Jenifer
--
Jenifer Howard
J. Howard Public Relations
203-273-4246
Email: jhoward1@optonline.net
Twitter: jhowardpr
R.A.M.P.
Rockin’ Appalachian Mom Project
Prepared by: R.A.M.P.
Rockin’ Appalachian Mom Project
187 Sound Beach Avenue
Old Greenwich, CT 06870
www.RAMPAmerica.org <http://www.RAMPAmerica.org>
Contact: Jenifer Howard For Immediate Release
Jhoward1@optonline.net mailto:Jhoward1@optonline.net
203-273-4246
“GIVE IN-STYLE” EVENT
TO HELP CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN APPALACHIA
Benefit Luncheon Held in Old Greenwich – Thursday, June 4, 2009
(OLD GREENWICH, Conn., May 26, 2009) – A special benefit to “Give In-Syle” is being held Thursday, June 4, 2009, from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m., at a beautiful private home along the shore of Old Greenwich, Conn., to held children in need. The event, which is open to the public, is organized by R.A.M.P. – the Rockin’ Appalachian Mom Project – founded by Old Greenwich, Conn., resident, mom, and entrepreneur, Amy Guerrieri. Tickets for the luncheon, which go to directly support children and families-in-need in the Appalachian area of eastern Kentucky, are $40 per person, plus a package of diapers. Tickets can be reserved in advance by emailing RAMPinCT@gmail.com mailto:RAMPinCT@gmail.com or calling 203-940-1152.
The R.A.M.P. “Give In-Style” Benefit will feature special presentations by Katrina Bischoff with A-Dress the Issue, Yana Mayerman of Pastiche, Inc., of Old Greenwich, and Marcia Tucker, Interior Designer. Katrina Bischoff is an image consultant who will provide tips on how to make the most out of your closet and the clothes you own, and provide you with a brand new style! Bischoff has worked in the Chicago Apparel Center, as public relations director with Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills, and with On the Scene Productions, where Bischoff worked side-by-side with celebrities, producers, directors and set designers, arranging wardrobes for print, film and celebrity talent. Yana Mayerman, proprietor of Pastiche Inc., a hip and fun women’s clothing store in Old Greenwich, Conn., will present fashion basic must-haves and accessories, and will illustrate how to include these stapes into your wardrobe. Marcia Tucker, interior designer, will discuss great ways to update your house easily and within budget. She will showcase how to stage your home like a pro, for daily living or for resale, and how to accessorize your home to bring out its best assets.
LexZee Catering of Old Greenwich will provide light fare at the event. A silent auction will feature great items such as: two Tickets to the Wine Spectator 2009 New York Wine Experience - A weekend of wine, including evening tastings featuring more than 200 wineries from around the world, daytime tasting seminars, lunches, the black-tie Grand Award banquet, and more: October 22-24 in New York. Gift certificates from Pastiche, Inc., Abigail DeG. Fox Designs, Maria Livesay Salon, and consultations for the Ultimate Closet, Packing for a Trip or a Vacation, and Interior Design Consultation. Event photography and media sponsorship are provided by Fairfield County Look (http://www.fairfieldcountylook.com)./
Why does R.A.M.P. support Appalachia? It is easy to associate extreme poverty with other countries, far away from America, forgetting the fact that poverty is very much a reality for some children and their families, here in the United States. Recent news reports on Appalachia illustrated the difficult life in the Appalachian Mountain areas of eastern Kentucky. The news stories instilled an immediate need to help these children and their families who live in unthinkable conditions, going without many items that Americans take for granted, like clean water, food, proper medical care, education, school supplies and personal hygiene items. Residents of Appalachia live in an area of the U.S. with three times the national poverty rate, and the shortest life span in the nation. While you may think times are tough here in your own community, life in Appalachia is even more of a daily struggle, just to survive.
Amy Guerrieri, an Old Greenwich resident, business owner, and mom of four young children, has committed herself and R.A.M.P. - the Rockin' Appalachian Mom Project - to finding a way to help these families-in-need through monetary and item donations that go specifically toward improving their overall nutrition, health, and quality of life -- working community to community, family to family, to make a difference.
Mrs. Guerrieri was recently profiled for her efforts to help families in the Appalachian region of Kentucky on a NBC Nightly News story on “making a difference.” (For the NBC Nightly News story, see: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29963717#29963717). Since that time, Mrs. Guerrieri has taken several truckloads of donated items to Kentucky and traveled to the area personally to oversee the distribution of goods. It is her goal to make several trips to the impoverished area of Martin County, Kentucky, a couple times a year, working individually with families to make a real difference in their lives. The funds raised from the June 4th benefit event will go towards making repairs on some families’ homes and purchasing some specific household items and furniture for the many families of the Appalachian region that were recently devastated by the extreme flooding in the area that happened in early May. Many of the families lost everything in the floods – their furniture, clothing, and personal items. The sad part is that while the flood waters have receded, the impact of the flooding will be felt in the area for many years to come, as families are hesitant to part with beds and furniture that were ruined in the flood because they cannot afford to replace them. Instead, some may live with the waterlogged and mold-infested items, and in turn, suffer health issues from the mold that has developed in and around their homes.
“The poverty in the Appalachian area is astounding,” said Amy Guerrieri, founder of R.A.M.P. “It is like nothing I had ever experienced before. It is different than poverty in an inner city. In most of the U.S., people have infrastructure and services in place to help them. In Appalachia, there are very few industries and even fewer social services. Things we take for granted, like garbage pick-up are non-existent in the area. Because of this, the residents don’t have access to get help like people do in other parts of the country.” Guerrieri also noted that the mountain remoteness of the area is also a factor; however, getting to the Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky is only a ten-hour drive from Connecticut. “Not so far,” said Guerrieri. She also said, “The Appalachian region stretches from southern New York to northern Mississippi – 205,000 square miles, with 42 percent of the region’s population in rural areas. While we know we can’t take on all of it, we do know that if we focus our efforts on a region at a time, with a couple families at a time, we know we can make a difference in their lives.”
Guerrieri has already motivated others in her community and beyond to donate items to help families in Appalachia. So far, she has donated more than two full semi tractor trailer truckloads of clothes, baby products, books, school supplies, personal hygiene items, and Rockin’ Water, a product Guerrieri developed that is a vitamin enhanced water for kids.
For more information or to order a ticket to the R.A.M.P. “Give In-Style” benefit, call 203-940-1152 or email RAMPinCT@gmail.com. To learn more about R.A.M.P., visit http://www.rampamerica.org./
# # #
No comments:
Post a Comment