Playing For Change

One of the coolest projects I have seen in awhile. Sara Bareilles is partnering with musicians around the world to record some of our favorite songs. Sara Bareilles is known for her recent hit, Brave, and one of my favorites, King of Anything. She has a quirky and clever, style but more than that, her songs are empowering.
I love that Bareilles is taking her message beyond the lyrics, and adapting her songs in a way to make the world a better place. Her upcoming album will feature 185 musicians from 31 countries. The project puts together the sounds of all the artists to recreate music, a global language. The goal: to unite people across all cultures.
The song below was premiered exclusively on Elle this week. Marvin Gaye is one of my favorite artists and I especially like What's Going On. This is a fantastic rendition - a beautiful collaboration.
If you are interested in learning more about the cause, you can explore the entire YouTube site and see other previews of the Playing For Change initiative.
The album, Playing for a Change 3: Songs Around the World will be out June 17.
Toodles!

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Support Maddie's Maukingbirds!

Hi everyone! Every spring I devote a post to the Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk. If you are new to the blog or even a returning fan, I'd really appreciate if you'd take the time to learn about CF and why I walk each year! 

One of my closest friends has Cystic Fibrosis. Maddie and I met in college at Ohio Wesleyan. She is an amazing person and a special friend of mine. Maddie is from Connecticut and I met her when I was a sophomore, and she was a junior, at Ohio Wesleyan. We quickly became fast friends and I have some of my best college memories with her! After college, Maddie moved to San Francisco for a few months to explore the city and spend time with her art (she is an amazing artist!) Unfortunately, she had to move back home around Christmas time to focus on getting healthier due to a lot of challenges in San Francisco with treating CF. 

Cystic Fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs and the digestive system. An estimate 30,000 children and adults in the United States have CF; 70,000 worldwide. Over 45% of people with CF are adults, which shows the amazing progress over the past decades!! The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world's leader in the search for a cure for CF. The non-profit and donor based Foundation funds life-saving research and works to provide access to quality, specialized care, and effective treatments for people with CF. Nearly EVERY drug available today was made possible because of the Foundation's support. And, the life expectancy of a child with CF has doubled! 

While I was at school, my friends and I participated in the annual Great Strides walk each May. This year I am participating and volunteering for the walk in Cincinnati. I would truly appreciate to have your support this year as I help raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis and collect donations to find a cure.

The Cincinnati Great Strides walk is on Saturday, May 17th at 10:00 in Sawyer Point. If you are interested in also participating or volunteering, we'd LOVE to have you! In fact, we are specifically looking for the following volunteers: photographer, security, and medic. If you have any suggestions of who could help, please let me know! You can either comment below or email twirlingclare@gmail.com. If you are just interested in learning more about the walk or attending, I'd be happy to give you information as well! The walk is free to participate, but we are actively trying to campaign and raise funds, so your financial contribution would be greatly appreciated as well. No amount is too small!!

MAKE A DONATION TO MY CYSTIC FIBROSIS TEAM. 

Thank you in advance for your support!!

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ArtsWave

Hi everyone! It has been an exciting and busy few weeks with the ArtsWave campaign taking place. This year I joined the Young Professionals board for ArtsWave. It's been a tremendous experience and I have loved immersing myself in the board and the activities. Being part of ArtsWave has allowed me   to connect with many people and events throughout the city. Even though I grew up in Cincinnati, I have explored so many new things in the past year and I am here to share a little bit with you!

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ArtsWave supports over 100 arts organizations in the region by providing financial support and services. They are the master "connectors" of people and organizations throughout the community and promote the arts as a defining characteristic of the Greater Cincinnati area. ArtsWave partners and advocates on behalf of all the major art organizations in the city including: the Cincinnati Ballet, May Festival, Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Symphony and Pops, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Art Museum, Contemporary Art Museum as well as dozens of smaller organizations that help build the community and cultivate creativity and artistic exploration throughout the city. 

By mobilizing the creative energy of the region, ArtsWave is providing countless ways for people to live, work, play, and stay. The arts matter and are important to me, and I am hoping to share my passion with all of you! 

There are countless ways that you can connect with ArtsWave and I sincerely hope you to that you can help our campaign by generating awareness and making a contribution!

To start, you can purchase an ArtsPass and CincYPerks. For $75, you will receive both passes which will offer you loads of discounts to arts events, restaurants, stores, and even Reds games. Additionally, you will be invited to special events throughout the city - how cool is it to be an arts VIP?! This is the first time I have ever been part of a "retail" donation - doesn't it make things better when you can get something out of your financial contribution?

There are additional levels of monetary support, all of which will earn you exclusive offers as well. 

Next time you go out to eat at a variety of restaurants throughout the city, you can select ArtsWave wine, $2 will go to ArtsWave for a glass purchase; if you buy a bottle of wine, $6 will go to ArtsWave. Toast to the Arts! 

Up for a Reds game? ArtsWave has a special discount pass-code - and proceeds will be donated to ArtsWave. What a home run!

If you have questions about ArtsWave, I'd be more than happy to answer. I hope you take a moment to explore ArtsWave's website. They are making significant strides in their $12 million campaign effort - and there are less than three weeks left!

The portion of the campaign that I am working most closely with is the YP effort to reach YPs that are not part of a workplace campaign. I'd greatly appreciate if you could support the YP WeDidIt page!

Celebrate the arts and support ArtsWave today!

Donate HERE. 

Thanks for your generous support, toodles!

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Shark Finn

I added to my collection of gold bangles!

 

I recently bought THIS Alex & Ani bracelet. The Shark Finn is created in tribute to all of those battling cystic fibrosis. You can learn more about the Charity by Design bracelet in the video below.

To buy one of the bracelets click HERE.

"The shark fearlessly navigates through all situations and confidently moves forward in life. With a distinctive fin located on its back for stability, a shark retains its balance and is equipped to handle any sudden twists and turns. Allow the energy of the Shark Finn Charm to guide you through life's ever changing waters and to keep you stable in challenging times. 

20% of all sales, with a minimum donation of $5,000, will go directly to Finnz Fundz, an organization that seeks to provide direct assistance to children and families coping with long-term hospitalizations in the fight against Cystic Fibrosis."

Miss the post last week on Maddie's Maukingbirds? Click HERE to learn how you can help!

Making Great Strides for Maddie

Hello readers! 

You might remember a post similar to this last year, but it's the time of year again for Maddie's Maukingbirds.

One of my dearest friends has Cystic Fibrosis, a chronic disease affecting the lungs and digestive system. The team, Maddie's Maukingbirds, will be walking on May 11th in Delaware, OH in support of Maddie and to raise awareness for CF. 

I would really appreciate if you could help out our team by making a donation, any amount is welcome. 

Maddie is a phenomenal artist, a tremendous dancer, a wonderful friend, and an inspirational person.

I hope you can help our team!

If you would like any more information on Great Strides or Cystic Fibrosis, please explore the website HERE.

To make a donation, please click HERE. 

Thank you, in advance, for all of your generosity!

MAKE A DONATION TODAY!

think pink

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and so I am sharing some of my favorite pink pieces. Be sure to wear pink at least once this month (it really isn't too difficult to do) and show your support of breast cancer awareness.

Shop the above styles by clicking on the products below:

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Purple Cobras

While I was home over Spring Break last month, I was reviewing some college things with my parents. I realized that I have the potential to graduate a semester early! After coming back to school and going through Senior-Checkout, class registration, and other last minute things to ensure that I took the proper amount of classes for the liberal arts requirement and both my majors and minor, I sealed the deal to complete classes in December 2012. It was a big decision, but one I am excited for. I will be planning to spend my spring semester of 2013 traveling abroad. I will either be working abroad in an "apprenticeship" setting or just spending time on my own exploring the sites. 

With that being said, I have been making sure that I am treasuring every moment of the spring semester this year. One of the key aspects of a student's last semester of senior year is 50 Day Club. One of the bars in downtown Delaware, The Backstretch, hosts a competition for the last 50 days of school, challenging all participants to come to the bar everyday. There are four teams: Black, Red, Green, and Purple. I am on the Purple team with some of my closest friends. Each Wednesday there is a team competition night which involves crafts, scavenger hunts, jeopardy style games and more. Somehow, I am still in the competition (believe me, I am just as shocked as you!) Granted, I drink cups of ice water 89% of the time...but I have really been able to enjoy so many great parts of this "end of the year" celebration. And, I have even gotten work done at the bar! This past week I brought my laptop and in an hour-and-a-half time slot, I typed a 1200 word paper. Who would have thought?!

Maddie is on my 50 Day Club team, you might have seen a post about her last week HERE
and you can donate to the Great Strides Walk for her team, Maddie's Maukingbirds HERE.
We will be having a bake sale tonight raising money for the cause!

I just wanted to share some pictures of the events...and other purple inspirations!

The whole crew

And purple inspiration:

Purple on the market:
1. J.Crew Vintage Cotton Boatneck Tee
2. Alice + Olivia Vicky Peplum Dress
3. Kate Spade Le Pavillion iPhone 4 Case
4. Amrita Singh Wisteria Spring Earrings 
5. Madewell Flatweave Bracelet
6. Annie's Shoes Women's Tux Flat
7. Tory Burch Cicely Velvet High Heel Pump
8. J.Crew 5" Chino Shorts
9. Mossimo Women's Jersey Knit Maxi Skirt

Maddie's Maukingbirds

One of my closest friends at school has Cystic Fibrosis.  Cystic fibrosis is the most prevalent genetic disease in the United States. Advances continue to be made in finding a cure, but your help is needed now - more than ever - to help keep up the momentum of this lifesaving research.


Great Strides is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's largest and most successful national fundraising event. This year, I'm walking in the Great Strides event on May 5th. Please help me meet my fundraising goal of $500.00 by donating to Maddie's cause. 


Maddie has made my college years so extraordinary and I am thankful everyday that I am able to be friends with her and I hope that our friendship will continue in the years to come. I am walking for Maddie on Saturday, May 5th in honor of her team, Maddie's Maukingbirds. I would really appreciate as much support as you can give in honor of Maddie and CF!


 Just click on this link to make a donation to my fundraising page. 

Any amount you can donate is greatly appreciated!

I would be honored if you could help out in the cause by either making a donation or sharing this page with others. 

You can make a donation HERE

New Project!

Come join me on my latest adventure!

Beginning yesterday, I am a weekly contributor to Venue Lifestyle & Event Guide. The Cincinnati based magazine comes out seasonally featuring all different aspects of the greater Cincinnati area. In between publication dates, Venue updates their website...where I am a featured writer.

My weekly write-ups will be on nonprofits and philanthropies in the Cincinnati area. 

My posts will be updated every Monday on Venue's Website under the blog category. 

My first blog is on the Linder Center of HOPE's Leap for HOPE philanthropy event. Read HERE.

I am ecstatic about the new job and I hope all of you will support my new project and continue to keep up with all of the Twirling Clare pages:

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

Help me reach 300 followers on all of the above sites!

When you become follower, you get to celebrate inspirations in even more ways!

Inspi(RED)

This Friday's Fancies is perfect for my inspiration today!! 

 We are celebrating inspi(RED) today to bring more awareness to HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Yesterday was World AIDS day; however Join(RED) works year round help fight HIV-AIDS and bring awareness across the world of the deadly epidemic.
In addition to the philanthropic cause, I am celebrating my school's colors today in honor of the men's soccer team's Road to the NCAA Finals! OWU's school colors are red and black so I decided, in honor of the Friday's Fancies theme of the day, to incorporated the colors and create an inspi(RED) outfit that I would wear if I was lucky enough to be cheering on the soccer team in San Antonio.
Twirling Clare's outfit creation today will be the best I can do...cheering from afar!!

If you are interested in more information about the Ohio Wesleyan Men's Soccer team, click here.

Check out this week's Friday's Fancies on {long distance loving}

Shop the look:

J.Crew Minnie Pant $80

Mango Slim-fit Knit Sweater $36

Loeffler Randall Quinnie Pointed Toe Flat $250

Diane von Furstenberg Rochelle pompom embellished voile scarf $93

Co-op Barney's New York Basic Skinny Belt $95

Kate Spade Flicker Sophie $295

Zad 'Aztec Print' Woven Bangle $14

Warby Parker Japhy $95

I am pleased to announce the winner of the Year Celebration Giveaway, Alison!!
After collecting over 117 entries, all of the information was compiled on excel and my roommate was responsible for randomly selecting a number. Number 7 was chosen and Twirling Clare has her first ever giveaway winner!!
Congratulations Alison!
Thank you to everyone for participating and look forward to more giveaways on the blog in the near future. Thanks again for everything and have a fabulous weekend!!

Toodles!