Sunday, August 31, 2014

China Southern Airlines Dignitary Gala at The Plaza Hotel


China Southern Airlines held a glamorous gala at The Plaza Hotel to celebrate their inaugural flight from Guangzhou, China to JFK.

This is China Southern Airline's new non-stop service between New York and Guangzhou that is meant to better connect the US and Chinese markets and further promote New York as a global destination. 

The evening gala featured a cocktail hour followed by a sit-down dinner in The Plaza’s Grand Ballroom, speeches by China Southern executives, a raffle and performances by China Southern’s flight attendants.

This unique international evening had an impressive roster of invited guests that included, WABC Host, NY Times bestselling author and TV Correspondent Rita Cosby, Actress Julianne Michelle and Political Filmmaker, Social Activist, and Actor Sean Stone.

Confirmed Government Officials included:
Kenneth E. Hyatt – Acting Under Secretary for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce
Ambassador Vinai Thummalapally –Executive Director, SelectUSA International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce
William Colton – Assemblyman, United States Government
Markly Wilson – Director of International Marketing for the New York State Division of Tourism, United States Government
Haitian Lu, United Nations
Ian Chan – Office Manager of Councilman Peter Koo, United States Government
Elaine Fan, United States Government
Liu Yiwei – Counselor
Li Xiaomei – Consul, Consulate General of China in New York
Liu Lian –Secretary of Consul General Sun Guoxiang

For more than 30 years, China Southern - www.csair.com - has been the largest airline in The People’s Republic of China and is headquartered at the ultra-modern Baiyun International Airport Guangzhou. China Southern operates a fleet of more than 550 aircraft and serves 193 cities in 30 countries and regions, forming an extensive network with Guangzhou and Beijing as its hubs. China Southern is a proud member of SkyTeam and together with member airlines offers passengers a worldwide system of more than 19,000 daily flights spanning more than 1,000 destinations in 187 countries.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

3rd Annual Edeyo Foundation Gives Hope Ball


The Edeyo Foundation held their 3rd annual Gives Hope Ball at the historic Liberty Theater. I was so excited to have the opportunity to cover this fundamental fundraiser for Haiti.

The evening raised much-needed funds for the Edeyo Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the future for children in Haiti through education.

The gala was hosted by Stephen Baldwin and sponsored by Uptown Magazine, Ciroc, Jet Blue, Soniq Chips and LDV Hospitality.

This fun-filled and colorful evening showcased Edeyo’s charitable programs abroad while exposing guests to the vibrant culture of Haiti. The ticketed evening’s program also included a cocktail hour, gourmet dinner, live auction, special guest musical performances by Grammy Award winning Jazz Guitarist Fabrizio Sotti & Gramm-Award winning recording artist, Melanie Fiona, music & dancing by Donna D. Cruz, and a brief interactive presentation to raise awareness about the mission of the Edeyo Foundation.

I wore a metallic green one shoulder gown from Laundry by Shelli Segal. I couldn’t imagine a more befitting choice for the Edeyo Gives Hope Ball. It was one of the first dresses I tried on and it ended up fitting like it was made just for me. The color was also absolutely perfect for the evening's theme. To complement the look I chose a pair of red and gold earrings by Jill Zarin. 

The Edeyo Foundation is dedicated to improving the future of children in Haiti through education, supplying students with learning materials and providing them with nutritional support. Edeyo in Haitian creole means “Help Them.” Since Edeyo was created in 2007, it has been responsible for the creation and management of a brand new primary school for students in the area of Bel Air in Port au Prince. École Communautaire du Bel-Air Herve Romain Cœur Joyeux (“École du Bel-Air”) currently serves about 220 students per year, all of whom had limited or no access to education until they enrolled in their program.

For more information or to donate, visit www.edeyo.org