Media Advisory: Grillsmith fundraising event for Queena!

MEDIA ADVISORY
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: 
Vanna – Queena’s mother, (813) 751-5745, vannablue9@yahoo.com
 
Grillsmith fundraising event for the Bloomingdale Library Survivor
JoinQueena.com sparks new friendships and fundraisers from the community 
 
WHAT:  A Fundraiser for Queena is planned on Saturday in honor of the Bloomingdale Library Survivor.  Community supporters like Diana Ailes and Kimberly Nimmo started following the Bloomingdale Library Survivor’s tragic story almost five years ago.  With the recent reveal of JoinQueena.com and the unveiling of Queena’s name and face, supporters like Ailes and Nimmo can put an image and a person with the woman they’ve been hoping for all along.  Ailes thought a fundraiser would be the best way to bring more awareness to Queena’s situation and help her financially.  She put her head together with Grillsmith’s Managing Partner Vinne Whatley and Assistant Manager Kristin Margeson who graciously jumped on board for the fundraising event.
 
WHO: Grillsmith will graciously open it’s doors to the community on Saturday in honor of the Bloomingdale Library Survivor.  A $20 donation is requested at the door.  Hors d’oeuvres will be provided along with Happy Hour prices on cocktails.  Raffle tickets will be sold for some great gift baskets that were donated from various vendors in Tampa Bay including Total Wine & More; Michael’s Grill in Carrollwood; Ashworth Artisan Chocolates, City Streets in Hyde Park; Villaggio Restorante in Lutz; and ABC Fine Wine & Spirits.  Trendy “Totes for Queena” will also be available from Thirty-One consultant, Kimberly Nimmo.  All profits will be donated to Queena for ongoing medical expenses.
 
WHEN & WHERE:
Saturday, June 29, 2013, 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Grillsmith, 1108 South Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa 33629
 
WHY:  Diana Ailes explains that her heart was crying out and she wanted to help but she knew she needed to do more than simply write a check.  That’s when the “Fundraiser for Queena” at Grillsmith came to fruition.  Medicaid covers only $1,500 per year of the Survivor’s physical therapy and speech therapy, while nearly $70,000 is required annually for all of treatments that have helped her make such progress. These additional expenses are funded through the generosity of the community. 
 
About Queena, the Bloomingdale Library Attack Survivor: 
In April 2008, the young woman, formerly known at the Bloomingdale Library Attack Victim, was brutally raped, beaten and left to die outside of the Bloomingdale Library in Brandon, Florida. Equipped with an incredible will to survive, she did not die that night, and has spent the last five years working hard to recover from the brutal attack. Queena was about to graduate from high school and continue her education on a full scholarship to the University of Florida, but on that night, her life changed in an instant. Queena cannot walk, talk, see or eat on her own, but she is making improvements. She communicates through widening her eyes, smiling and clenching her fists. She requires around-the-clock care and attends daily physical, occupational and experimental therapies to aid her recovery. The recovery process is slow, but very noticeable, as she slowly makes strides toward regaining her own normalcy every day.  
 
###