My very good friend’s mom died several years ago from ovarian cancer. Just thinking about it is totally crushing for me. Steve’s mom was the cool mom who made sure she had the party house. Pool in the backyard, great room with lots of sofas to hang out on, it was a fun place to be a teenager. Steve and his wife had their first baby a year ago and I know his mom would have loved being a grandmother. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer and it is also difficult to diagnose making it an especially important disease to spread the word about. I was honored when the Electrolux Team invited Chip and I to New York to help kick off “Banana Splits for a Cause” to benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF).
At the event, in celebration of Electrolux’s new stand-alone refrigerator and freezer (the appliance pair has “split” up) Kelly Ripa teamed up with the “Emperor of Ice Cream” Stephen Bruce, owner and founder of Serendipity 3, the famous New York City restaurant and dessert spot. [If you find yourself in Manhattan, I recommend making a stop at Serendipity 3 to try their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate—yum!] Chip and I joined other bloggers and their kids from all over the country as Stephen instructed Kelly and the kids on how to create the perfect banana split. Chip opted to go the all vanilla route while Kelly took a scoop of each flavor. The signature technique, we learned, is to stick the bananas in so they look like horns. For Chip, the key ingredient was the multi-colored sprinkles, of course. Everyone’s creations complete, all the kids got busy eating!
Now here is how you can get involved and make your own virtual banana split to benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund: visit www.Kelly-Confidential.com and build your own banana split using virtual ingredients. Ok, I’ll level with you that it’s NOT as tasty as the ones we made with Kelly and Stephen, BUT, these have NO calories and will never melt! Plus, they are for an important cause! For each “split” that is created, Electrolux will donate $1 to OCRF as part of its $750,000 commitment to help fight ovarian cancer. To sweeten the deal, everyone who builds a banana split will be automatically entered for a chance to win the daily prize--$50 towards sweet summer treats—and the grand prize: the new stand alone refrigerator and freezer from Electrolux. I got to see the refrigerator and freezer at the event and had total appliance envy. The site also has Serendipity 3’s banana split recipes for when you’ve decided you need more than just the virtual kind.
Meeting Kelly was really fun. She made her way all over the room several times chatting with everyone and seeing how the kids were doing. I had tried to prepare Chip for meeting Kelly by putting on Live with Regis & Kelly a couple of times in the days before the event. That morning in the hotel room, I put it on and Chip commented positively on Kelly’s high heeled shoes. When Kelly came over to say hi, Chip got an attack of shyness. I told Kelly that Chip had really liked her shoes on the show that morning. At the event she was wearing a different, equally glamorous pair of heels. Kelly said to Chip, “Thank you for noticing!” I subsequently found out that Kelly was wearing a Gryphon dress and Brian Atwood shoes. Luckily, the next time Kelly stopped by, Chip was a lot more talkative. What a fabulous event, what an awesome cause! Now split and make your split! You have until September 7, 2010.
This post is dedicated in fond memory of Steve’s mom, Hilda.
Splits for a Cause #3 from Liz Peterson on Vimeo.
Legal information & disclosure:
Sweepstakes participants are not required to make a purchase or donation in order to enter. Complete details are available in the Official Rules on www.Kelly-Confidential.com. Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for each virtual banana split built at Kelly Confidential. Electrolux has pledged to donate a minimum of $35,000 and a maximum of $40,000, as part of its $750,000 commitment to the cause. My participation in the ‘Banana Splits’ Campaign for a Cause was sponsored by Electrolux who provided me with travel arrangements to and accommodations in New York to participate.
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