Pinup Girl Wants To Win and Donate More to Veterans

Pinups For Vets Update

by Gina the PinUp Girl
 
An update is overdue!  There have been some exciting things going on with the project lately!  Some of you may have seen my updates on Facebook.  By the way, if you are a member of Facebook, please add me!  You can find my profile by searching [email protected].  I’d like to keep in touch with you on there and I constantly provide project updates and pix! 
 
Before I get on to the project news, I would like to ask you a favor.  L’Oreal Paris has an award called Women of Worth.  They pick women making a difference in their community.  The winner gets to donate $25,000 to the cause of their choice…and I would LOVE to be able to donate this money to a rehab program for our brave Wounded Warriors and Vets.  I was wondering, if you have a spare moment, if you could visit www.womenofworth.com and nominate me, Gina Elise, for the Pin-Ups For Vets project.  There are four questions to answer and it should only take a few minutes.  I figure the more people nominate the project, the more the committee will take notice…and we might actually get a shot at donating this money to our brave heroes!!!!!  My fingers are crossed!!!!!  The deadline to nominate is 7/13/09 and the winners are announced in October.

I would be so appreciative if you would do this for me!  http://www.womenofworth.com/

Here are some project highlights to possibly mention on the nomination form:

*I have donated $20,000 so far to rehab programs for military and VA hospitals
*This is the 3rd calendar–project started in June of 2006
* I travel all around the US to military and VA hospitals to deliver donated calendars myself to meet Vets and Wounded Warriors at their bedside to put a smile on their face and thank them for their service! 🙂
*I have sent hundreds of calendars overseas to deployed military to boost troop morale

*Have received  awards
-2007 Outstanding Young Californian from Junior Chamber of Commerce and CA Jaycees
-2009 Volunteer of the Year LA Business Journal’s Women Making a Difference Awards

*7 flags flown over military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan in honor of the project
Thank you so so much!
 

NOW ON TO PROJECT NEWS!!!!! 
 
I was quite honored to receive the "Volunteer of the Year" award by the LA Business Journal on May 5th.  They put on an event called "Women Making a Difference Awards".  They started off with 300 nominees and narrowed my category down to 28 people.  I was then chosen for my volunteer work on the Pin-Ups For Vets project.  I was quite shocked and had to make a speech in front of 500 people, which I was completely unprepared for because I never thought I’d win!  

Here’s a shot of me w/award.  The speaker at this event was Lynda Resnick–owner and CEO of POM, Fiji Water and Telaflora.  She is an incredible business woman and had many good pieces of advice for the nominees.

The last couple months I have really been focusing on fundraising.  I would love to be able to donate another $15,000-$20,000 this year to a rehab program at a military or VA hospital.
 
I rode atop a WWII vehicle  in the annual Salute To Vets parade in Riverside in April. I met some amazing active duty military and Veterans and sold calendars there.  The WWII vehicle actually took off without me as the parade began, because I was busy selling calendars to the Vets in the parking lot and had to go running down the street to catch up with it!!!  I’m sure many of you would have laughed, seeing that!  🙂  Afterwards, I set up a table to do some fundraising.

Also got invited to do some fundraising at the Hollywood American Legion Post 43.  They were screening a WWII documentary film called "Americans on D-Day"  http://www.theamericansondday.com/
I met the members of a military re-enactment group there!  These guys are awesome!

Another great event I attended to do fundraising was put on by Lily Burana of Operation Bombshell.  Lily teaches military wives how to burlesque dance to lift their spirits.  She also just came out with a book called "I Love a Man in Uniform".  Lily is a former exotic dancer, now married to a Military Intelligence Officer and has written two previous books. She was nice enough to let me come to the event to do fundraising there.  The event was hosted by Oscar winning screenwriter, Diablo Cody (She wrote Juno)!!!  Below is a shot of me and Lily with her book.

Finally, I attended the Redlands Classic Car show put on by the Redlands Fire Department.  They were kind enough to let me sell calendars at a table there!  And…of course…I got to pose with some amazing cars!!!
 
To see more pix from each event, please visit page 26 of "In the Field" link on my website http://www.pinupsforvets.com/

I wanted to thank you again for your continued support of this project.  As always, please pass on the website to any friends or family interested in supporting the cause.  They can buy a calendar for themself, for a hospitalized Vet (which I deliver myself) or for a deployed military and I am still getting many requests from units overseas for calendars.  Have lots more 2009 calendars left!  Best wishes for a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.
 
Love,
Gina
http://www.pinupsforvets.com/