I could find poems or songs to help me express the gratitude I feel for everyone who participated in the Second Annual Lovely Rita Fundraiser to benefit the National Kidney Foundation, but two words say it best: THANK YOU.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the calendar photoshoot, bought a calendar, donated raffle items, bought raffle tickets, attended the dance recital, donated money through Rita's kidney website... Thank you to all of the girls who danced on Sunday. Thank you to their friends and families for allowing them to share their time with us. Thank you to Andrea Becker, who helped choreograph a couple of the dances and donated many items for the raffle.
THANK YOU TO THE GIRLS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE FUNDRAISER:
Dancers:
Marilyn
Tina
Grace
"Stephanie Nicole"
Yolanda T.
Sam
Jenelle
Paola
Gina
Chelsea "Pink Flamingo"
"Shimmies Galore"
Sharon
And, of course, RITA! (ADORABLE performance, by the way!)
(Oh yeah, and me too -- Lori.)
Pole Cleaners:
Isabel
Carmen
Jessica
Jenny
Samantha
Sandra
To Edna for selling raffle tickets at the event for us!
To Edna for selling raffle tickets at the event for us!
(I went through that list three times and if I forgot anyone, I AM SO SORRY, please let me know and I will update this list!)
To our amazing singer, Yolanda B., who rocked it TWICE for us! You have an amazing voice, lady!!!
I thanked her above for dancing, but THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to Stephanie Nicole le Dream, who came out to perform for Rita even though she had another show that night at Club 1220 in Walnut Creek. If you ever want to attend a fun drag show, check out Stephanie, along with a host of other amazing girls, on the first and third Sunday of each month, starting at 9:30 p.m., at Club 1220.
Thank you to Shelly Lamb, who is now teaching at Twirly Girls, and is about to go to New York for competition. GOOD LUCK! You have the entire Twirly Girl family rooting you on. And thank you, Shelly, for coming out to the fundraiser and performing, even though you had been teaching so far away that day. You are an amazing performer and so fun to watch.
So far, we have raised about $2,000 for the National Kidney Foundation.
So far, we have raised about $2,000 for the National Kidney Foundation.
THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO DONATED TO THE RAFFLE:
Bel Jeremiah of Twirly Girls Pole Fitness
www.twirlygirlspolefitness.com
Doug Korb of DK Designs
Doug's e-mail
Twisted Silver
www.twirlygirlspolefitness.com
Doug Korb of DK Designs
Doug's e-mail
Twisted Silver
hOney
Inspire Fitness Boot Camps
Mighty Grip
http://www.mightygrip.com/
Sephora items donated through Isabel Sum Contreras
Baskets donated by Shelley Clark
Sephora items donated through Isabel Sum Contreras
Baskets donated by Shelley Clark
Jenny Gain, Wellness International Network
http://www.synergywellnessgroup.com/
Theresa Taylor Grutzeck at The Rouge
(510) 651-4701
Jennifer of PoleSkivvies
http://www.poleskivvies.com
Gerri Levitas of Bay Healing
www.bayhealing.com
Joe Baptist (retired Air Force firearms instructor)
Gerri Levitas of Bay Healing
www.bayhealing.com
Joe Baptist (retired Air Force firearms instructor)
Just By Touch
Primal Fit Boot Camp
www.primalfitbootcamp.com
Roxanne Freitas-Souza at Motives
Toni Reyes at Christopher's Salon
Rocco's Pizzeria
We also want to thank:
The Real Karaoke Joe
The Real Karaoke Joe
Cake Queen, Michael Villa
underwater@sbcglobalnet
And let's not forget the companies that helped fund the printing of our Lovely Rita calendar (we still have a three or four available for sale...only $5):
Physicians' Youthful Resolutions
www.youthfulresolutions.com
Penninsula Women's Health
www.penninsulawomenshealth.com
Tri-Valley Bodyworks
www.trivalleybodyworks.com
The Pole Dancing Shop
www.thepoledancingshop.com
Douglas Korb, Remax
www.dougkorb.com
Thank you to Andrew of Liquidpulp Photography (www.liquidpulp.com) for taking the photos at the calendar shoot AND at the fundraiser; and thanks to Anh Thu Tran for doing make-up the day of the shoot (and supporting the Twirly Girls by coming to the fundraiser).
Rita and I again would like to thank Bel of Twirly Girls Pole Fitness (www.twirlygirlspolefitness.com) for being so generous with her time and studio! We know she is a busy lady, but she always makes time for her Twirly Girls and we love her for that!
I personally want to thank Rita for being a good friend and keeping my life interesting and fun. She is one of the most honest and trustworthy people I have ever met. I appreciate her sharing her daughter, Kate, with me. And I even appreciate her sharing her husband, Dave, with me (no, not in THAT way). He says the funniest $hit sometimes.
One of the things I love about Twirly Girls is how supportive all the girls are of each other. We are all at different levels. We are all different ages, shapes and sizes. Hell, some of us aren't even actually girls. But we all get along, love each other and support each other. It truly is a family. It is a beautiful thing. And I am thankful every day to have the Twirly Girls in my life.
We have one last fundraiser at Rocco's in Walnut Creek next Thursday, April 28th. If you let them know you are there for Rita's fundraiser, they will donate a portion of the sales to Rita's walk. This is valid all day, for take-out and dine-in. Rita and I, along with many others, will be there in the evening for dinner if you would like to join us.
If you'd just like to donate to TEAM KIDNEY, please check out this link:
You can also join the Lovely Rita fan page on Facebook to be kept up to date on future events:
Rita and I (along with many others) will be doing the Kidney Walk in San Francisco on Saturday, May 7th. Please feel free to join us for a beautiful walk along the Embarcadero!
I know this is really long and I apologize for that, but before I go, I wanted to let you know where you can find photos and videos from the event.
Flickr link (this is my account but I am gathering photos from all over to keep together. So far, I have photos from Andrew, Rita, Grace and myself. Keep checking back because I know there are more photos coming):
Videos on my YouTube account (might have to scroll around...look for videos uploaded around April 18, 2011):
Videos on Rita's YouTube account:
Videos on Twirly Girls' YouTube account (might not have any videos from the fundraiser but there are other fun videos on there):
See you next year! Check out my blog from yesterday...where I set a goal for the THIRD annual Lovely Rita Fundraiser!
that is awesome, Lori! sorry I couldn't be there Sunday. will be giving a donation when I see Rita next. great post!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Robert!! :-D
ReplyDelete