Thursday, October 30, 2008

Thanks to Everyone Who Made October 29th Special for Someplace Special and the Children in Ghana

The Press conference is over.
Finally I can breathe and finally I get a chance to write! Forgive me for taking so long to get to it. As you know I am pretty busy at work, but it is now time to thank everyone out there.

There were many people in my store Wednesday, October 29th, and I had a wonderful time. So many things happened and there are so many people I must thank.

Of course, the first people I must thank are the people working for the children in Ghana. Without their love for the children and their commitment to help get the word out, I would not have found out about what was happening and been so moved to help.

So I want to thank:

Eric Peasah, Slava Madorsky, and Niurka Pineiro from the IOM. Truly, they are wonderful people and the world is a better place because of them.

Everyone from Oriental Trading Company who went out of their way to make my winning the contest a wonderful event. Yes, they certainly do "Make the World More Fun!"

Craig Katz and Linda Chokoverty, who helped with some of the planning and set up events at Mount Sinai Hospital and at their home.

The Monroe College SIFE team who raised money by selling bracelets that contain the name of one of the children I sponsor, Welcome and who are thinking up business plans for the moms in Ghana so they will become self-sufficient and not feel forced to sell their children to traffickers. In fact, the SIFE team will continue to support the IOM and sell bracelets and make money to help support the children.

The news organizations who covered the event: The Daily News, The Caribbean News, the Riverdale Press and the Bronx News, along with countless Blogs who featured me like Bronx Mama, Mommy Poppins, Boogiedowner, and others.

Bruce Silverman who is technincally not with the news but who videotaped the event for the Oriental Trading Company.

David Bonanno who helped make my store look great, and is an all around nice guy.

Eliot Engel, who attended the ceremony at my store, and added me to the congressional record, I could not believe it! And Oliver Koppell who came to Monroe college to speak about the problem of child trafficking with the SIFE team and Mr. Peasah..

I ESPECIALLY want to thank my customers, and new and old and friends and relatives who voted for me in the contest, without whom I wouldn't be writing this today! Click on this, and see the story that won!

AND, of course my sweet wonderful husband Gary Axelbank, who helped me with EVERY aspect of this event (and my life) and set up some great PR, and finally got me on to BronxTalk, his TV show on channel 67! Now that was fun!

I am sure there are more of you to thank for one of the most wonderful days I ever had, but we will get to that, and post photos as soon as there is time. THANKS ALL!!!!!

And let's keep helping those children! You can bring any donations to me or send them to USAIM yourself. The truth is I was doing this before the contest and I'll continue to support them after the contest!

And if there is anyone out there who wants to send me to Ghana, so I can bring some donations personally, just give me a call!

No comments: