Friday night, Febraury 5th, I decided to go straight from the Michigan International Auto Show and give support to another great charity!
Stacy Thompson (from WOTV4) and I ventured down the street from the DeVos Place to the BOB where tons of locals gathered for charity and sweets!
The Leading for Our Kids-Sweeter Charity event took over Eve nightclub at the top of the BOB, benefiting the Helen DeVos Childrens hospital. The event featured tons of yummy deserts including some of my personal favorites! Pretty much everything chocolate-I had to taste!

Some of the sweets menu items inclued the delicious Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Cups with Chocolate Mousse, Mini Carrot Cake Martini, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Strawberry Shortcake Shooters, Key Lime Mousse Cups with Graham Cracker Crust, and a Signature Chocolate Martinis and Champagne Table!
I enjoyed friendly conversation with tons of charitable locals, a silent auction, and live entertainment from the Fred Knapp trio.

Last year, they raised over $12,000! Which is wonderful since this amount came from the future donors of Grand Rapids!
The event is directed at the young professionals of the Grand Rapids community to instill a spirit of giving at a young age. One local who attended the charity stated; “As we all know it will take thousands of donors to fill the shoes of Grand Rapids’ current tremendous philanthropists.”
Hats off to Eve and The Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital for a wonderfully “sweet” charity event!

 On Saturday February 6, 2010 I was honored to be named the Mistress of Ceremonies for an amzazing charity gala held at DeVos Place downtown.
The Project Cool Gala, “A Jazzy Affair” was held in memory of its founder Mrs. Minnie Farris.
Project Cool (Christians opening opprortunites for learning) is a non profit organization which is committed to training unrepresented youth and preparing them for higher education and placement in the workplace.
The gala was held at the DeVos Place this past weekend where Project COOL students were celebrated for their wonderful contributions to the community, while bettering themselves through advaced training and scholastic acheivement.
Over a hunderd people enjoyed dancing and jazz music played by the students, along with the silent auction table filled with jewlery, art work, books, gift baskets, and certificates from some of West Michigans hotspots!
Project Cool is a unique and wonderful opportunity for young students to stive for higher education while learning about the work place for future employment. While involved in the organization, mentors and coaches train the studens on interview techniques, appropriate work attire, timeliness
and punctuality.
Students in the Grand Rapids area who are from the ages of 14-18 with a GPA of 2.0 or higher, and interested in attending college, and future employment with local buisnesses should contact Project CooL.
Applications for the 2010 summer employment will be taken March 27-April 4.
I am extremely excited to be a part of such a wonderful organization! The silent auction raised $1,200 and the gala raised $2,500 which will benefit the American Cancer Association in Minnie Farris’ name.
If you would like more information on how you or someone you know can become involved in Project COOL as a student, volunteer, or to make a donation, contact the office of
Project COOL at 616-243-4354 or log onto www.projectcool.com

Yesterday was my first live broadcast with WOTV 4! And actually my first live broadcast ever! I had the opportunity to work as the offical co host with Maranda, broadcasting live from DeVos Place for the 12th Annual Michigan International Auto Show! I had an amazing time, and realized that not only is live so much different from pre-taped broadcasts, but its also a ton of fun!
The day started at 9am from DeVos Place where I was a guest of Joy’s and skyped on Eight West, and then it was off to rehearsals and runthroughs for the big event! The live Charity Gala Preview!
The broadcast began at 7pm from inside the showroom, and for the one hour segment Maranda and I ran back and forth between some of the hottest cars, interviewing owners of local dealerships and drooling over the most beautiful cars on the market. Some of the cars included the all new 2011 Ford Mustang GT featuring a powerful 5.0L V8 engine kicking out 412 HP! Some of my other favorites were the Cadillac CT-S, Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Platinum, and a new little compact with a lot of get up and go…the all new Ford Fiesta which will be coming out this summer!
I was so greatful to be working with such an amazing team from WOTV, especially Maranda who told me stories about her first live broadcast from the auto show years ago! Thank you to WOTV 4 for an amazing night, and to all of the wonderful dealership owners who made my job easy by being so much fun to interview! Im looking forward to the upcoming weekend where I will be sitting next to the girls from Eight West, and by my brand new Kia Soul!
This is such a fun event, which benefits the Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital! I hope to see you there!