BEAU RIVAGE–ONLY CASINO I EVER REALLY LOVED!

Posted August 28th, 2009 by Jill Conner Browne

I was in Biloxi, Ms. AT THE BEAU RIVAGE (MORE ABOUT THEM IN A SECOND)  yesterday speaking at a fundraiser for the PINK HEART FUNDS–this group was started by JoAn Nicely, a local beautician, after Katrina, when she noticed a number of folks she knew were cancer patients NOT wearing their wigs.  Katrina had taken them, of course, and it was just ONE MORE THING that INSURANCE WOULD NOT PAY TO REPLACE.  So, JoAn started making cookies and taking them to her shop to sell–taking the money to buy wigs for those folks.

Well, it’s grown now into a big ALL-VOLUNTEER organization and JoAn raises money AND COLLECTS PONYTAILS to make wigs FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER.  Now you KNOW how we feel about THE CHIRREN!  When she first started, it took her a year to collect 1000 ponytails–now she gets 100 A WEEK!  So, if you’re growing your hair for a cancer cause–PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING IT TO THE PONYTAIL CLUB OF THE PINK HEARTS FUNDS on the Gulf Coast of Ms.  E-mail me, I’ll put you it touch with JoAn.

Pink Hearts also provides breast prostheses and lymphedema sleeves for women who can’t afford them.  JoAn discovered, after Katrina, there were women wearing prostheses with mold and mildew, held together by duct tape–but insurance wouldn’t pay!

This is an amazing organization, headed by a truly amazing woman, JoAn–who, in the middle of all her good works and trying to recover from Katrina herownself–got diagnosed with breast cancer–and it never slowed her down for a second.  God love her.

HERE’S THE DEAL WITH THE BEAU RIVAGE:  We had a fabulous luncheon, champagne, the whole nine-yards, in one of their beautiful restaurants–and THEY DONATED IT ALL.  In all the years I’ve been speaking at all the different kinds of fundraisers, all over the country–I have never, to my knowledge, been to one where the facility, food and beverages were FREE to the organization.  So here’s to the Beau!  If you’re gonna participate in “gaming”–PLEASE DO IT AT THE BEAU RIVAGE!

And don’t be naggin’ ‘em to do free stuff for your group now that I’ve told this–they do it for PINK HEARTS because of JoAnn, Katrina, the amazing work that Pink Hearts does and the fact that NOBODY on the staff of Pink Hearts is paid–not even JoAnn.

If you’re headin’ to the Coast–go by the Beau and have dinner, shop in their boutiques, get a massage, play all their games–just show THEM some support to say THANKS for this TRULY GOOD WORK.  LOVE THEM–MEAN IT.