The event will be held at St. Mary’s Parish Center at 940 Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury, Connecticut. The event starts at 6 p.m.

Amazingly brave people who have escaped the ravages of wars, genocide and natural disasters rely on the goodwill of organizations and Americans to help them start their new lives in our wonderful land of opportunity.

Learn about their stories online here and here. Download the event flier.

We want to help! Will you?

and you know what, ? for the most part we all know we are just ordinary and behave like just ordinary people who had a really great experience that continues. 211 of “us” gathered in Hollywood last weekend for the 10^th Reunion of all Survivors and the whole weekend was one fun time. Meeting so many of the players I had not met before and being able to share our stories and experiences was awesome. It was so good to hear what people are doing with that experience and so many are doing a lot of good. I absolutely loved so many of “them” There was much shrieking with recognition in the hotel lobby as people came in and I am still fascinated that “they” who I have watched for years know me. !!!!

Our good friend Murtz Jaffer (Reality Obsessed) was in from Canada and he arranged a gathering at The Saddle Ranch where the shrieking, hugging, photos and endless chatter without a breath continued. He had also arranged for us to go to another club M-6 (I think) where we had the secret password to get in!!!! “Murtz” How Hollywood is that. We were quite clearly the oldest in the room and tried to look like we belonged, had a drink and yelled in each others ears. At the last party I also thought I was definitely the oldest in the room until I saw another gray haired lady and was relieved until I realized it was me in a mirrored wall. J. Age has never mattered to me as we will always know how to have fun. What I did also learn looking back on photos was to stand up straight and not look like an ad for Osteoporosis. !!!! After M-6 we walked along Sunset to another club, My House, for a party organized by Earl. Here the password to get in past the milling ‘young” crowd was Survivor which how ever didn’t hold any weight with the enormous bouncers who declared they were filled to capacity. We stood outside with a whole lot of party hopefuls for an hour and watched people from “The Hills” get in despite capacity. Once again I could have passed for an AARP Cover girl but what fun watching the action outside. One cute young guy kept hanging onto me giving me compliments and chatting despite my husband behind me which I pointed out. I think he thought I had to be “someone” and would be able to slip in with this “someone” After all it is “Cougar Town” We gave up just before 2 and walked back. The next day continued with a lot of “gathering of the tribes” as dozens hung out at the pool where Dale took many many great photos. He is just great and tireless shooting for us to have photos we would not necessarily get otherwise. He does amazing photography and anyone in So Cal should check him out and book him. www.killerimage.com

That night was the CBS party and an after party organized by Johnny Fairplay at Villa something or other. We did not make that one as we were the last to leave CBS and the party was almost closing down so a bunch of us continued talking in the lobby till 4am. No wonder I am hoarse….2 weekends of party party party and talk talk talk. What fun life can be and I have never been a bar fly…one could never tell by my yearly excursions to LA..

Photos on Facebook.com/gillianlarson

You get the most incredibly fun party where everyone was able to meet so many of the contestants we have all watched for the past 10 years. I still have trouble really believing that I am part of that great Survivor Family and family it is. This was so obvious all night. Game play aside everyone was their normal (as much as that can be for some) selves and I have to say I just loved almost all of them more in person than I even did from their game. I still find it so funny when I meet up with my favorite players and say “Hi I am Gillian” and they say “of course, I know who you are”
CBS outdid themselves.

We were taken by shuttle to CBS studios and greeted by friendly CBS people, a buff to wear somewhere at all times and a lanyard with our names and season. Most people I knew right off but a few I had to peek down at their lanyard. We walked under the new season log into an Island wonderland of palapas, palm trees, food stations with delicious food and friendly servers, more servers walking around with platters piled high with the wonderful food that was not on a station and a huge bar palapa in the middle.

The stage area had a huge logo from each season and the band was great but too loud. You can dance to any level music but you can’t talk… I know it’s not my age but the music was so loud it made talking impossible and we all turned into moving mouths and unless we yelled into an ear the comments were lost to the notes. It ended up almost everyone went to the side room where it turned into wall to wall people who could talk to their hearts content as they too couldn’t talk.

I found a lot of the people I wanted to; people found me and introduced themselves and their role in my game which I loved. I loved every minute of it and continue to feel so privileged to have been a part of this amazing game. My husband, myself and 15 others were on the last shuttle home and we had to almost be thrown out.

I can’t believe how many people I could not find in the melee of bodies and seeing other people’s photos I know I missed so many I would have liked to have met. Will have to wait till the 20th reunion.

Photos on http://facebook.com/gillianlarson

Many love to touch my buff and my game shirt and hear my suggestions. It is always “be yourself, they are looking for you” If you are big be big, loud, be loud, annoying be annoying, sweet, be sweet, sexy be sexy whatever it is be it. Just strut your stuff if you’ve got it.

I love watching the “Tribal Alliances” forming on the sidewalks, the loud and irritating ones annoying the others, the pushy and quiet ones, the full-o-fun ones, the full-o-shit ones and all the full-o-hope ones writing and rewriting their applications, practicing their 2 minutes pleas to the camera. There are also the “overnighters” who set up for sometimes days.

Survivor Steve is always first in line and is there for 2 nights and 3 days. He is famous just for that. There are tents, and reclining beach chairs and sleeping bags. The Pauma one was a long cold night but spirits couldn’t have been brighter when I got there at 6am. I did not spend the night this time as I had just got home from my 26 bookings in six days speaking trip.

There are always a few moments that really stand out and this time it was the two ladies who went to the casino to drink and did not get back when they had been told to and gave the producers a hard time. Not smart…. but they did get their moments in the lens.

Then the 70 year old lady who did not look a day over 60 who asked if I thought it would be too much for her. Not if she is fit, healthy and driven. Go for it. Good luck to you all. Everyone was even more excited when two casting people came to chat too. Wow, what a chance to get in front of Survivor Casting to boot.

Good luck to you all. We will see you one of these days and you will be on the other side of the line like I am now. Photos posted on my Facebook page if anyone wants to see what an open call looks like.

Yes, Russell gave them plenty of material to work with but the others or most of the others played the game into Survivor history but editing worked them out and him in. Yes he played a great game in many ways but a lousy on in other ways.

No one plays the game alone or wins alone and he lost the game all by himself. He forgot the social side and you can’t piss of the jury or actually the world. Natalie outlasted him, amen.  He spent most of the finale weekend looking highly pissed, was very approachable, very polite and willing to pose and talk but he was not the social butterfly in the crowd.

Everyone else, well almost everyone (I wont name names, was having a really good time or so it seemed. The cast was a lot of fun to be around and almost all were an absolute delight. Most of them were happy with their entire experience and appreciative of the opportunity. Some not so, I won’t mention names.

Ron and I spent the weekend at all the gatherings enjoying talking to all of “Samoa” and many previous players. We probably got about 5 hrs sleep all weekend. Not bad for people who don’t hit the scene with regularity. It is such fun being on the inside of this Reality World and getting the scoop on the game I watched with such fervor all these years.

I still cant believe “I am one of them” and I will always be grateful for the opportunity and feel privileged to have played especially seeing that so many are recruited or referred. I preferred my journey to Survivor and I am enjoying my journey post Survivor.

I think the cast for S20 will be announced this weekend as the show airs on Feb 11. I have renamed it “Assholes and Angels” and I cant wait for the Coloseum to open it’s gates and let the lions out. They are going to eat each other alive. Let the games begin!

Photos are posted on my Facebook page. Check them out.

A whole lot of fun, amazed and excited walkers and Reality Stars having a great time together for a great cause.  Thank you “Stars” you made the hardest second day walking a whole lot easier and you were all talked about for the rest of the weekend.

The walkers were in awe that “you” would all be there just for “them”. Thank you each and everyone of you for making it such a great event.    We did help them ‘Survive’ their  ‘Amazing Race’ to a cure.

The day was a huge success and a huge thanks to my family for helping me organize it and make it happen. A huge thanks to Dale Porter who offered us his home on the beach walk for the event, plus he took the great photos I am posting plus you can see more on www.killerimage.com.  Huge thanks to our DJ and MixMaster, Craig Visser for the great music which totally set the mood for all involved. Check him out on facebook.com/craigvisser.

And an enormous thanks to the 26 Stars you will see in the photos who came from San Diego and  LA, Jodi from Houston and Sonja from Walnut Creek. You guys are all awesome and I continue to be amazed at how you all give back with your time for so many great causes. You all deserve the title “Stars”. You are just that. For five hours you tirelessly worked the crowd, cheered them on, posed for endless photos and signed autographs becoming one of the highlights of the weekend walk.

Thank you thank you. Lets do it again, spread the word and lets double the Stars on the beach walk during the 2010 walk.

Photos posted on my Facebook page and Killerimage.com

There are 25 reality show stars coming out in support to add their recognizable faces and cheering voices to the event. Thanks everyone. You are awesome to come out and cheer. I will also be volunteering for the three days on the medical crew working on what ever ails the walkers with over stress injuries.

Hope my Psych experience is not needed .Watch this site for a full write up on one of the most amazing events of the year. Yes, I even think it beats “Survivor” and many of these people are the “Real Survivors”

This is a good story about how mental attributes such as persistence, good attitude and never giving up are key contributors to overcoming injury and achieving great overall health and wellness. I think you will agree with me! Instead of talking about persistence and a “never say die” attitude from my perspective, I thought I’d share the benefit of these attributes from another person’s viewpoint. That person is Gillian Larson, a former contestant on the TV show, Survivor. Gillian was on the show two seasons ago when it took place in Gabon, Africa.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Gillian who happens to be a friend of my friend, Amanda Graves (From Dips to Deserts, Amanda Cooks!, www.amandacookscatering.com, customized meals (low-salt, low-fat, etc) according to people’s dietary needs).

Amanda invited me and my wife (both Survivor fans) over to dinner recently, as Gillian was visiting. Gillian shared her experience on the show as well as her time in Gabon after being voted off (in the second episode, unfortunately).

We learned that Gillian was very persistent throughout the Survivor process. Prior to being on the show in Gabon, she had applied for all of the previous Survivor seasons except the 1st, without success. When she finally made it on, she actually had a game plan, which would have served her well if it hadn’t been for the rest of the stiffs on her team. She told us she knew she was going to be voted off because her tribe had decided she was too happy and loved everything about being there. Also, the older women are always targeted and before even seeing much of them they are too old and weak . I will tell you as a fan of the show that she was stronger physically and mentally than at least 75% of her tribe.

What impressed me the most about her though was her activity after she was voted off. Her show contract required her to stay in Gabon at a separate location from the shoot after she was voted off. She told us she took advantage of her time there by walking through the jungle or along the beach for 5 hours each day to explore and train for a 60 mile Susan Khoman Cancer Walk she was doing in November. I think that is pretty impressive for anyone, let alone a 62 year old woman who was off exploring on her own.

Additionally, she told us that she was teaching a bunch of crew members how to body surf in the ocean when a big wave slammed her pretty hard. The result was a complete tear of her rotator cuff, although she was not completely sure of it at that time outside of the fact she couldn’t lift her arm. She was flown to the local Military hospital and x-rayed. No break, so she and the Survivor doctor felt it was a rotator cuff injury. When given the opportunity to stay or go home because of the injury, she chose to stay for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

So, knowing that her shoulder would freeze if she did not somehow move it (she is a nurse by trade), Gillian started some make shift physical therapy on her own while in Africa. In the pictures below, she was so kind to demonstrate on Amanda’s counter top how she did her own exercises using an empty beer/coconut oil bottle (see picture) that she filled with sand while laying on a table in an abandoned camp (see picture) miles from her lodging so no one would realize the extent of her injury (she demonstrated the exercises she did using a bottle of wine, AND allowed me to do an impromptu PT session in the pictures below).

Anyway, her persistence and attitude helped her maintain some semblance of shoulder strength and motion while she finished out her time in Gabon. She did require major surgery when she returned home to San Diego in October 07′, then a second surgery in January 08′. Her physical therapy care afterwards was quite extensive and painful and a year later she is still committed to 2 sessions a day of PT at home. I am happy to say that she can now lift a bottle of wine over her head – a big victory considering the extent of her injury.

So, as you can see, if a 62 year old woman can do all of this, so can you! You just need to believe, and approach whatever the challenge is, whether it be recovering from an injury, losing 20 pounds, or getting on a reality TV show, with the right attitude. For more on Gillian, you can visit her website at www.GillianLarson.com. Good luck and remember, if we can be of any assistance with injury recovery and improving fitness, give us a call!!

Attend the All-Access Fitness Academy Open House and see if you can SURVIVE our fitness competition combine!!

We are pleased to announce and invite you to an Open House at our new facility on Saturday, August 29th, from 10am to 2pm. The Open House will give you an opportunity to see our new PT clinic and fitness facility in person, work out on us, AND compete in an exercise combine to see how you stack up against other open house attendants! Prizes will be rewarded to those who do well in each exercise and the overall competition, INCLUDING an opportunity to speak directly with Gillian Larson to ask her more about her experience on the TV show Survivor or about her determination in overcoming her injury and subsequent surgery!!

To learn more or register for the Open House this Saturday, call us at 508-845-3974, or reply to this e-mail, and I or Andrea Bacich, our Sales and Marketing Director, will contact you directly. Thanks again for reading.

Steve Messineo, PT, DPT, Executive Director

I have just returned from Louisiana where the 2009 Kentuckiana Police and Firefighters Benefit was held. This is an amazing yearly event organized by Matt Keith, Kelly Jones and Mark Lynch and what an amazing job they do.

It is such fun to know I now belong to this great family of Realty Stars J and it is a family.

Contestants from Survivor, Amazing Race, Southern Belles, American Idol, one Pirate Master and even Outback Jack came together to have fun, meet old friends and make new, sign hundreds of autographs and pose for pictures with hundreds of fans who come and support the benefit. Awesome. There is no way I can write about all the great people who came together in a short blog so will focus on Tocantins, as a follow up to my recent blogs for Canadian TV Guide.

Sandy has learned what a “pace” is and we both agreed we were pretty pissed of that the “old women” are always targeted. JT is a most delightful Southern young man and after meeting him I am even more delighted he took the seasons million. Stephen was as wide eyed in Kentucky as he was in Brazil. Sierra, Debbie and Erin all look like they came right from a “Who’s Who in Good Looking American Women “convention and all had a lots of fun. Joe is also awesome and is happy he is not walking around on one leg despite leaving the game too soon because of it. Spencer is much taller than I thought he was and he is a whole lot of fun. AND of course there is Coach. I still have to say that I still like the guy. I know I dissed him in the game but I found him personable, interactive and likable. We talked about his “tall stories” and we both agreed that the average person does not do adventure travel and therefore thinks someone who does is full of shit. After all, who would believe I spent 2 hrs in a cage, diving with Great White Sharks in South Africa and was in awe when one huge mouth opened and bit the cage 6 inches from my face. J So he has the pygmies and I have sharks.

We all had a boat ride down the Ohio River and ate, chatted and laughed about our game experiences. (Mine of course was not laughing matter J )

We all went to Churchill Downs for Night Races, I picked mostly losers, the jockeys are miniature people and we all had much fun. I think we need a jockey on Survivor or 2 on TAR. How fun would that be. Getting under a fence would be a snap for them.

The Reality Challenge at 6 Flags was a whole lot of fun and The Amazing Race Team beat the Survivor Team hands down L. Fan Team Donnie took home the trophy, “The Roaming Gnome”, no one choked on the funnel cakes they had to eat with no hands and our Bob cannot Hula Hoop to save his life J The Benefit evening was such fun. We mixed and mingled with 600 fans who bought tickets in support of the fund and to get our autographs and pictures. A highlight of the evening was an impromptu Reality Jam session. Eric Huffman ,Joe Dowdle ( Survivor) played guitars and sang, Susie Smith’s son, Trent on drums, Ray Housteau, BJ Averell (Amazing Race), Lindsey Cardinale and Haley Scarnato (American Idol) all sang. Really great music and much cheering all around. Cool.

From our season it was the final 4 and me J and it was great to see them all again. I will have pictures posted www.facebook.com/GillianLarson

And check out the benefit at….http://www.kpffb.org/

For 8 years I was a “Survivor Wannabe” and now I am a “Survivor Wannaback”. I wore my Wannabe shirt ” looking for a Survivor Scout” everywhere and that can be seen on YouTube under Gillians Journey to Survivor. I will now start a whole new collection of photos in my new awesome Wannaback shirt.

Photos on my FaceBook as I take them. I am back in training. I am walking 20 miles a week,lap swimming 4 hrs a week,3 hrs water aerobics a week and back in the gym. I want back in and this time I am not sure I will kill everyone (and mainly myself) with kindness.:)

Oh yea, I am starting to run but am still useless especially without Matty at my rear or should I say on my rear

Also check out the FaceBook group.

This great shirt was made by Lori at http://www.oakcrestcreations.com. Check them out.