Celebrity Serve 2011

Interested in eating out on the town tomorrow evening, Tuesday April 12 in Boone, NC?
Ah, then read on and if you're curiosity is peaked.

Celebrity Serve is a local fundraising effort by local restaurants of Boone and Blowing Rock dedicated to raising money for local charities or nonprofit organizations. Celebrity Serve is in it's sixth year and this year will be benefiting OASIS (Opposing Abuse with Service, Information, and Shelter), a local nonprofit organization founded in 1978 dedicated to ending domestic and sexual abuse in Watuaga County.

This year's "celebrity servers" are local personalities ranging from the Appalachian State University coaches or athletes to Boone's local meteorologist, Ray Russell.

All tips and a percentage of the sales all go toward funds for OASIS if you eat at the following restaurants:

Bandana's
Boone Drug
Casa Rustica
Galileo's
Makoto's
Mr. Original Gyros
Panera Bread
Pepper's
Primo's - I will be working and helping serve!
Storie Street Grill
The Peddler Steakhouse
The Town Tavern
Troy's Diner
Woodland's BBQ

Definitely come out at the town and enjoy some great local dining and helping a local nonprofit organization. It's a win/win situation. Even a small town like Boone can make the greatest difference.

See you all tomorrow evening! (I hope)
Remember - percentage of sales and ALL tips go toward Oasis!

- Melissa

OBSESSED 002: TOMS SHOES

"With every pair you purchase,
TOMS will give a pair of new shoes
to a child in need. One For One."

If you don't already know about TOMS, Which rock have you been living under?!
This is a business started by Blake Mycoskie that takes their customers and create benefactors. Instead of relying on fundraising, they allow for a sustainable business that makes profit and donates right back to their cause too. As someone who is majoring in Public Relations with a focus on nonprofit organizations, I can't help but look up to TOMS Shoes as a respectable business and plus, I love their shoes.

Here are my own pairs I've purchased.

So far they've traveled to Argentina, Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Africa, and the U.S. for shoe drops. Hopefully I'll be able to participate in one of them! They've got great styles and always coming up with new ones.
Currently the ones I have my eye:

How do you know the shoes are getting to the kids?
TOMS Shoes provides a Giving Report. It is a 11 page report that breaks down where the shoes go, to whom, etc. One of my classmates argued with me about the validity of TOMS Shoes one time.

As a class we had read a case study about Kasky vs Nike. Nike was accused of lax labor laws and she was arguing that even though she knew about them abandoning labor laws, she would still purchase their shoes because of their "quality". When I rebutted, stating that there are other companies that do good with their products, like TOMS Shoes, she (in a not so nice tone, might I add) criticized TOMS by replying "Do you know if the shoes actually get there?" and my answer now is YES, THEY DO. Here's your proof fellow public relations major.

REMEMBER, APRIL 5 IS ONE DAY WITHOUT SHOES.

If you don't have a pair of TOMS, just think about it :]