FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pin-Ups For Vets And Cooking With The Troops To Help Wounded Fight Post-Holiday Blues
Pin-Ups for Vets is joining with Cooking with the Troops for a special new year event at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. To fight the post-holiday blues, Gina Elise will be joining author Michael Z. Williamson and a chef team for a special food event to be held at the USO Warrior Center at Landstuhl. In addition, Gina and Mike will be making separate visits to the hospital and other facilities to visit with the wounded and their families.
Gina Elise started Pin-Ups for Vets several years ago after hearing about underfunded veterans healthcare programs, and about veterans who never received any visitors while in the hospital. In honor of her late "Grandpa Lou," a WWII Army veteran, she decided to produce a WWII-style pin-up calendar and sell them to provide funding to expand healthcare programs at VA and Military hospitals nationwide. To date, she has made bedside visits to 9 Veterans and Military hospitals in 12 states to deliver her donated calendars, and has raised $35,000 to improve programs for physical, cognitive, and occupational rehabilitation for our Nation's heroes.
The chef team will be headed by Ellen Adams, a professional chef who specializes in personal nutrition and chef services. A 20-year Air Force veteran, including service in Operation Iraqi Freedom, she used her GI benefits to attend culinary school in the U.S. and in Italy. She delights in preparing foods from around the world, has participated in the "Annual Gingerbread House Challenge" at the Grove Park Inn in Ashville, NC, and will be seen on an upcoming episode of the MTV show "Made" providing culinary and nutritional guidance.
Author Michael Z. Williamson is a veteran who has written fiction, non-fiction, and science fiction with military themes or topics. Born in the UK, his family immigrated to the U.S. and he joined the Air Force at 18. He has gone on to serve 25 years in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force, both on active duty and in the National Guard. His service includes deployments for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The event is designed to fill a post-holiday void in visits and events, and help raise morale. The meal, intended to serve 100-150 people, will be created based on seasonal availability, with an emphasis on local purchase and growth. To do this event, Cooking with the Troops is looking to raise $15,000. Donations can be made by check or online at
http://cwtt.org/donations.html via PayPal. Donors can note on the donation that it is for Fight Post-Holiday Blues.
Links:
http://cwtt.orghttp://pinupsforvets.com/http://www.redhotdish.com/index.htmlhttp://www.michaelzwilliamson.com/index.phpCooking with the Troops is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to supporting U.S. and Allied Troops, their families, and caregivers through special food events, culinary careers, front line support, and homefront support. For more information, please contact Susan Katz Keating, Director of Communications, at
skeating@cwtt.org or C. Blake Powers, CEO, at
ceo@cwtt.org.