Miles James, Vince Pianalto and Jason Willems joined forces once again to provide chocolate-inspired dishes, chocolate dessert creations and wine pairings, respectively, for Ooh! la, la! The annual benefit for the Jackson L. Graves Foundation on Feb. 7 at the Garden Room in Fayetteville raised some $8,000 for the foundation.
Those tasting chocolate treats included Kim and Mark Dutton, Mary and Fred Scarborough, Sheryl and Greg Harton, Mitzi andTim Traxson, Kelly Zega, Erin and Blair Brady and Jim Sandlin.
The third annual Denim and Diamonds Gala at Cherokee Casino in West Siloam Springs, Okla., saw more than 300 attendees who helped the Springdale Benevolent Foundation, the giving arm of the Rodeo of the Ozarks, rope in about $25,000 to help support children’s programs and scholarships.
The foundation provides scholarships to students at Springdale and Har-Ber high schools who plan to major in agricultural studies. The group plans to add more eligible schools in the coming years.
Those donning denim and diamonds for the foundation included Kellye McElroy Smith and Steve Smith, Lynn and Tom Reed, Fadil Bayyari, Tex Holt, Carol Lynn and Don Gibson, Jeanne Harp, Debbie and David Dodd and Rick Culver.
Go Red for Women celebrated 10 years in Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers. The annual boutique and education expo included the always popular Purse-anality purse auction and concluded with lunch (heart-healthy, naturally) and keynote speaker Kirk Herbstreit, college football analyst for ABC/ ESPN. The more than 1,400 luncheon guests helped raise $310,000 to fight heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of women.
Herbstreit warmed up the Northwest Arkansas crowd the way any smart, seasoned visitor to the area would - with an invitation to call the Hogs. (Actually, he called it “the chant,” but he knows better now.)
Before talking football, Herbstreit shared with us his experience with heart disease - something he said he hadn’t shared publicly before. He discovered in his early 30s he has cardiomyopathy, in the form of an enlarged left ventricle. The 43-year-old father of four added more cardio to his exercise regimen, eats healthfully and has an annual echocardiogram to stay on top of the condition.
When the topic turned to football, the analyst and former quarterback who played against Bret Bielema in college, said “You got a great coach” and told us to expect an exciting season with Coach Bielema.
He said he appreciates the passion of SEC fans and, after taking a number of questions from women at the luncheon, said “One of the things that separates the SEC from the rest of the world is that SEC women follow their college football.”
Those going red for women’s hearthealth included 2013 co-chairwomen Dijuana Lewis and Nancy Mueller, 2014 co-chairmen Celia Swanson and Scott Salmon, Suzy Fehlig, Jamie Davis, Carrie Moore, Betsy Phillips, Leslie Lentz,Laresa and Dan McKay and Anthony Biggers.
Columnist Carin Schoppmeyer can be reached by email at [email protected].
Northwest Profile, Pages 35 on 02/17/2013