Make A Difference - Concert for a cause

Star Dog Enterprises is working with teens and tweens to help provide clothing to homeless youth.  “Our goal is to let young people know they can do something to make a difference.  We are offering them a fun experience while giving back to their community.”

Star Dog together with Rockland Nightlife and Entertainment brought together 10 of Social Media’s hottest stars for a benefit concert at the Palisades Mall on Oct 19. After the concert the STARS will meet with all the fans to take pictures and sign autographs.

The lineup for this show consists of New Jersey’s own Zach Matari and Carrie Lane along with The Bomb Digz, Lucki Gurlz, Jenna Rose, Taylor Belle, Meaghan Dowling, Shawn Megira, Joe & Lenore Luca and GinaMarie Z from Big Brother 15.  Special Guest: model, Brittany Grace and Gigi from Jerseylicious. There will be giveaways and surprise guests.  This is a safe and controlled event for all ages.

Every ticket sold for this event will provide a child at Family Promise homeless shelter a brand new t-shirt.  Family Promise assists families who are temporarily homeless. They provide clean, safe overnight shelter, nutritious meals and clothing.  They also help the homeless to find housing, jobs, and resources to get back on their feet.

Tickets for this Meet and Greet Concert event are $30 and on sale at on the Star Dog website www.StarDogGives.com  or at http://levitylive.com/shows.cfm



ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

ZACH MATARI is a pop-R&B singer/songwriter/musician born and raised in New Jersey. He is currently touring with Jacob Whitesides and previously opened up for artists such as R5, Fifth Harmony, Midnight Red, Sabrina Carpenter, Paramore and Mario.  Zach is an advocate on Anti-Bullying and has been on the road with the Reality Dance Jam and Teen Nation Tour, a peer-to-peer community service program to educate and entertain youth about bullying in a way students can relate – through music.  Zach’s performances are high energy, crowd pleasing and are backed up by the Beat Club Dancers, a dance crew who promotes rising above diversity.  His current song "Up To You" can be heard on ITunes and YouTube.

THE BOMB DIGZ consist of Devin, Lucas and Kevin - 14 year old New York and New Jersey boys. From covers on Youtube, to hitting up the studio, to performing for large crowds, this trio is creating a firestorm on the music scene, Recently performing on the Arthur Ashe Kids Day stage, The Jones beach Theater, NJ State Fair, Hershey Park and GramercyTheater, they know how to "wow" the crowd. These boys have been featured in international modeling campaigns as well as Beyoncé’s original “Let’s Move” campaign for First Lady Michelle Obama. 

LUCKI GURLZ are a Pop & R&B singing, and dancing female group of five individually talented, and diverse gurlz. Recently, the Lucki Gurlz performed with Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion on Live with Kelly & Michael, the David Letterman Show, an event with Mindless Behavior, Jacob Lattimore, R5 & Bella Thorne for the "Let's Move" 2013 anniversary in NYC.  Lucki Gurlz hope to inspire their young audience with their music, encourage young female empowerment, and be the voice for young girls who don’t feel pretty, are bullied, or simply feel that their voice is not heard. Lucki Gurlz YouTube video with Nick Tangorra has been viewed over 15, 000 times and their cover of Rhianna's "Diamonds" has received over 250k views. 

JENNA ROSE has been on the music scene since she was 10 years old when she released her first Youtube video "MyJeans" which went viral with over 14 million views. Since then, 16 year old Jenna, has worked with Beyonce, Pink, Gwen Stefani, Jessica Simpson, Macy Gray, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and many more.  She is currently on The Reality Dance Jam Tour and has a new single "Forget You"

CARRIE LANE was born and raised in Montclair, NJ.  She has been performing on stage since she was 4 years old.  Her recent credits include judging Rockland's Got Talent and opening for DeLeasa and Mike Tompkins. Carrie loves singing and writing her own music that comes from her own relatable experiences.  Carrie’s new song "Nothing to Say" premiers in Sept.

TAYLOR BELLE is a 16 year old singer form Long Island, New York. She has performed at shows all over New York and Pennsylvania. Taylor sings a variety of music including pop, oldies and r&b. Her cover and original song "Wings" has had over 50, 000 views collectively on YouTube.

MEAGHAN DOWLING is a teen comedian with her own weekly YouTube comedy show TeenThingsTV.  Her comedy focuses on teen topics such and one sided friendships, dealing with bullying, building confidence, being a Disney princess and shopping dilemmas. 

JOE AND LENORE LUCA  brother sister duo and host of Keeping up with Cool, a fast-paced, energetic, half-hour weekly series aimed at teens and young adults.  Joe and Lenore travel the US looking for all things that are cool then report their findings thru celebrity interviews, jokes, comedy sketches, and relevant news stories. Keeping up with Cool airs on FirstRun.Tv

THE SCENE KINGS are combined Duo Dennis Ciallela and John Feelgood.   They gained notoriety among music industry pros worldwide with remix style and signature sound that features a unique blend of commercial dance, progressive, electro, and tribal house.  You can find their music on retail outlets like Beatport, ITunes, Amazon and YouTube.

ALESSIA CATANIA is an aspiring model seen on the runway of designer Jazmin Brown and at NYC Fashion Week.  Alessia, also, serves as the face and spokesperson of StarDogGives.com. 
SHAWN MEGIRA is currently on tour with Reality Dance Jam.  With over 80K  on Instagram he became the focus of the 2014 Documentary Instafame

GINAMARIE Z  Second place runner up from CBS Big Brother 15.  GinaMarie is well rounded in the entertainment world as a model, actress, dancer, and singer.  Currently she lives in New York and has released a new pop single, “Open Book” available on ITunes.

See a Concert - Help the Homeless



Meet and Greet Event to Benefit the homeless

Come meet your favorite Social media Stars with an up close and personal concert by ZACH MATARI,  Taylor Belle, GinaMarie Z, Lucki Gurlz , The Bomb Digz, Jenna Rose, Carrie Lane and Meaghan Dowling 
and many more to be added soon.

Giving back has never been so much fun. Money raised from this event will go to buy brand new clothing for the children at Family Promise shelter.

Hosted by Alessia Catania.
Music by: Remix/Producers The Scene Kings



This Is An ALL AGE SHOW

When: Sunday, Oct 19, 2014 12:00 PM
(Doors open at 12pm)
Ticket Price: $40.00
Show Type: Variety
Restrictions: Seating will stop 30 minutes after the showtime

Levity Live Theater
Palisades Mall
West Nyack, Ny

Ticket grants you access into the show as well as a Meet & Greet with our performers.

Click here to purchase tickets

Family Promise

Star Dog attended a beautiful Volunteer appreciation dinner at the Meadow Wood Manor hosted by Family Promise Morris County NJ. This event was attended by almost 200 volunteers, interns, staff and board members.

One of the reason we have always loved Family promise so much is their dedication to helping families in need restore themselves. After the volunteer appreciation dinner, we have a new reason to love them: their ability to recognize the hard work and value of its volunteers. We were so moved by the appreciation, shown at this event, for the commitment and efforts of their volunteers. 

Family Promise is dedicated to ending the crisis of homelessness by partnering with other public and private agencies, religious congregations and community volunteers to provide shelter, case management and mentoring services leading to self-sufficiency for families.

Family Promise provides emergency shelter and meals 365 days a year. Families facing homelessness can depend on Family Promise to provide a safe and comfortable temporary home, including sleeping quarters and a place where guests can relax, socialize, watch television, access phones and computers, and use the shower and laundry facilities. 

Family Promise allows its families to stay for as long as they need to get back on their feet. For some that may be a couple of weeks; for others, six months or a year. Many traditional shelters have time limits that can force families to find other temporary shelter before accumulating enough resources or completing the necessary education and training to obtain gainful employment and independent housing. Family Promise ensures that families are well prepared and in a position to secure a permanent place in the community. They Help Struggling families through the tough times and stick with them beyond.

Denise and Kacie Ricciotti of Star Dog 

volunteering at the Family Promise holiday party.

Star Dog, created with the purpose of helping children in need, is honored to be able to provide clothing for Family Promise of Morris County.  We have a very special place in our hearts for families facing crisis. Having something as simple as a new t-shirt gives them hope, love and confidence.   To date, we proudly  have donated over  100 brand new youth sized t-shirts to Family Promise. 

For Volunteer opportunities contact your local Family Promise chapter.

Year of Giving

Star Dog had a fabulous year of giving!

We donated 281 brand new t-shirts to kids in need!
Thank you to all who cared and helped make this happen.

Here is a list of places Star Dog, with the help of our supporters, donated to in 2013.
 

Dec 31, 2013 St. Josephs Childrens Hospital Autism Center: 14 youth sized t-shirts

December 31, 2013  St. Mary's Clothing Bank:  5 youth sized t-shirts
December 23, 2013   Your Grandmother's Cupboard:  23 youth sized t-shirts
December 18, 2013  Family Promise Holiday Party: 53 youth sized t-shirts
October 15, 2013 Women Aware: 24 youth sized t-shirts
October 15, 2013  Family Promise: 47 youth sized t-shirts
August 26, 2013 Father English Community Center: 30 youth sized t-shirts
August 5, 2013 Camp Happy Times: 16 youth sized t-shirts
June 13, 2013 Ridgewood Social Services:  21 youth sized t-shirts
June 11, 2013 Oklahoma City Rescue Mission: 6 youth sized t-shirts
June  1, 2013 Tashirat Orphanage:  42 youth sized t-shirts

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Our goal is to have a bigger and stronger 2014 by doubling our donations.You can help by purchasing a t-shirt on our website.
The more we sell the more we give.
StarDogGives.com
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Keep track of our giving at:

http://www.stardoggives.blogspot.com/p/donation.html

Give Back New Jersey Event

I am so excited to share all the details of the "Give Back New Jersey" event Star Dog hosted last week.

It all started with an idea.  Since it had been an honor, in the past,  to donate t-shirts to kids in Mexico and Oklahoma City, we wanted to give back a little closer to home.  We shared our "Give Back New Jersey" concept with Family Promise and Women Aware and they loved it!!

So let's celebrate!  I mentioned it to my hair stylist, Christine, who owns a nearby Salon/Boutique with her sister,  Joann.  Without hessitation they offered their space for the event.  I felt so blessed to be hosting my event at Bottega Salon and Boutique. 

Now let's hope, cross my fingers, that people would want to come.  I sent out invites and my excitement mounted as the RSVP's started coming in.  I realized "We were having a party!" 

I reached out for sponsors.  Beauty from Inside and Out and Arbonne representitive, Angela Christou jumped on board to be a part of the event.

The week of the event,  I was busy ordering champagne, finalizing the food and shopping for plates, napkins and decorations.  Planning it much like I was having any other party I would have in my own home.  

I made extensive lists to keep myself organized.  I would find myself  crossing a few things off my list only to add on a few more.   But still I was calm and getting everything done.

Then 3 days before the big day, I get the big news that Melissa Gorga of The Real Housewives of New Jersey was excited about our cause and wanted to stop by to support.  I thought I'd have a heart attack.

This was no longer an ordinary party I would have at my home...

The night was a whirlwind, with champagne flowing all night and guests enjoying chocolate covered strawberries, cupcakes by BabyCakes by Janet and TraciAnn cookies. 

  Some of my oldest and dearest friends came out to support and my family traveled great distances to be by my side.

Bottega Boutique displayed their beautiful jewelry, hair accessories, clutches, hats, and scarves.  

Melissa Gorga not only graciously took photo's with everyone, but she stayed the entire evening and mingled with the crowd.  

Our other celebrity guest included Reality Star Kalyn Braun from Big Rich Texas, NYC socialite Eric Andrew,  Fashion designer Jazmin Brown, Project Runway model  Lea Ranells,  Rap Artist Vnova, and Author Qwana Reynolds. 

Kalyn Braun and Eric Andrew

Jazmin Brown and Lea Rannells

Qwana Reynolds and Vnova

  

 Fashion Bloggers,Yessenia Ramos  and Cara Zamorski  covered the buzz of the evening and photographers Stephanie Ferrante, Chris Zamorski and Adam Akin captured the special memories of the night.

As the night progressed, I was giddy with the roar of everyone networking, laughing and having a great time.  It was inspiring being in a room full of so many people passionate about helping children!  It was beyond what i could have ever imagined.

It can't go without mention, an important part of the evening was the attendance of Family Promise representatives.  I was proud to introduce them to all our guest, after all they were the reason we were all there. 

Our t-shirts designed by Y not promotions in Paterson were a hit.  We sold 40 shirts that night - which means we get get to donate 40 brand new t-shirts to the children at Family Promise and Women Aware!! 

Yes we had  a fun memorable evening, but I want to take this moment to remind everyone why we all came together...The victims of homelessness are the children, who have no control over the decisions that put them there and no power to change their circumstances. At Star Dog, we know we cannot meet all the needs of homeless children, but the ability to provide them with clothing can remove just one stress factor for these kids. 

Our party may be over, but there are still so many kids who need us.  Please continue to help us spread the word. 

Thank you again to all the wonderful people who came and to our fabulous sponsors for their support in making this event happen. Xxoo

Have fun looking through the pictures.  Here are some of my favorites:

Our Sponsors

 

PHOTO CREDITS:

Stephanie Ferrante

Chris Zamorski

Adam Akin

View the entire photo album here: Star Dog Give Back New Jersey Photos

My gratitude to Bottega Boutique for their kindness and generous offering of their space for the evening.

To book an appointment with them please call 973-433-0633, or visit www.bottegacedargrove.com.

Joann and Christine from Bottega

Special Thanks to  Bridget OBrien Public Relations for all the publicity, tweets, posts and event tips!!  

With my friend, Bridget O'brien

An extremely large THANK YOU to my family who continue to support me and love me through it all!! 

If you weren't able to make it to our event our shirts are available for sale on our website