Tag: Harlequin

Harlequin announces OutStander Award winners

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Jaclyn Kenyon will be performing at the Harlequin Feel Good Day on October 5 at the Omni La Mansion Del Rio. Courtesy photo: used with permission.

Harlequin announces the OutStander Award winners to be honored at Feel Good Day next month. First Lady of San Antonio Erika Prosper Nirenberg will help present the awards on Saturday, October 5, to six individuals who champion good causes and improve the quality of life in our community. Those being honored are: April Ancira, Millennial Groundbreaker; Kathy Armstrong, Cultural Champion; Ande McBay, Person of Positivity; Amy Palmer, Harlequin Hometown Hero; Isabel Torres, Personal of Positivity; and Laura Vaccaro, Women United Community Catalyst, United Way. (Harlequin, 2019)

Millennial Groundbreaker – April Ancira “goes big” for one lucky non-profit each year and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the American Heart Association, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Brighton Center, ALS, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Association and Family Services.

Cultural Champion – Kathy Armstrong is an advocate for the arts as a curator, director and participant in the cultural scene of San Antonio. She has put the Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival on San Antonio’s cultural map, showcasing innovative contemporary art to more than twenty thousand festival attendees each year.

Person of Positivity – Ande McBay, the self-proclaimed military “brat,” has overcome numerous personal and medical challenges to become the first Deaf female Executive Chef in San Antonio and co-founded the Ladies’ Raspa and Adventuring Society and the Dames Who Dine.

Harlequin Hometown Hero – Amy Palmer is a veteran of the Armed Forces who has committed her post-Air Force work to supporting those on the front lines through Soldiers’ Angels. Palmer has spearheaded the creation of a Veteran Internship Program at Soldiers’ Angels to help military service members transition to civilian life and learn more about nonprofit management.

Personal of Positivity – Isabel Torres, after the loss of her six-year-old daughter Gabriella, founded the Gabriella’s Smile Foundation to support families who are battling with childhood cancers. Through the Foundation, Torres sets out to give families a reason to smile while coping with the challenges of grief and loss.

Women United Community Catalyst – United Way winner Laura Vaccaro is an active fundraiser for the MS Society, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association and Girl Scouts. Her valuable leadership and ambitious fundraising goals has earned respect within the United Way family of volunteers.

Harlequin Feel Good Day San Antonio is set for 10:30a.m. to 6p.m., Saturday, October 5 at the Omni La Mansion Del Rio. All guests will receive a SWAG BAG filled with inspiring gifts valued at $200. Harlequin, a leading publisher of romance and women-centric literature for nearly seven decades, is bringing its powerhouse community to San Antonio for a day of Feel Good programing and community building that celebrates and explores what makes women feel their best, do their best and be their best selves. Jaclyn Kenyon will be the musical performer for the day.

“I believe these women deserve to have their passion, commitment and outstanding achievements recognized not just in our city, but on a national and international scale. I am excited to be a part of the Harlequin Feel Good Movement showcasing San Antonio and our residents to a global community.”- Erika Prosper Nirenberg

Harlequin launches Feel Good Day and The OutStander Awards

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Feel Good Day is Saturday October 5. Courtesy photo, used with permission. 

Harlequin is expanding its Feel-Good Project, which was launched last fall, to San Antonio, and is announcing Feel Good Day on Saturday October 5 at the Omni La Mansión Del Rio hotel and The OutStander Awards. Tickets for Feel Good Day are now on sale online, starting at $199. The public can follow along on social media at #feelgoodday. (Harlequin, 2019)

The OutStander Awards will honor local people who make a difference in our community and the categories include:
o Person of Positivity: Those with stories of resilience, faith, optimism and overcoming challenges.

o Harlequin Hometown Hero: Women who serve and protect with their unwavering bravery, inspiring courage and commitment to the collective good.

o Community Catalyst: Advocates, volunteers and tireless contributors who affect positive change for populations at risk or in need.

o Cultural Champion: Those committed to making arts and literacy programs accessible for all.

o Millennial Groundbreaker: This groundbreaker is making waves through philanthropic or entrepreneurial efforts, or their active citizenship.

Nominations are now open and will be accepted through July 31. To submit a nomination and for complete rules and conditions visit Celebrate Feel Good online.

Feel Good Day is a one-day immersive celebration designed to induce happiness and focuses on making people be and feel their best. Program highlights include empowering and fun workshops on gratitude, movement, inspiration, nature, vision boarding and cooking as well as discussions with The New York Times bestselling authors Robyn Carr, Brenda Jackson and Susan Mallery. San Antonio’s own Mariachi Las Coronelas and chefs from The Culinary Institute of America will add regional flavor to the programming.

The Harlequin Feel Good Project is a four-part initiative including the Harlequin Creator Fund, the Feel-Good Challenge, Feel Good Day and Feel Good Sciences, designed to explore the power of positive experiences that fans expect from their stories. For additional information about the Harlequin Feel Good Project, please visit Feel Good online.

Harlequin is a leading publisher of commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction. The company publishes more than 110 titles a month, in both print and digital formats, in as many as 150+ international markets and 30+ languages. Encompassing highly recognizable imprints that span a broad number of genres, the publisher is home to many award-winning New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authors. Harlequin is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, the second-largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 18 countries.