Monday, August 24, 2009

Get Your Tickets Now for the Inaugural Celiac Awareness Day at PNC Park!




Date: Sunday, September 27
Where: PNC Park
When: 1:35 p.m.

To order tickets, call Chaz Kellem at 412.325.4731 or e-mail at chaz.kellem@pirates.com.

Send the flyer by mail or fax:

Chaz Kellem
Celiac Awareness Day
PNC Park at North Shore
115 Federal Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Fax: 412.325.4410

The game is on Fan Appreciation Day and a Kids Day, so there will be plenty of fun during the game!

Before the game, I will be hosting a gluten-free tailgate. More information on the location and gluten-free options will be available very soon!

More information on Kids Day and Fan Appreciation Day from Pirates.com:

Kids Day

Sunday home Pirates games are Kids Days! From the Kids Fun Zone on Federal Street before the game to after the final pitch when all kids are invited to Run the Bases right down on the field, Sundays are for the youngest Pirates fans. (Pre and post-game activities are subject to schedule and weather.)

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Fan Appreciation Day

To show appreciation for the support of Pirates fans, random seat locations will be drawn and great prizes will be given away fans after each half-inning.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Gluten-Free Picnic with Chapter #130 Indiana PA Celiac Sprue Association Support Group



On Sunday, August 16, I attended a gluten-free picnic hosted by the Indiana, PA Celiac Sprue Association Support Group. Everyone was so kind, and I appreciate the warm welcome my family and I received!


Each guest prepared a dish (or two) to share, and I have to say, it's tough to choose a favorite! We had everything from GF Pasta Salad, GF Stuffed Peppers (grown in a garden), GF Bread by Sisters Three Gluten-Free, a GF and Dairy Free Betty Crocker Cake (Decorated by BiLo), plus many, many more options! Let's just say, we definitely had more than enough to eat!



I'm anxious to try all of the recipes that we exchanged! Especially one for GF Funnel Cake!

To stay up-to-date on events and meetings hosted by Chapter #130 Indiana Celiac Sprue Association Support Group visit their website at IndianaPACeliacs.org

Featured Article in the Indiana Gazette

Miss Indiana campaigns for celiac awareness

(Click Here to read it on IndianaGazette.com)

By MARGARET HARPER, mharper@indianagazette.net
Published: Sunday, August 16, 2009 1:55 AM EDT

For Jenna Drew and her mother, Denise, it's not so easy to go out to a restaurant and eat.

Denise, who suffers from celiac disease, and Jenna, who is gluten-intolerant, can't have foods with ingredients such as wheat, rye and barley, said Jenna.

That's why she is hoping to use her new title of Miss Indiana International 2010 to bring awareness to celiac disease and gluten intolerance.

Jenna, 22, of White Township, will compete for the state title of Miss Pennsylvania in March.

The Miss International pageant system ``has been developed to promote today's young women and their accomplishments,'' according to information on the group's Web site at www.papageants.com.

Jenna was awarded the Miss Indiana title based on her education, platform and an interview. Up to 12 contestants will compete in the March event, with the winner moving on to compete for the Miss International title in Chicago.

The winner in Chicago gets to work for a year promoting their platform.

Celiac disease affects 3 million people in the United States, Jenna said. It's the most common disease in the world, but she said 97 percent of people who have it don't know it.

People with the disease can't have wheat, rye, barley and sometimes oats, Denise said. With the digestive disease, the lining of the small intestine is damaged or destroyed by gluten, resulting in malnutrition.

For this reason, it's hard to dine out, said Jenna. Many restaurants don't offer gluten-free food, and she and her mother have to question the waiter or waitress about ingredients and how the food was prepared.

Denise calls it ``dying out'' instead of dining out because if her food was exposed to gluten, or someone was wrong about ingredients, it is a painful mistake for her.

``We just want it to be easier in Indiana to go out to eat,'' Jenna said.She hopes to bring awareness to her issue first locally, then at state and national levels.

To bring awareness about these issues, Jenna will host an event at the Pittsburgh Pirates game Sept. 27 at PNC Park. There will be a gluten-free tailgate party before the game and on-field recognition of Jenna's cause.

She has partnered with The Gluten Intolerance Group and the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness for her platform and events.

A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the groups.

Locally, there will be an event at Benjamin's, one of a few restaurants in the Indiana area to cater to those who cannot have gluten, Jenna said. The event is at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 16, and 40 tickets will be available. A gluten-free menu will be offered. For more information, visit Jenna's blog at www.missindianapainternational.blogspot.com.

Jenna's selection as Miss Indiana International 2010 was in part based on her education. A recent graduate of Penn State, Jenna majored in advertising, French and international studies, with a minor in international arts.

``I was a little bit of an overachiever,'' Jenna said.

She also completed three internships and studied abroad in France. She also worked for the Daily Collegian. She is looking into going to law school next fall.

She is a fifth-generation graduate of Indiana Area High School.

Jenna believes that pageants sometimes get a stigma. But after participating, she disagrees.

``It really helps you gain confidence,'' she said.

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**The Dinner will be held on Saturday, October 17. More information will be available at the end of the week.**

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Great News for Celiac Awareness!

Celiac Awareness Day with the Pittsburgh Pirates Information:

Date: Sunday, September 27
Where: PNC Park
When: 1:35 p.m.


Today, I met with Chaz Kellem of the Pittsburgh Pirates about setting up a Celiac Awareness Night! He was a very kind person, and I'm looking forward to working with him in the future!

We had a very positive meeting - from your response and our initiative, we even got to set up a date for our Awareness Night! Thank you to everyone who e-mailed me and expressed interest in the event. I will be sending out a lot more information!!


We're even planning a gluten-free tailgate before the game, offering gluten-free food and beverages! I will keep you posted as soon as I get more information!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

It's Like the Night Before Christmas!

So, tomorrow is the big day, and I am meeting with the Pittsburgh Pirates to talk about setting up a Celiac Disease Awareness Night! I'm so excited that I don't know how much sleep I'll get tonight! I can't wait to share the details with you tomorrow!

Betty Crocker recently came out with Gluten-Free Mixes: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies, Devil's Food Cake, and Yellow Cake Mix. Tonight, my family and I made the brownies mix - and there is NO evidence! We ate the whole batch in one night! You've got to try them - and you can...for FREE! I was checking out Switch2GlutenFree.com and I came across his entry on how to get coupons for free mixes!