(Providence, Rhode Island, USA) With winners chosen and photo shoots scheduled, production of the first annual 'Real Rhode Islander' charity calendar contest to benefit the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation has begun according to its originator Stacey Caputi.
”It’s a simple idea but not easy in practice,” said Caputi as she balanced photographers, contest winners, locations for the shoots and the sponsors for each photo page. “Multiply this effort times the 15 men and 15 women for the two distinct official 2009 calendars, and it can get a bit complicated.”
The Charity Calendar contest began in June. For three weeks, Rhode Islanders from all walks of life appeared for live interviews to portray their success, show their good looks, convey the goodness of their “inner being” and stress their positive impact on the community. Many interviewees were either cancer survivors or had family members that suffered from the disease.
“There were over 200 nominations initially” Caputi said. “Out of those we scheduled 100 live interviews with a panel of judges who made their selection.” “You had to live in Rhode Island now.” Caputi went on. “Our judging panel based their decisions on outgoing people who demonstrated a love for Rhode Island, its people and know some of the facts and customs here in Rhode Island. The contestant had to be photogenic, but the judges placed a lot of weight on the impact the contestant had on their community.”
Winners of the contest were announced in front of a packed crowd of onlookers and finalists at Monet Lounge in Providence. Those winners are: Coventry's Michael J. Baccari; Cranston's Cheryl Howard, Danny Poulos, Lareto Guglietta; East Providence's Omar Meer; Gloucester's Carol Ventura, Bob Ventura; Johnston's Gail Gutierres, Steven Capaldi; Narragansett's Cheryl Cusick, Jonathan Segal; North Kingstown's Jenny Vingi; North Providence's Jane Bernardino, Jay Jones, Shane Michael Piche; Pawtucket's Tracie Bourget; Providence's Andrew Reis, Jeffrey V. Leechman, Mallory Palumbo; Richmond's Spogga Hashway; Tiverton's Jasmine Zen-Mah; Wakefield's Michelle Mitchell; Warwick's Ashley Flynn, Frank Pantaleo, Melissa Morales, Richard Cassella; West Warwick's Christina Pimentel, Giovanni Calise; Westerly's Yvonne Perez; Woonsocket's Shauna Fontaine.
The 'Real Rhode Islander' charity calendars will be released for sale in time for Breast Cancer awareness month in October 2008. They will be available at all Tim Hortons, Curves, Brown book store, online and other locations to be announced. The calendar will sell for $19.99 and proceeds raised will benefit the Gloria Gemma Cancer Research Foundation.
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High RES PHOTOS of winners: http://www.pressdeptnews.com/realri/calwinners.html
News Reporter info at: http://www.pressdeptnews.com/realri
High Res Caputi Photo is posted with the winners at bottom.
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