Author Archive

As we all know not every ingredient in your pantry makes a cake, but if certain ingredients are mixed together with love and care, you can create something delicious!  Tracy Queensberry has managed to combine just the right ingredients into Icing Smiles.  Icing Smiles is her nonprofit organization that she has poured her heart into, providing customized celebration cakes and other treats to families impacted by the critical illness of a child.  It is similar to the Make a Wish Foundation but for children and siblings that are celebrating their birthdays while undergoing medical treatments.

The creation of this incredible Cake started with the 1st ingredient, Tracy Queensberry.  Tracy was in the corporate world working for Marriott Hotels for several years prior to moving to Ohio.  She decided to be creative and do something on her own and something she enjoyed.  Thus, Icing Smiles was launched!  Partnering up with Ronald McDonald House in Ohio, recruiting several bakers and starting a fan base on Facebook, Icing Smiles caught on quickly, and in one year’s time her fans rose to 3,000.  A nonprofit called “A Kid Again Foundation” found her and also asked to be added to the batch of ingredients, adding and creating their own flavor to the mix.  One by one more was added to the mix: Normal Moments, Kate Sullivan’s Lovin Sullivan Cakes, Sweet Anne’s of Powell, Olga’s Creation’s of Detroit, and The Cakery of North Aurora – and it continues to grow.  Some of the main ingredients that make the consistency sweet is Mark Williams Photography of Dublin,  Cucurbita Cakes of Circleville,  Lovin Sullivan Cakes of NYC, Alliance Bakery of Chicago, Kid’s Cancer Crusade, and topped off with Honest Advertising of Dublin, OH.

Congratulations to Tracy who was also showcased in the Parenting Magazine for her giving heart which is the main ingredient into any recipe we put together for ourselves and others.  Thank you for giving so many SMILES to so many children on the best days of their life!

If you want to contribute to Icing Smiles please contact Tracy by visiting www.icingsmiles.org.

Have you ever wanted to know about what your pet was thinking, if so meet Sherry True.  She is a dear heart that is centered and giving to so many families and their animals.  Several months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting her during a difficult time in our families life, with our dog Lexie having had surgery and finding out about her cancer.  Many of my readers know about Lexie, our amazing family friend who is still here and doing well.  Meeting Sherry and having her insight into Lexie warmed my heart and helped me to feel comfortable with our decisions regarding her medical care.  She was so on target and knew my Lexie so well especially now during her journey of serious health issues.  Sherry knew immediately what activities Lexie enjoyed and which ones she was not so excited about.  Sherry is a true “pet whisperer.”

Watching this remarkable woman “speak” to Lexie, I of course was curious and was excited to find out more.  Knowing that Sherry had worked for 20 years in the corporate world, couldn’t help but wonder why the shift of careers.  Sherry created Spirit Paws in 2005, with the goal of providing alternative wellness for animals.  Sherry donates a portion of her yearly income to a local animal rescue, MAGSR (Mid Atlantic German Shepherd Rescue) and a portion of her monthly income to a puppy mill rescue.  She was a foster mom for Lhasa Apso rescue for two years and writes monthly articles for the GRREAT (Golden Retriever Rescue) and has been the topic of articles in Baltimore’s “Dog” Magazine.  Sherry works with local veterinarian Dr. Carin Rennings and is a staple at Pet Blessings events, giving away meditation CD’s and teaching workshops on animal communication among other topics.  “My passion has been and always will be animals.  There is so much to learn from them.  Our pets have become a part of our families, they are our “children”, our best friends and in some cases, our only relationship in the world,” says Sherry.

I wholeheartedly agree with her.  I can’t count how many times I’ve been having a troubled day and one look from Lexie and everything feels better.  How many of us have come home and cuddled with our pet, and talked to them about our busy days?  Pets never fail to be in tune with their owners, loving and caring for them.

Sherry also notes that “the pet industry (which includes foods, treats, toys, medical care, etc.) is a 40 billion dollar a year business.  We all want to do the best we can for our pets but many of us need guidance when it comes to medical or behavioral problems.  I don’t consider myself just an Animal Communicator.  I also treat the mind, body and spirit of the animal when healing them.  I work from the spiritual aspect of animals and their caretakers.”

Learn more about Sherry and Spirit Paws by visiting her website.

Attention High School Seniors, their families & College Advisors ~ College Tours at your door….

Faenita Dilworth is the owner of College Tours, which a unique concept is taking your child to various different colleges under one roof.  Faenita will take several students & their families to various Colleges and Universities in the Washington DC, Maryland and the East Coast Corridor such as: Georgetown University, University of Maryland, Rutgers, and Penn State.   Faenita will tell you that they take great pride in the service, that they provide to college bound students and families in the surrounding communities. They invite you to join us in promoting community development through the college experience – students today, citizens of the world tomorrow.

Presently they are looking for Corporate Sponsors for their September 9^th tour.  They will have over 100 College bound students excited and attending a tour of 10 Universities in Washington, DC and Maryland.  If you or you know of a company that would love to participate as a sponsor of this event please be sure to contact Faenita as soon as possible.  Always bear in mind this type of sponsorship will help in offering to students an opportunity to visit the various colleges in the region and quite possibly one of their dream schools.   For more information please contact Faenita Dilworth 410-262-6482 or email at F_Dilworth@yahoo.com

“FDTours promises to provide the best experience possible for our college bound students.  Students will meet with admissions advisors, confer with professional guidance counselors and experience peer to peer interaction. We welcome sponsorship from businesses and corporations to provide scholarships to deserving students”

“Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement.” Henry Ford

After sold-out performances at the Kennedy Center in February, 2009, and successful showings in August 2009 and January 2010,  Shen Yun Performing Arts returns to Washington DC in August to present the most celebrated programs from their global tours of the past four years.

Emmy and Academy Award winner Robert Stromberg, the production designer for Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, was one of the celebrities who watched the SHEN YUN show in Los Angeles last May.

“It’s absolutely beautiful…It was so inspiring, I think I may have found some new ideas for the next Avatar.”

“It was a very unique performance. It was tremendous to see the wide range of different types of performance art come together as one. It’s really beautiful to see that as one single performance,” he said.

As a highly accomplished visual artist, Mr. Stromberg praised “the color, the lights, and the movement.” “The performers were fantastic! I thought it was wonderful,” he added.

A program featuring traditional Chinese culture as it was meant to be–a brilliant blend of beauty, energy, and grace. Dozens of dancers in dazzling costumes move in seamless, flowing patterns; A Live Orchestra and performers whose thunderous drums shake the stage while spectacular backdrops transport you to another world.  See ancient legends of virtue brought to life alongside modern tales of courage.  Hear soaring songs by masterful vocalists that will move and inspire.  Experience a sense of beauty and enchantment like no other with this unique, thrilling, and unforgettable show.

Shen Yun Performing Arts is built upon a vision of rediscovering, and founding anew, humanity’s true cultural heritage. It performs works that center upon the divinely-inspired, cultural heritage of humankind and demands of itself that its performances present works of consummate beauty and goodness. Shen Yun Performing Arts is a unique group of leading artists who share in a vision of cultural renewal. The company is a triumph of collaboration, bringing together over a hundred of the world’s foremost classically trained Chinese dancers, choreographers, musicians, and vocalists. It also boasts the world’s only full orchestra that embraces both Western and Chinese instruments as its permanent members.

The company aspires to create original performances that not only entertain, but also more deeply educate, enrich, and inspire. The company’s rich repertory is drawn from the pages of history, universal themes, and the world around us. All choreography, costume and music performed are original.

Performance Schedule: August 25-29, 1:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Tickets from $79 to $150 are available via the Kennedy Center box office, (202) 467-4600; online www.kennedy-center.org.

Article Written by The HenYen and Company Marketing Department

Champions even in defeat!

By Tammy Bowers

Howard County Youth Program (HCYP) held their championship baseball game on June 26th.  With the Orange team entering the championship round undefeated, and the Black team having one loss in the double elimination competition, the stage could not have been set more perfectly for an exciting day for everyone.  The game started at 10:00 a.m. but then became a double header with extra innings in both games, when the Black team took round one in a barn burner.

The teams were very well matched for an exciting championship game.  From beginning to end this amazing group of young men, coaches and Umpires all performed in extraordinary fashion under high heat, high humidity and high pressure.

In game one the Orange team got off to a flying start scoring two runs in the top of the first inning.  In the bottom of the third Kenyon Pinnock go the Black team on the board by stealing home plate.  The score remained 2-1 until the seventh inning when a pair of doubles broke things open to a 4-1 advantage.  But, the Black team was not done.  Aided by a few walks and a couple singles, they made the most of their turn in the seventh inning, tieing the score at 4-4 and sending the game into extra innings.

In the bottom of the eight inning the Black team wasted no time putting the contest into the win column via a couple of doubles, the last of which by Ben Tucker accounting for the winning run.

The win by the Black team set up a late afternoon showdown that started much the way the first one did.  With the Orange again breaking out on top with two runs in the top of the first, the Black team this time pulled in closer with a run in their half of the first inning.

After adding a run in the top of the third to take the score to 3-1 in its favor the Orange team was met with a barrage started by a Tyler Palmer 3 run homer which gave the Black team the advantage.  The Black team added two more runs before the inning was over stretching their lead to 6-3.

After adding an additional run to make things 7-3 in their favor the Orange team returned the favor with a barrage of their own which included a 3 run homer by Greg Jacobs.  The Orange added another run in the top of the seventh to again send the game into extra innings.

The whole affair came to an end in favor of the Orange team when their 1 run eighth went unmatched by the Black team in their half of the inning.  “This is more exciting than watching the O’s play and these boys have talent, some even play as well as any college level team”, commented one father in attendance.

Family & friends were treated to one of the most exciting contest you could have asked for.  Both teams had extraordinary player’s ages 15 years through 18 years.  Several of these players have had the good fortune to have played within the HCYP program since they were 5 years old.

As a parent I was very proud of my son, Zach and his team, though they lost, they played with pride, respect, a little humor and are still part of a winning team because they all supported each other and came together as a team as they have all season!

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Tammy Bowers is a marketing advisor and principle with Rolling Ads of Maryland.  Tammy is also a Charter Member of the Village Connector Online Community Newspaper and a member of our advisory board.

Courtesy of Chrystopher Robinson http://www.chrystopher.com.

What an incredible night had by all attending the 4th Columbia Networking for a Cure, a Happy Hour held on June 30th at Sonoma Bar and Grill – Owen Brown Village Center in Columbia. There was plenty of incredible food, ½ price appetizers and drinks till 7 PM and then raffle prizes too…let’s not forget about all the great energy, excitement, and enthusium to be networking and the weather cooperated too!  So whether you chose to be inside or out there were many friendly faces and businesses to meet and greet!

No worries, if you missed this one, there will be another one and soon one every month at Sonoma’s as well as various other locations in and round the beltway.  If you are unfamiliar, The Networking for a Cure Happy Hours was formulated by AJ and Jane Ali to help bridge the gap in a fun way building network in association with Marathon of Miracles a non-profit who is a Cancer outreach and wellness organization offering hope for the mind, body and spirit by inspiring, educating and empowering survivors and others that wish to thrive.

Courtesy of Chrystopher Robinson http://www.chrystopher.com.

MOM’s vision is to create and maintain world-class resources to help cancer survivors and help eradicate cancer through wellness and cancer prevention education. By having these event, it will enlighten, educate and encourages the community, us about the Hope in the fight against and by participating you will leave each event stimulated by incredible conversations having the opportunity to meet businesses that are all about community activism, encouraged by learning more about health & wellness as well as cancer prevention in the workplace.

So hope to see you at the next Networking for Cure…join on Facebook.  Chrystopher Robinson took many pictures for you to see for yourself, if you need a good photographer, I highly recommend him and you can reach him at http://www.chrystopher.com.

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Tammy Bowers is a marketing advisor and principle with Rolling Ads of Maryland.  Tammy is also a Charter Member of the Village Connector Online Community Newspaper and a member of our advisory board.

There are so many great nonprofits.  One nonprofit that is assisting so many seniors is the Alzheimer’s Organization.  Alzheimer Disease strikes a great many of elderly men and women.   Much research is still being done to help with quality of life for those stricken with this disease.  There are some individuals that have chosen this nonprofit on a personal quest for a family member.

One such person is Allen Kampf.  Allen says, “This is very meaningful to me. Since my mother has been diagnosed (with Alzheimer’s), I’ve been involved being a caretaker and reviewing nursing homes. Now, I’m on a mission to make people aware of this is a devastating disease. This would be a good way to get the word out.”

On October 16, 2010,  there will be a Baltimore Marathon raising awareness to Alzheimer Disease. Allen will be running the marathon as part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s team “ALZ Stars” prior to the event. It is a cause he is dedicated to, because of his experience with his mother.

“My mother is 85 years old. She is a Holocaust survivor, living in Wellington, Florida. My mother was and still is physically healthy,” he said, beginning his story. “In April of 2007, we — my sister and I — noticed my mother’s behavior was a little different.  My mother is an immaculate dresser, she always went to the beauty parlor, and her house is always clean. We noticed she wasn’t going to beauty parlor, the house wasn’t clean, and that she often had stains on her clothes.  We took her to the neurologist. We had to keep telling her ‘You’re not crazy, it’s just part of getting older, and we just need to make sure you’re fine.’ Anyway, we did that, and then she was diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease.” – Allen shared his story with us.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association website, (http://www.alz.org) as many as 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and it is fatal. Today it is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

In fundraising for the event, Allen said he has come in contact with many neighbors and friends who know someone who has been affected by Alzheimer’s. “It’s all about making people aware of Alzheimer’s disease and raising money for the association.”  Let’s become a team…make a donation to ALZ Stars. Send checks, made payable to the Alzheimer’s Association, to Jessica Suriano, 1850 York Road, Suite D, and Timonium, MD 21093.  Thank you for helping to bring a future free of Alzheimer’s Disease!

Tammy Bowers is the Co-Owner of Rolling Ads of Maryland, a unique branding company offering a networking Concierge Service as well as an Outdoor Mobile Billboard Advertising Vehicle.  She is also a Charter Member with the Village Connector Online Community Newspaper. You can reach Tammy via email at Tammy@rollingadsmd.com

A monthly MOM’s networking event held at today La Madeleine Restaurant in Columbia, Maryland. Many women in various businesses attended.  Some of the various businesses represented were in industries such as Insurance, Accountants, Investors, Organizers, Florist, Virtual Assistants, Home Décor, Embroider, Eco-Friendly and Essential Oils, a Life Coach, a local Children’s Party Facility, Mobile Advertising, Inspirational Products and many more.

Once a month a new member is showcased.  This month it was Debbie Reid, the owner and operator of a new company called “Let Deb do it”.  She focuses on educating the public and individuals, as well as hosting workshops in Couponing.  Debbie’s program is unique in that it can help you drastically reduce your budget on groceries, household and personal care shopping expenses by using her program.

She will teach you how with tips, experience and websites she has used and her years of experience.  It was so intriguing, that I want to host an event with her as well as Organizing Company and Organizing Product Company in the Collaborative package.  I want to share her information with all, so please contact me!

Tammy Bowers is the Co-Owner of Rolling Ads of Maryland, a unique branding company offering a networking Concierge Service as well as an Outdoor Mobile Billboard Advertising Vehicle.  She is also a Charter Member with the Village Connector Online Community Newspaper. You can reach Tammy  via email at Tammy@rollingadsmd.com.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like not to worry about your business?  To feel so confident that you could go away on vacation?  What if you are having work done at your home, but you have to work and need someone to be there for the contractor?  Maybe you just need someone to be there to accept a delivery?

Lonnie Wornom has developed, to perfection, a solution to these challenges through her company, There for YOU.

She is partnering with contractors, realtors, busy families and more.  She wants to be the service that is partnering with your contractor for you.  There for You will provide services that are seamless. Her company will provide you with reassurance, professionalism, commitment, and honesty.I will be happy to make the introductions just give me a call or email me about There For YOU. They have got the key to your next challenge. I believe this is an awesome concept!
Tammy Bowers is the Co-Owner of Rolling Ads of Maryland, a unique branding company offering a networking Concierge Service as well as an Outdoor Mobile Billboard Advertising Vehicle.  She is also a Charter Member with the Village Connector Online Community Newspaper. You can reach  via email at Tammy@rollingadsmd.com