Just Across the Street, Supporting Our Clearwater Community Garden
Our Clearwater Community Gardens located across the street from our CES Headquarters, celebrated its 4th anniversary with its festive brunch event at the Fort Harrison Hotel. The event was a sold-out affair and featured amazing foods, fun and speakers who spoke on gardening and its rewards within a community.
The Tampa Bay Charity Coalition
Each month our local Tampa Bay Charity Coalition meets at the Fort Harrison for a lovely luncheon. This month I represented a charity that is near and dear to us at CES, called My Hope Chest (MHC). MHC provides breast reconstruction for uninsured and underinsured women, plus helps with costs associated with fighting the disease of breast cancer. MHC’s newest staff member, Berkley, recently joined the charity as Events coordinator, fresh out of college. Berkley and I made sure we talked about MHC and its mission and upcoming events during our speed networking activity. It is always wonderful for groups to join forces for good and our Charity Coalition really provides nurturing, friendship and assistance in bringing us all together and helping us thrive in our missions to do good works in our communities. The staff at the Fort Harrison treat us each month to this treasure of an event.
Hope Floats with My Hope Chest
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, CES is happy to support all of the My Hope Chest events that we can. One such event was at the Tampa Yacht Club. We helped with the activities of creating Hope Floats boats and more. CES plans to create and support many events this season. One such being the first national “Bling a Bra” contest to help pay for surgeries for women who are on the waiting list for treatment. Please check out MHC on their website: myhopechest.org and see about how you can help deliver this last stage of treatment for women in need.
Top Chef Vanessa Marquis Brings Her Love and Support to Others
Partnering with other groups who work to help mankind is something that we always do at CES. It is a scientific fact that doubling the horsepower in any motion, makes the traveling so much faster. Connecting with like-minded people who are working to create good effects, does just that. It gets everyone to their goals faster.
Drug Free America Foundation is one such group whom we are happy to partner with in helping youth and communities be free of the burden of drug addiction.
Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. is a drug prevention and policy organization committed to developing strategies that prevent drug use and promote sustained recover. The Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. vision is a world where all people live free of illicit drugs. Drug Free America Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Drug Free America works every day at prevention efforts both nationally and internationally.
We were so happy to help put on a fantastic fundraiser for them. We held a Female Chef’s Showcase brunch which brought together the phenomenal Chef Vanessa Marquis, who donated her time and efforts to put on a fabulous brunch to a full house of appreciative guests.
Chef Vanessa instantly became my favorite chef around. Not only is she absolutely amazing in the kitchen, but her heart and sunshiney ways come out beaming and you are immediately taken in and honored to know her.
Chef Vanessa was my guest on our radio show, Talk of the Town, which airs on 1340 am and 106.1 FM, each Tuesday at 5pm. We had so much fun talking about her experiences as a top chef and her upcoming spot on the US Chefs Olympic team. Vanessa is the Secretary of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Tampa Bay Chapter.
Established in 1929, ACF is the premier professional chefs’ organization in North America with more than 17,500 members in over 150 chapters nationwide.
About the ACF Tampa Bay Chapter:
Our chapter’s purpose is the advancement of the culinary profession and culinary awareness through education and certification of the membership and close interaction with other local organizations. The chapter membership is composed of chefs, cooks, culinary educators, students, and purveyors from Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas Counties and the surrounding metro area. Our chapter supports education of local area students seeking careers in the hospitality industry through our charitable and scholarship events.
Martin Luther King Neighborhood Center Coalition Freedom Swing Golf Tournament
For the third year CES came through with help and support in producing the MLK Jr. Freedom Swing Golf Tournament. Supporting this center is something we believe is part of us being a good neighbor. This event was the kick off for the funding of a Technology Lab for the neighborhood youth and citizens.
With nearly 60 golfers coming out on a beautiful day at the famous Bardmoor Golf and Tennis Club, we had a wonderful event. Complete with prizes and raffles and a lot of good golf, thousands of dollars were raised for the center.
Bringing Our Love to Central America
Reaching out to others sometimes has meant reaching way beyond Clearwater, Florida. On behalf of our great company, I’ve been to Ireland, Aruba, Curacao, and Colombia all to work helping communities around the globe with drug prevention.
This month I was invited to help two dedicated and benevolent friends in Central America. The warm and loving country of Honduras was our destination. Doubling up the horsepower, I was honored to bring our CES help to many educators in the country who sincerely want to help their youth to make wise decisions and thus have a happier life.
Using the effective materials from the Foundation for a Drug-Free World’s Truth about Drugs program and the brilliant booklet, The Way to Happiness, we were able to train many teachers on how to use these programs in their schools and communities.
We were so appreciated that I honestly marveled at all the hugs and kisses we received each day. Overall, we presented to over 700 people and were asked to come back soon.
Our country is one of great caring and I believe we are raised to serve others where we can. Visiting a country with so much need made me extremely proud to be an American and I found myself extra blessed to be living in our great nation.
Who knows where the winds take us next to help and promote goodness and real survival to our fellows! Stay tuned, I’m sure it will be a pleasant surprise!
