers. He thought it was hilarious, not job threatening.

Rumpled, even mismatched, is OK most days if you’re a columnist.

However, it is most definitely not OK if you are seeking to climb a corporate ladder.

Vicki LaRosa, at the ripe old age of 27, knows it all too well. Clothes matter.

A graduate of Penn State, she frequently travels on business. She consults with large companies about their operations. Most recently, she’s been consulting with American Greetings in Ohio.

Being taken seriously means looking sharp. And sharp can cost a bundle.

Vicki said she’s been blessed in her life. But it often has struck her how difficult it must be for women trying to transition into professional jobs out of poverty or bad marriages or any other situation that leaves them counting pennies.

Job hunting is a tough enough challenge. How do those women also fold in the challenge of dressing the part?

Enter a longstanding non-profit group called Dress For Success.

It’s the one Vicki chose when she was looking for a community outreach project. She’s enrolled in something called the Landmark Education Self Expression and Leadership Program. It teaches that part of leading is identifying challenges, then finding ways to transform them into opportunities for positive change

Vicki’s Bought into the notion

Dress for Success Philadelphia (www.dressforsuccess.org/philadelphia/), which serves women living in the Delaware Valley, is based at 1043 Spring Garden St. in Philadelphia. There are 90 affiliates all over the world, according to its Web site. With retail and corporate sponsors, Dress For Success is a volunteer-driven program that provides low-income women with free professional outfits for work – suits, separates, shoes and other accessories.

It’s not just about fashion. It’s about providing some very basic keys to a woman’s independence and self-sufficiency. Call 215-232-7292 for information.

Vicki is inviting you to keep the evening of May 1 open, from 7:30 to 11:30, so you can help the mission. That’s when she’ll host a Dress For Success benefit at Main Street Catering in Tullytown.

A $30 ticket will buy you dinner, beer and music by the band Johnny Pompadour. There will be raffles, a 50/50 and a silent auction. One of the big items will be tickets for the Phillies versus the Mets on July 5. Think fireworks.

If you can’t make it to the benefit in Tullytown, Vicki invites you to drop off new and gently used contemporary women’s business clothing to the Beer-A-Rama at 200 Levittown Parkway in Tullytown. The store is owned by her dad, Frank LaRosa.

If you could wear it to a professional job interview, Vicki is happy to have it for Dress for Success. Drop-off days at Beer-A-Rama are April 20 to April 30 during business hours, Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

I’m telling you about the benefit this early because Vicki hopes other business owners will come forward to donate raffle items. If you cater to women, what better way to get the word out about your place? You can reach Vicki at 267-994-0031.

Here’s to hoping that helping will always be fashionable.

Sabal Palm Elementary Operation Inspiration Update

Recently we told you about a special project that Tricia Tarantino’s 3rd grade class at Sabal Palm Elementary School had decided would be a great fundraising venture. That project was called “Operation Inspiration: A Start from the Heart.” The purpose was to raise money for the “Buy a Brick” program at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Miami. The class set a goal to raise $1,000 by Wednesday, December 3, and to date they’ve raised more than $800! If the goal is reached, they’ll have enough money to purchase a “Grand Slam” commemorative brick. When purchased, the gift contributes to the mission of the hospital – to meet children’s growing healthcare needs and provide them a better, happier tomorrow.

The class decided on three fundraising events to reach their goal: selling heart and baseball lollipops at the school’s Fall Fun Festival, selling popcorn during lunch, and finally, placing donation jars throughout the school. Despite teh success of these activities, students know they’re still short of their goal. As a result, they’ve been getting other classes and other schools involved.

There’s a student from another 3rd grade class that comes into Tarantino’s class almost every day and donates, while another student brought in $6.50 in pennies. Additionally, every year the school has a Vocabulary Hat Parade; but this year, Principal Tammy Brown and Assistant Principal Joy Alvarez decided to create “Hat Heart Day.” On that day students were allowed to wear their favorite hat and jeans for $1 and staff could do the same for $2. This event helped raise $300. Finally, Tarantino along with four of her students appeared on Cypress Palm Middle School’s morning news to inform their school of the project. In the middle of the newscast, Plant Operator Ivan Magana contributed $10. A donation jar is now in place at Cypress Palm in the media center.