We are beyond excited to present the “Game Changer Gala” for our February cover! Thanks so much to Co-Founders Steve Gleason and Michel Varisco Gleason with Host Committee Co-Chair Gayle Benson and Hyatt Regency General Manager Michael Smith for gracing our cover this month! They and many other famous faces – locally and nationally – who are Co-Charing and on the committees for this gala promise an exciting event for 800 people with a live auction and a unique menu by the Link Restaurant Group in partnership with the Hyatt Hotel on March 21 and a concert by Leon Bridges and St. Paul & The Broken Bones – more to be announced!
Honorees are: JP Morgan Chase and Lois Backon; the Chan Zuckerbeg Initiative; Pete Frates, posthumously; Dr. Jeffrey Rothstein; and Gayle Benson.
As you all know by now, Steve Gleason was the first NFL player to receive the Congressional Gold Medal! He received this highest honor for his tireless work as an advocate for ALS. We are all so proud of Steve and Michel Gleason bringing awareness and hope for those with ALS. He has the most positive outlook of anyone I know, except maybe his wife Michel! As a counter-culture athlete who spent his off-season adventuring in third world countries with his wife, he’ll always be remembered for his blocked punt on the night that the Louisiana Superdome opened for the first time after Katrina.
In January 2011, Steve was diagnosed with ALS, considered to be a terminal neuromuscular disease. It is his mission to show that patients can thrive after this diagnosis! Team Gleason is an organization driven to generate public awareness for ALS and is dedicated to raising funds to find a cure, and to empower those with ALS to be the best they can be after their diagnosis. Steve Gleason is certainly doing just that – thriving along with the help of his wife Michel and his whole family, including all of us in New Orleans and beyond!
For more information, to become a sponsor or to purchase a table, visit GameChangerGala.com or call 934-1037. Let us make this a disease of the past!
With Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras upon us, we have restaurant specials that will delight even the pickiest of eaters! Check out our feature and feast on your favorite New Orleans cuisine and new finds!
Our annual Couture Wedding Guide, written by our dear Sue Strachan, will give you ideas for every occasion from debutantes, to weddings and for Mardi Gras balls. We have amazing designers right here in town who are perfection!
Definitely look to our What’s Hot for Mardi Gras for the perfect accessory for you, your loved ones and your home to take your celebrations over the top!
The Thrift Stores run Bridge House / Grace House are part of their philosophy of rebirth. Their 11th annual “Recycled Fashion Show,” February 9 at Rock ’n’ Bowl, recruits local designers who showcase the possibilities of re-use. Each designer will put together two runway designs, highlighting what their thrift stores have to offer.
“Recycled Fashion Show” attendees aren’t only treated to a fashion show with more than 30 local designers, but they’ll also have a chance to bid on the outfits in the show. The event also features complimentary food from local restaurants, a silent auction (with additional items other than the outfits modeled on the runway), a cash bar and a raffle.
Tickets are $50 for VIP, $25 in advance and $40 day of. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 821-7134, or visit BridgeHouse.org/events/recycled-fashion-show.
Have a happy and safe Mardi Gras and have fun!
Beverly Reese Church
Cheryl Gerber captures the vibrancy and diversity of New Orleans women who have made their mark on the city in their own unique ways. Her photography is exquisite, and is highlighted by essays about the accomplishments of women such as Leah Chase, Irma Thomas, Mignon Faget and Trixie Minx. Also featured are prominent women’s groups like Mardi Gras Indians and the Krewe of Muses. The book is divided into 12 chapters, each celebrating women who are entertainers, socialites, activists, musicians, chefs, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders and burlesque artists! Her book is available at Garden District Bookshop and other retailers, and on Amazon. Check for book signings!
Ogham is a story of hidden relics. It spans over 2,000 years and touches on The Bible, young Jesus, the missing years of his life after age 12 and relics. This is a fascinating story about the years between then and now that moves from Judea to ancient and medieval England in the Reformation, involves British and Spanish kings, early North America and Nova Scotia and finally Acadia, Louisiana, then and modern day. The book involves the mystery associated with The Money Pit of Nova Scotia and religious relics from the early years of Jesus’ life ultimately found in south Louisiana on Oak Island and much more. Ogham is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Check for book signings! Congratulations to Chip Saunders!
