Actor Dan Ackroyd with New Orleans jeweler Anne Dale honor responders

NEW ORLEANS — It took three days of awards luncheons for the House of Blues to honor all the first responders who helped during Hurricane Katrina.

Actor Dan Aykroyd and Chief Peter Dale of the Harahan Police Department on Thursday helped applaud the various police, fire and emergency management personnel from multiple Louisiana parishes in The Parish Room.

Actor Dan Ackroyd“I was most impressed by the commitment and the unequivocal duty that you, the first responders and your families, gave to your communities. So this is our way of saying thank you,” said Aykroyd, an investor in House of Blues Entertainment Inc. “There is no place like New Orleans in all of America, so there is a great affection in my heart for it, and I was most concerned, as was the rest of the world, during the whole catastrophe and then afterwards. We’re so glad you are all here.”

“Every one of you here today are the ones who saved the city, who got it back,” said Dale. “I realized during and after Katrina that when the chips are really down in this metropolitan area, there are no parish lines, no city lines, everybody just went where they had to go and did what they needed to do. I’m very proud to have served with all of you, much less command some of you, and there are plenty of people alive today because of the people at these three luncheons.”

Commemorative “I Love New Orleans Badge” pins and pendants designed by Dale’s cousin, Anne Dale of Anne-Dale Jeweller in Mandeville, were given to the first responders and their families. Then Aykroyd launched into a rendition of “I Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans.”

“… The place where I left my heart or something like that,” sang Aykroyd, eliciting one of several big laughs from the audience.

Aykroyd and Dale grew to be closer friends post-Katrina, which the former “Saturday Night Live” star mentioned in his trademark deadpan.

“We’ll be seeing ‘Brokeback Mountain’ together after this,” Aykroyd said to laughs.

Dale also recognized Aykroyd’s efforts to lend a hand to the city.

“After the storm, Dan called us and asked us what we needed, and brought us down a tractor trailer full of boats, motors, generators, lights, sleeping bags, dry clothes and food that he bought himself,” said Dale. “We brought him here to give him an award to thank him for his efforts and he turned around and dug into his own pocket again to put these luncheons on. You ever want to know somebody in the movie industry that really loves and cares for first responders, this is him.”

Aykroyd bought needed supplies and drove the entire lot to New Orleans.

“I wanted to make sure it got delivered and in the spirit of what we were doing I wanted to deliver it,” Aykroyd said, noting his friend Gary Kent was with him. “You should have seen me buying pallets of feminine hygiene supplies at Wal-Mart at the request of the National Guard for the guardswomen,” laughed Aykroyd.

Aykroyd has a longtime reverence for first responders.

“Police, firefighters, soldiers, moms — they’re the real heroes,” said Aykroyd. ‘My grandfather was a Mountie in Canada and I saw what a great common-sense cop he was. He was in from 1919 to 1946, and said he never drew his pistol. He said it was all just common sense policing and dealing with human behavior. I admire these people so much. And we just needed to throw a luncheon, have a drink and just party and kind of get back to the spirit of what this city should be, which is about celebration and fun and good times and the future.”

Aykroyd will serve as co-grand marshal of the Krewe of Endymion parade Saturday with actor Jim Belushi, brother of the late John Belushi, his SNL co-star. The parade will roll along the Uptown route instead of the historic Mid-City route — detoured by Hurricane Katrina. Aykroyd will then join Belushi and his band, The Sacred Hearts, on stage at the Endymion Extravaganza as part of a Blues Brothers review.

“Mardi Gras 2006 is going to be a hit,” said Aykroyd. “It’s essential that people come back and know this. The world needs New Orleans because it’s the soul center of the United States. Nowhere in this country is the confluence of the culinary arts, the architecture, the music, the heart, the spirit. It all comes together here. People who weren’t even born here feel like they were once they know the joy of this city and in fact this state.”

House of Blues Entertainment Inc. plans to play a major role in the economic future of New Orleans, said Laura Tennyson, marketing manager for House of Blues New Orleans, which reopened in December. “We are fortunate to be on Decatur Street in the French Quarter and we realized after the storm we really are an economic anchor here, and that we had to open in order for our block to flourish,” says Tennyson. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised that shows have been selling out, the business lunch crowd is back and the Foundation Room members have come back en masse. We’ll continue to demonstrate our long-term commitment to the city.”

Source – CityBusiness


Anne Dale – Leading Women in Business

 Leading Women in Business

 

 

 

 

Radio 101.9 WLMG MAGIC

A Louisiana jeweler gemologist with over twenty-three years experience as a jewelry wholesaler and educator. As former director of Gem-A USA (the U.S. arm of the Gemological Assn of Great Britain) Anne travel the world helping set up educational course on the study of gemstones. Anne Dale opened her retail jewelry store on the North-shore of New Orleans in May of 1999.

Anne, a resident on the North-Shore was shocked by the devastation of New Orleans and by the “losses suffered by so many” during Hurricane Katrina. Anne personally faced the challenge of recovery and rebuilding after Katrina with no electric power, water or phone service for weeks but still felt blessed compared to many.

When power returned, Anne witnessed first responders and police officers that stayed in the city helping people to safety. She watched as they risked everything, even their own lives to help save others. Anne felt she had to do something to recognize the nobility, the strength and honesty of the first responders, while also trying to help rebuild the city she loved.

Anne created a piece of jewelry dedicated to the rebuilding of New Orleans. Anne created The “I Love New Orleans Badge”a silver badge that can be worn as a pin or as a pendant. Over 20,000 of the pins have been sold with a percent of the proceeds going into a relief fund.

Anne is also a member of St. Joseph’s Abbey and donates her time for their Penny’s for Bread Program and is also a member of The American Business Women’s Association.

Congratulations, Anne…and Thank You


Anne Dale – Leading Women in Business

 Leading Women in Business

Radio 101.9 WLMG MAGIC

A Louisiana jeweler gemologist with over twenty-three years experience as a jewelry wholesaler and educator. As former director of Gem-A USA (the U.S. arm of the Gemological Assn of Great Britain) Anne travel the world helping set up educational course on the study of gemstones. Anne Dale opened her retail jewelry store on the North-shore of New Orleans in May of 1999.

Anne, a resident on the North-Shore was shocked by the devastation of New Orleans and by the “losses suffered by so many” during Hurricane Katrina. Anne personally faced the challenge of recovery and rebuilding after Katrina with no electric power, water or phone service for weeks but still felt blessed compared to many.

When power returned, Anne witnessed first responders and police officers that stayed in the city helping people to safety. She watched as they risked everything, even their own lives to help save others. Anne felt she had to do something to recognize the nobility, the strength and honesty of the first responders, while also trying to help rebuild the city she loved.

Anne created a piece of jewelry dedicated to the rebuilding of New Orleans. Anne created The “I Love New Orleans Badge”a silver badge that can be worn as a pin or as a pendant. Over 20,000 of the pins have been sold with a percent of the proceeds going into a relief fund.

Anne is also a member of St. Joseph’s Abbey and donates her time for their Penny’s for Bread Program and is also a member of The American Business Women’s Association.

Congratulations, Anne…and Thank You


New Orleans Anne Dale’s Jewelry Goes Gold 

Jewelry Goes Gold A Katrina relief badge, jewelry goes gold, will shortly become widely available, as jeweler Anne Dale has agreed to put a her New Orleans Jewelry creation into large-scale production.

Jeweler Anne Dale created the badge in response to the devastation she witnessed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and has already sold them on a small-scale.

Now she will be manufacturing the badges in silver and both white and yellow gold from early October, reports JCK magazine.

Ms Dale lives in Mandeville, close to New Orleans, and wanted to design something to support New Orleans and the victims of the hurricane.

Her badge is designed for use as a lapel pin and can also be worn on a chain. It incorporates a crest that represents the Mississippi River and is engraved with “I know what it means” and sports a heart to symbolise love, under which New Orleans is written. Within the heart is a fleur-de-Lis recalling Louisiana’s French heritage.

The Katrina relief badges have already proved popular, with actor Dan Aykroyd placing an order for 500 and Ms Dale has even sent one to President Bush.

Proceeds form the sale of the badges will be channelled into the Anne Dale’s Relief Fund and relief projects in Ms Dale’s community.

Source – World Gold Council


New Orleans Jewelry styles fly off store shelves

New Orleans Jewelry Designer(New Orleans, Louisiana) Ten days after Hurricane Katrina tore through the Gulf Coast, Anne Dale and her family sat in her Covington home with no power, no running water and a battery-operated TV, rigged with a coat hanger as an antenna.

For the first time since the storm hit, Dale saw what the rest of the world had been seeing for 10 days.

“When I saw those images come on TV, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said Dale, who owns Anne-Dale Jeweller in Mandeville. “When I saw the police officers speaking, the idea came to me to give recognition to first responders.”

She created a Hurricane Katrina “badge,” a sterling-silver pendant with the slogan, “I know what it means to love New Orleans.”

“Everyone has a Katrina hero,” Dale said. “No matter what walk of life you’re from — rich or poor. A badge represents something about a person, their courage, nobility, honor.”

Dale already has sold 3,000 badges to people in Louisiana and as far away as Australia, Finland and California with proceeds benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Dale even tapped into the celebrity market.

“Dan Akroyd bought 500 to give to the New York City police and firefighters who came down to help,” said Dale. “He happened to be in town and the Harahan police chief called me and said, ‘If I give Dan Akroyd my badge, will you give me another one?’ I said yes, of course. And then Dan Akroyd called back and said he wanted to order 500 of them. So I met him in front of a bowling alley in Harahan. He came incognito but he was very nice, serious and businesslike but nice.”

Akroyd took the badges to New York where he gave them to New York police officers and other first responders who helped New Orleans after Katrina.

Dale is far from the only retailer taking advantage of Louisiana pride.

Earthsavers in Mandeville is selling “Save NOLA” T-shirts complete with a fleur de lis symbol.

The Mignon Faget jewelry store is selling sterling silver and 14-karat gold fleur de lis pendants, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, brooches and rings.

On the South Shore, retailers are selling T-shirts, jewelry and other clothing.

Metro Three, a Magazine Street store specializing in men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, is selling T-shirts with the logos “Make levees not war,” “New Orleans: Still proud to call it home,” “New Orleans is for lovin’ ” and “Go with the contraflow.”

T-shirts and sweatshirts with the “Defend New Orleans” logo also are selling at Turncoats Clothing Exchange on Magazine Street in New Orleans, and Vicki Adjmi, owner of Jean Therapy, is selling “Save NOLA” T-shirts at her Lakeside Shopping Center location.

Source – CityBusiness