United Way Launches Holiday Gift Drive to Support Bay Area Families and Seniors in Need

LIVE UNITED Holiday Campaign Kicks Off in Time for Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday.

San Francisco, CA, USA (November 25, 2014) — United Way of the Bay Area today announced the launch of its LIVE UNITED holiday campaign, including a gift drive for individuals, community organizations and businesses that want to support local families in need. The poverty-fighting organization has also released a toolkit to support gift drive participants, which includes a list of most-needed items, suggestions for getting others involved and instructions for dropping off the gift bags.

“At United Way, we talk a lot about what it means to LIVE UNITED-especially during the holidays. For us, it’s about doing our part to support those in need throughout our community. Volunteering is an easy and fun way to help-and spread holiday cheer,” said Sarah Burton, Director of Volunteer Engagement.

The holiday gift bag drive invites community members to LIVE UNITED by supporting low-income children, families and seniors across the San Francisco Bay Area. Participants are encouraged to get family members and friends involved in the collection of items by requesting houseguests to bring one item each to holiday gatherings. The most-needed items include warm clothing, toys, canned or boxed food, and personal care products. Grocery store gift cards are also immensely helpful to low-income parents and seniors. Donations should be delivered to United Way of the Bay Area’s San Francisco office at 550 Kearny Street, 10th Floor, or Oakland office at 1970 Broadway, Suite 400.

Participants and the general public are also invited to share their stories of how they LIVE UNITED by giving back to the community at http://uwba.org/live-united. Like Zoila, for example, who went from client to staff member at one of United Way’s SparkPoint Centers: “I want people to have the same opportunities as I had. That’s how I LIVE UNITED.”

A recent research brief issued by United Way of the Bay Area revealed that 29 percent of Bay Area households live below self-sufficiency, meaning these individuals cannot afford basic necessities like housing, food and health care. The holiday gift drive is just one of the many ways that United Way combats poverty through giving, advocacy and volunteerism.

Learn more about the holiday gift drive and additional holiday volunteer opportunities at http://uwba.org/volunteer. Read stories about Bay Area residents LIVING UNITED and share your own at http://uwba.org/live-united.

About United Way of the Bay Area
United Way of the Bay Area is a nonprofit organization, leading a movement to cut Bay Area poverty in half by 2020. We’re harnessing the collective power of nonprofits, government, corporations, labor and thousands of individuals to create change through giving, advocating, and volunteering. Every year, our programs – SparkPoint, Earn It! Keep It! Save It!, 211, MatchBridge and Community Schools – help more than 250,000 Bay Area residents. We connect people to food and shelter, put people back to work, bring tax dollars back to our community, help youth succeed in school and in the workplace, and move people toward financial stability. Founded in 1922, United Way of the Bay Area serves Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Solano Counties. For more information, visit http://uwba.org.

Media Contact:
Erica Johnson
415-808-4308
ejohnson@uwba.org

Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa Announces its Elopement Package

Enjoy all of the beauty that the Monterey Peninsula has to offer as you and the love of your life exchange vows.

Monterey, CA, November 26, 2014 – Enjoy all of the beauty that the Monterey Peninsula has to offer as you and the love of your life exchange vows. Romantic and intimate, Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa provides eliminates the stress and chaos of a large-scale wedding and plans a personalized elopement package.

If you are planning on eloping on the Monterey Peninsula, the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa is the perfect solution. Celebrate your vows — just the two of you. Let our wedding team pamper you and take care all of the details.

Hyatt Regency Monterey 2015 Elopement Package

* $2,300.00

* Bride and Groom and Up to 10 guests

• Ceremony: Spyglass Promenade Gazebo

* 10:00am-6:00pm only, NO Music, NO Amplified sound

• Accommodations: Golf or Pool View Monterey Suite

* Best Available based on Availability

• Wedding Officiate:

* Arrange for Marriage Certificate

* Standard or Custom Ceremonies available

• Floral: Bride Bouquet, Groom Boutonniere

* Color of Choice

• Wedding Cake: Bride and Groom

* Cake for 2

* Color and Flavor options available

• Imported Sparkling Wine: Pascual Toso, Mendoza, Argentina

* 1 Chilled Bottle

• Photography:
* One Hour of Photography. All edited images on DVD (hi resolution and low resolution watermarked for web), private online gallery and pre wedding consultation.  Two (2) 8×12 prints.

Additional options available for additional price

• Spa: Marilyn Monroe Spa

* Signature Look Hair Treatment

* Makeup Treatment

* Additional treatments or services available for additional price

• Wedding Coordinator
* On-Site Hotel Wedding Specialist to assist with Detail Planning and Arrangements

About Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa on Del Monte Golf Course
Nestled in 22 acres of soaring Monterey Pines, the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa on Del Monte Golf Course is a destination resort providing the discerning traveler the quintessential Monterey experience. Its location offers guests close proximity to downtown Monterey and Monterey Airport and easy access to some of the Peninsula’s most well-known attractions.

With its warm, contemporary ambiance, elegant furnishings and convenient amenities, the hotel offers both leisure and business travelers a Northern California respite of unmatched serenity and comfort.

Media Contact:
Chatterbox Public Relations
Marci Bracco Cain (831) 747-7455
marci@chatterboxpublicrelations.com

Features include 550 guestrooms including 32 suites, and the President’s House, TusCA Ristorante, Knuckles Sports Bar, Fireplace Lounge featuring live entertainment, personalized concierge service at the Regency Club, a 2,000-square-foot fitness facility, Monterey Bay Racquet Club, McIntyre Tasting Studio, two pools and whirlpools, and 12,000-square-foot full-service luxury spa.

The hotel is located at 1 Old Golf Course Road in Monterey, California. For information call (831) 372-1234 or visit www.hyattregencymonterey.com

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course
1 Old Golf Course Road
Monterey, CA 93940-4908
(831) 747-7455
http://www.hyattregencymonterey.com

Sweet Honey in the Rock set for Seasonal Run of December Tourdates

” Celebrating The Holydays” Performances

New York, NY, November 26, 2014 – Venerable a cappella ensemble SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK will kick-off the holiday season with a series of themed concert performances entitled SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK: CELEBRATING THE HOLYDAYS. The seasonal presentation, which comprises inspirational and spiritual holiday music from around the world has been presented annually for several years will cap the ensemble’s celebration of their 40TH Anniversary this year.

CELEBRATING THE HOLYDAYS is a rare fusion of traditional American holiday spiritual songs and hymns, as well as songs from other cultures and religions, ranging from Africa to Israel. The show includes songs from their Nativity Suite collection, which the group wrote and produced for the American Bible Association video series, including “Jesus, What A Wonderful Child,” and “Children Go Where I Send Thee.” It also features notable Sweet Honey classics such as, “We Are,” “Let There Be Peace,” and “Chinese Proverb.”

Sweet Honey will kick off their holiday run at the Flynn Center in Burlington, VT on December 4th and will make their final appearance of the year at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ on December 20th.

Sweet Honey will feature core members Louise Robinson, Carol Maillard, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil and Shirley Childress (American Sign Interpreter) along with featured guest vocalist Navasha Daya.

The complete list of dates are listed below. For further information about SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK, go to www.sweethoneyintherock.org.

December 4 – Flynn Theater, Burlington, VT

December 6 – Juanita K. Hammons Hall, Springfield, MO

December 7 – Symphony Center, Chicago, IL

December 12 – Colonial Theatre, Keene, NH

December 13 – Brooklyn Center For The Performing Arts, Brooklyn, NY

December 14 – Birchmere, Alexandria, VA

December 18 – Carolina Theatre, Durham, NC

December 20 – New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ

For More information on Sweet Honey In The Rock please contact: Chip Schutzman/Miles High Productions/323-806-0400

Contact:
Chip Schutzman
Miles High Productions
P.O. Box 93157
Hollywood, CA 90093
323-806-0400
http://www.mileshighproductions.com/