Project Angel Food Auction

This year at Divine Design, the West Coast's premiere fashion and home shopping event, 100% of proceeds from sales will directly benefit Project Angel Food's mission to nourish the body and spirit of men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses.

At the event, leading designers donate gorgeous fashions, furniture, beauty and gift items that are sold 50%-90% off retail. Trina, a line of luxury cosmetic bags, is donating close to $20,000 worth of product for the event but will also be raising additional money for Project Angel Food in a special auction on E-Bay starting December 5.

Auctioned off with be several fabulous Trina bags signed by your favorite celebrities including:

John Mayer

Adam Sandler

Neil Patrick Harris and the cast of How I Met Your Mother

Vanessa Williams, Eric Mabius, Michael Urie and Ashley Jensen from Ugly Betty

Ryan Seacrest

Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Judd Apatow, producer of Step Brothers, Superbad, and 40 Year-Old Virgin

Actors from LOST

Enjoy! Makes a great holiday gift!

Soul Patrol ornaments are here!

I just received this from the New England Soul Patrol:

Happy Holidays Soul Patrol! The 2008 Annual SP Holiday Ornaments have arrived. This year we are helping the Home for Little Wanderers-a well known charity that helps children and families in need. They especially appreciate donations this holiday season with the current situation in our economy. For more info or to order the ornaments just go to:

http://newenglandsoulpatrol.org/mybb/showthread.php?tid=3139

Here is a photo.

Place your order now so you can receive by holiday time!

Update on Alonzo Mourning...Keep it up!

Since just one week ago, a total of $129,000 has been raised with donations streaming in from all over the country. There is still $171,000 to be raised and Zo's Fund for Life urgently needs yours as well as the public's support as we approach our goal.

Check out the last post here about Alonzo's cause!

NBA Star Alonzo Mourning Needs Urgent Help!

Alonzo Mourning (who will be featured here later this month!) knows what it's like to fight for his life and now he's hoping to help a 3-year-old boy do the same. Please read below and do what you can to spread the word...thanks. In this holiday season, a gift of life is the best gift of all.

Zo's Fund For Life Urges the Public to Join Campaign to "Give Omar Life"

Alonzo Mourning, NBA All-Star and Founder of Zo's Fund For Life, an organization Mourning launched shortly after he learned he would need an organ transplant announced that he is leading a campaign to quickly raise funds for a three-year-old boy named Omar Ferguson who is in desperate need of a liver transplant. The announcement was made during a news conference at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center campus in Miami.

Little Omar lies in a hospital bed this holiday season at the Holtz Children's Hospital at UM/Jackson. He has been diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, a rare condition he acquired as a newborn in which the common bile duct between the liver and small intestine is blocked or absent. Most patients with this diagnosis will undergo a procedure as infants to remove the atretic biliary ducts outside the liver and attach the small intestine directly to the liver at the spot where bile is found or expected to drain in an effort to re-establish bile flow. If this procedure is done before two months of age, success is likely.

Omar was not fortunate enough to have received this procedure as an infant and as a result the blocked bile flow has caused severe liver cirrhosis which has led to liver failure. He is in end-stage cirrhosis experiencing complications including life-threatening intestinal bleeding, fluid retention in the abdomen (ascites), and abnormal blood ammonia levels which, if left untreated, can result in coma. The only effective treatment option for Omar to survive is a liver transplant.

Omar is without health insurance, so the only way for him to be placed on the transplant waiting list is when the total cost of the liver transplant, including physician and facility fees, of $300,000 is raised and paid to the hospital. Due to the severity of Omar's illness, he will be given priority once he is placed on the transplant waiting list. Liver transplant survival rates are excellent with over 90% survival in the first year and patients can move on to leading normal lives.

Zo's Fund for Life recognizes the importance of giving Omar the chance to live and is donating $50,000 towards his transplant. "Omar is a true fighter as most kids with this disease don't live past the age of two," said Mourning who is also a spokesperson for the Miami Transplant Institute at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and serves on the Institutes advisory board. "Omar deserves a chance at life and with your help we can give him the gift of transplant that keeps on giving this holiday season."

"The child is in Holtz Children's Hospital and his condition is critical. He needs to have a liver transplant before he has more complications from his liver disease which could further compromise his outlook," said Andreas G. Tzakis, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Liver/GI Transplant Surgery, Director of the Miami Transplant Institute, and Professor of Surgery at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital and Miami Transplant Institute. "We are very thankful to Alonzo for his commitment to transplantation and help to the needy. His help could not have come at a better time."

In the spirit and season of giving, Mourning is urging the public to help save Omar's life and donate as much and as soon as possible. Show gratitude for your good fortune and give to those who are less fortunate, like Omar, because you can truly make a difference in his life today by donating to Zo's Fund for Life's "Give Omar Life" fund. Donations are tax-deductible and accepted by:
· Debit or credit card via PayPal at www.ZosFundForLife.org/Omar or by calling 1-888-520-ZFFL (9335) or email Amanda@ZosFundForLife.org.
· Mail a check payable to Zo's Fund For Life (reference: Omar) at Zo's Fund for Life, PO Box 330110, Miami, FL 33233.
· Drop off cash or overnight/courier a check to Alonzo Mourning Charities, Inc., c/o Zo's Fund For Life, 2901 Florida Avenue, Suite 806, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133.
· Wire transfer to Zo's Fund for Life, Regions Bank, 2800 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, FL, Account #: 9660220568, ABA/Routing #: 062000019.

For more information, visit www.ZosFundForLife.org, call 1-888-520-ZFFL (9335), or email Amanda@ZosFundForLife.org.