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Detroit 2 Nepal

3 Aug

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There may not be a direct flight from Motown to Nepal, but there’s a strong connection. Thanks to the work of  Richard Keidan, M.D.

Dr. Richard Keidan first travelled to Nepal on vacation, and he became enamored with the people and the county. He observed that the Khotang District was cut off from roads and communication, without power, without waste management (toilets) and without clean drinking water and with very limited access to health care and educational opportunities.

After seeing the significant needs in this region and the amazing determination of the people,  he founded the D2N: Detroit2Nepal Foundation. Its mission is to improve public health, health care, and educational opportunities for children in this remote Himalayan district. The Foundation works directly with people in the village and the projects are initiated by the Nepalese.

According to Dr. Keidan, “This approach creates jobs for community members and also allows them to learn how to manage these projects.”

On Sunday, August 25 at the Birmingham Bike Festival, there will be a parade at 1 p.m. to raise funds for D2N and the Miracle Fund at Beaumont Children’s Hospital. Dr. Charles Main, Beaumont’s Chief of Pediatric Oncology will serve as the Grand Marshal. Dr. Main will be retiring after a 50-year medical career. The parade will also honor Alexandra Graham, a 16-year-old who lost her fight with bone cancer. The parade is titled Miles4Alex.

To donate funds, please visit the D2N website and to register for the parade go to www.crowdrise.com/miles4alex

Summer in the City

27 Jul

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Summer in the City (SITC) is currently at Davison Elementary School in Detroit, thanks to my friend Judy Robinson. Judy is a retired Detroit Public School teacher, a Motown Savvy follower and someone who believes in giving back to the community. Judy worked with Summer in the City Co- Founder Ben Falik to bring the project to the school where she worked for 39 years.

SITC is a nonprofit that mobilizes volunteers to make a difference in Detroit. The volunteers are painting amazing murals to spruce up the 95-year-old school. This project lasts seven weeks and will welcome the students in the fall.

“These individuals (SITC) are providing such a wonderful service to Detroit kids and setting a great example of volunteerism and cooperation,” says Judy.

Angels & Cakes

24 Jul

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Meet the amazing Imerman Family.  Brothers Jon and Jeff are creative and inspiring. Jon (left) is the founder of Imerman Angels. A cancer support nonprofit that partners cancer patients with survivors. Jeff is a founder of  the Imerman Cake Company with his mom, Jane Imerman. When Jon was diagnosed with cancer, Jane began cooking all organically.

“We learned how our food choices and what we put in our bodies impact our health and well-being,” says Jane.   “In my home kitchen, we started developing recipes using only the purest natural and organic ingredients.”

Tea-Time Towels

17 Jul

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Last week at a local art fair, I spied by the towel lady. Kathy Mizzi and her sister (above) were selling the cutest appliquéd tea towels. From animals to flags to holiday motifs, the designs are fun and whimsical. I purchased the ones on top.

If you’re looking for a cute hostess gift or a fancy kitchen towel, contact the towellady.com or e-mail Kathy directly at kathy@thetowellady.com

Flavored H20

12 Jul

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Flavored water is so refreshing and easy to prepare. Just cut up fresh fruit and put it in the water. How lovely  and thirst quenching does this photo look? The photo is by Alpha Smoot for Cup of Jo and Styled by Kalen Kaminski.

For an even easier drink, pick up Sparkling Ice at the market. My favorites are orange mango and coconut pineapple.

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Do you have any favorite flavored waters?

Swingin’ in Houston

8 Jul

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I visited Houston 4th of July weekend to check out wedding venues for my son and his Texan fiancee.

We stopped by the Swinging Door restaurant for some authentic Texan BBQ food. This rustic place is the perfect spot for the rehearsal dinner. The food is fantastic! They serve beef brisket, ribs, chicken, turkey and sausage.  The sides are beans, potato salad, cole slaw, dirty rice and green beans. For dessert, pecan pie, brownies and assorted fruit cobblers are yummy (shown). It’s the perfect family spot too. There’s a house rule: “If you start a jalapeno, you must finish it!”

Since y’all might not be in Houston soon, I recommend Slow’s BBQ in Motown!

Twenty Pies

4 Jul

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Rebelogged from Trend Bytes  who reblogged it from Downtown Romantic.   YUM!

Spiritual Musings

2 Jul

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Check out the blog readthespirit.com

It’s an online magazine, a blog, a bookstore, and more.

This expanded blog is innovative, fresh and cross-cultural. All faiths are explored.

I stumbled upon it after, my Linkedin connection Bobbie Lewis wrote about it. Bobbie has a new interactive section on this blog called Feed the Spirit.

Veteran journalist David Crumm is a co-founder. He’s the former religion columnist at the Detroit Free Press. I used to read his columns religiously! Another personal connection is Lynne Meredith Golodner, a former colleague from our days at Renaissance Media and the Detroit Jewish News. She is the author (shown) of Flavors of Faith: Holy Breads, published by Read the Spirit Books. Golodner weaves interesting stories in between recipes for challah, hot-cross buns and Native American cornbread. Faith and food intersect in delightful way.

Flavors of the Faith is first in a series “to inspire and nourish readers with real-life stories and cross-cultural traditions.”

I look forward to more soulful recipes and food stories.

“A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou.” – Omar Khayyam

Channeling Downton Abbey

28 Jun

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The other night some members of my book club group attended a Downton Abbey party where a representative of PBS told us about the upcoming fourth season, and we had a lecture about the some beautiful British estates.Many of the attendees dressed in costume. Everyone thought Christine (top, right) looked exactly like the character Anna. We learned that one new character on the popular TV series will be played by Paul Giamatti. Art historian Wendy Evans presented the lecture on the treasure houses of Britain and told us many interesting facts including that Highclere castle (home of Downton Abbey) and the Parliament were designed by the same architect, Charles Barry.

$2 Billion Bash

21 Jun

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Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson thanked more than 700 people the other day by throwing  a party at the Palace. The event celebrated the innovative companies that helped diversify Oakland County, Michigan. The “Emerging Sector” companies generated a $2 billion investment in the county and created 42,000 jobs. The invitation-only event was a thank-you to all the growing and burgeoning businesses.

I attended the event representing Beaumont Health System. Since it was at the Palace, the home of the Detroit Pistons, James “Buddha” Edwards attended. He is a former Pistons. I am in the photo on the right with my friend, Marcia Auster (left). Marcia attended the event with her husband, Barry Auster, M.D., of Oakland Aesthetic Dermatology in Farmington Hills. Dr. Auster is president of the Oakland County Medical Society.

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