Divas Feed the Hungry & Clothe Our Own

Posted by Lisa Sullivan, 1 year, 3 months ago at 5:01 pm. 4 comments

Tweet Divas 8

Last night, 15 Triangle Tweet Divas gathered at Raleigh’s Hi5 Restaurant for some great conversation, a little mixing and mingling, and pitched in to give back to two worthy charities – the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and Abbey Gail’s Re-Chic Boutique.

Though the numbers were smaller than usual (thanks to three additional events going on the same night), the intimate setting made for some lively conversation while allowing the ladies to connect (or reconnect) with those they already know online.

Ilina Ewen, Jennifer Newmeyer, & Heather O'Sullivan

Thanks to a suggestion by “charter” Diva, Ilina Ewen (@Ilinap), we spent a few moments introducing ourselves to the group.  New connections were made (including some possible collaborations), super interesting stories were told, and the laughter could be heard across the restaurant (OK…maybe I’m exaggerating that last part.).

This was probably one of our BEST Tweet Divas events to date…and I really can’t explain why.  To watch the ladies get to know each other a little better, realize they have common interests, to watch them collaborate on solutions to some of the problems plaguing our local society, to watch them laugh, all of it was truly special.

Ilina told us a heart-breaking story of a homeless mother & 4 children living in their car that she knows personally.  We all talked about solutions and Jennifer Newmeyer (@CharityJen & @FoodBankCENC) followed up with an email today with some local charities that might be able to assist them.

AlishaTV all smiles

Alisha Whiteway (@AlishaTV) shared her tale of having recently interviewed Stacy London from What Not to Wear during the Grand Opening of the New Tanger Outlets.  While the story in and of itself was interesting, later she and Kelly Duffort (@KellyDuffort) connected to talk collaboration for a project Alisha’s working on.

Danielle Baldwin (@LDBaldwin) shared how some pieces of her jewelry collection were recently sold.  Danielle works full-time for UNC-G, monitors 24 Twitter accounts (some for her day job and others for on-going clients/interests), recently took up Yoga, and somehow finds time to design jewelry.  More than that, Danielle has a HUGE heart and is often giving her time, talents, or resources for causes she believes in.

One of my favorite stories from the night was meeting Erica Strother (@ens0204) and discovering that her father, a Methodist Minister, is heading down to Haiti today to begin construction on an orphanage that was destroyed during the January Quake.  Turns out the orphanage is the very one our special guest Helen Little of Horne United Methodist Church in Clayton, North Carolina told us of back in February during our “Tweet Divas 4 Haiti” event.  That night we raised $400 for their orphanage.  It’s not only nice to hear about the progress but absolutely amazing to have met Erica, a connection to the very same cause.  Small world.

Donations for Abbey Gail's Re-Chic Boutique

These are just a few examples of some of the intimate conversations that took place last evening.  Add to that the 8 stuffed bags of clothes (remember, there were only 15 people in attendance!), several bags of canned goods or the Food Bank, it was truly a remarkable evening.

We have hosted 8 Tweet Divas gatherings (6 on our own and 2 co-sponsored) in the last year.  During that time we have raised close to $1500 (including last night’s donations) for worthy women’s causes in our community.  Each of our gatherings is always full of amazing, talented, wonderful women who have a heart for connecting, being connected, & giving back.

If you haven’t attended one of our events but have been meaning to, we hope you will join us in 2011.  Last night’s was our last “official” gathering of the year.  We’ll be working on a more solidified Calendar for 2011, including dates, new places to gather, and new charities to support.  Keep watching this site for more details.

Dawn Crawford, Fadra Nally, and organizer, Lisa Sullivan

In the meantime, whether you attended or missed last evening, here are some links to upcoming networking gatherings that include a charitable cause, each of which was mentioned:

The #Movember Gala, supporting our Triangle men who are fundraising for men’s Cancer research, awareness, and a cure will take place on November 30th at Crabtree Tavern.  Limited tickets available so hurry up & get yours!

Merry Mingle on December 2nd at Brier Creek CC, sponsored by 5 leading Triangle-area professional organizations and supporting the Interfaith Food Shuttle.  Tickets are also going fast for this so hurry!

“Be a Kid’s Santa for the Holidays” organized by the Raleigh Jaycees, supported by the Raleigh Events for a Cause Meetup group, needs 100 Chaperones for the afternoon of December 12th for gift-giving & merriment for needy children in our community.

And that’s all she wrote!

The Tweet Divas wish you & yours the happiest of holiday seasons.  May you experience the blessings and joy of what the Season means.  Please don’t forget about the less fortunate in your community too.  Give your time, talent, and/or resources to make someone else’s life a little merrier this holiday season.

See you 2011!