Hey Motown Savvy readers, I’ve relocated to the Jupiter Florida area.
As you can see from my T-shirt, I will always be a Detroit girl, and I will continue to post about Motown. I will now be expanding my horizons and promise to keep you up-to-date about fashion, food and fun!
Since my heart will always be in Motown, my daughter-in-law sent me this fantastic welcome mat. You can customize your own with this link.
A few weeks ago ten college basketball coaches visited patients and cancer survivors at Beaumont Children’s Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. According to all the participants and the smiles on the children’s faces, the visit was better than any medicine. The event was partnership between Beaumont Children’s Hospital and the American Cancer Society. Thanks to Coach Greg Kampe of Oakland University whose idea turned into an impactful event.
Coaches included: Steve Alford – University of California, Los Angeles, Rick Barnes – University of Tennessee, John Beilein – University of Michigan, John Calipari – University of Kentucky, Bob Huggins – West Virginia University, Tom Izzo – Michigan State University, Greg Kampe – Oakland University, Sean Miller – University of Arizona, Josh Pastner – University of Memphis and Roy Williams – University of North Carolina.
“This was a ten person team united against fighting cancer, ” said Tom Izzo, Michigan State University.
View the actual visit here.
Beaumont Children’s Hospital in Michigan hosts the best Baby Fairs. Last week the site was Royal Oak, Mich. where more than 500 new parents or parent-to-be attended mini-classes and educational forums on everything baby. Danialle Karmanos, of the Karmanos Center for Natural Birth, inspired many new moms talking about natural childbirth.I had the opportunity to highlight the event on Fox2. If you live in the Detroit area, visit this week’s fair at Beaumont Hospital Troy on April 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cabaret 313 is the vision of Motowners Sandi Reitelman and Allan Nachman. This non-profit organization builds on Detroit’s new energy and revitalization. The response has been overwhelming to the performances around town. On March 28 at the intimate Chrysler Black Box Theatre at the Detroit Opera House, Valarie Pettiford will perform. Pettiford (above) is a protege of Bob Fosse and a Tony-nominated performer. The early show is sold out, but tickets are still available to see this singer, dancer and actor at 9:45 p.m. For more information, visit cabaret313.org or call 313-405-5061.
Motown bloggers have a local style, but their writings are worthy of a national audience.
There are so many talented bloggers in the “D,” but I will focus on a few that I know personally– Suzy Farbman, Judi Schram and Elyse Folytn.
Suzy Farbman has been published since she was a teen. From magazine articles to books, Suzy is one talented lady. And I must add — nice. She was a mentor to me when I started freelancing. Suzy is part of readthespirit.com which I have featured before. It’s an online magazine, a blog, and bookstore founded by writer David Crumm. Her latest post is about a Motowner, Lori Simon, who moved to Florida and discovered her artistic talents.
Judi’s musings is a delightful blog by Judi Schram. Judi describes her blog as a “lighthearted look at aging for women of the boomer generation.” In the style of the late poet and author Shel Silverstein, her verses rhyme with a message that will put a smile on your face. They are always accompanied by an engaging graphic, like the one below.
Elyse Foltyn’s blog SurvivorsStill is about growing up as a child of a Holocaust survivor. It’s an important story that needs to be shared. We’ve all read about stories and seen movies of the survivors, but the viewpoints of the children are powerful too.
Do you have a favorite blog?
Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg is the founder of Kids Kicking Cancer. This amazing program helps children who are cancer patients or in pain from a serious illness. Through martial arts instruction with breathing and mediation, kids learn how to ease the pain. Children become empowered and are uplifted with a positive spirit.His work has been featured nationally from CNN to People magazine. He now has written a book “A Perfect God Created An Imperfect World.”
Inspiring. . .
Photojournalist and Motowner Linda Solomon will be on Meredith Viera’s show on Monday, Sept. 15.
Linda will be with children who participated in the Pictures of Hope Project, where children use photography to express their “hopes and dreams.” The children are from homeless shelters — many have never used a camera before. Linda guides them and teaches them.
Click on the word promo to see a preview.
In addition to being an accomplished photographer, Linda is also an author.
In her book ,The Key: Celebrated People Unlock their Secrets to Life, Linda features insights from more than 50 celebrities. I turned to the page on Meredith Viera and found this wonderful saying about the glass being half full.
I was in New York City a few weeks ago and saw Motown the Musical. For Motown fans, the hit songs like “My Girl” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” are great to hear. And there’s at least 40 more songs. The storyline is about Barry Gordy, Motown’s founder, and the entire cast of talent he catapulted into the spotlight like Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson. If you are a Motown music fan, the play is a must see.
Tickets are on sale now for the Detroit engagement at the Fisher from October 21- November 16, 2014.
Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-982-2787, online at www.broadwayindetroit.com or www.ticketmaster.com
Hey Detroit Tiger fans, I had the opportunity to attend the 13th Annual Willie Horton’s Batting for Kids baseball challenge at Comerica Park last week. The event benefits Don Bosco Hall, a non-profit that helps youth and their families with crisis management and counseling. This event invites 450 youths to participate in several baseball activities and meet Tiger great Willie Horton. (I’m with Willie in the photo above.)
Beaumont Children’s Hospital sponsored the event, and I attended as a representative. The smiles and the swings were great!
Go Tigers! Go Beaumont!
There are many fine jewelers in the metro Detroit area. One outstanding jewelry store is Astrein’s in downtown Birmingham, Mich. Brothers Richard (shown, above) and Gary Astrein just renovated their store celebrating their 40th anniversary. The boutique, designed by Ron & Roman, has lots of natural wood with a warm palette. The modern lighting fixtures evoke an Art-Deco atmosphere. A cornerstone piece is the antique cash register in the center of the store that has been with the owners since the beginning.
The decor complements the collections of Simon G, Tissot, Asprey, Lash Brook and Gabriel, among others. Astrein’s also creates many custom design pieces.
Not only do the Astrein’s sell fine jewelry, but they give back to the community. Richard and his wife Debbie chair Beaumont Health System‘s annual Stars and Guitars event. This year it will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Mich.
Autographed guitars from famous pop, rock and country musicians will be going on the auction block soon to support two programs — the Charles A. Main, M.D., Pediatric Cancer Survivor Scholarship Fund of Beaumont Health System and Beaumont’s Pediatric Oncology Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic.
The Cricket Pages
Food and drink inspired by classic and modern literary works.
Beauty Blog
Chronicling the Chic, Classic and Casual Style Duchess of Sussex (the former Meghan Markle)
Fun, Fashion, Frivolity: An insider guide to Metro Detroit and beyond
Interesting stories about everyday moments.
Fun, Fashion, Frivolity: An insider guide to Metro Detroit and beyond
Fun, Fashion, Frivolity: An insider guide to Metro Detroit and beyond
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