WebProNews

Tag: Idina Mendez

  • Idina Menzel Teaming Up With the USO to Help Make Military Families’ Holiday Wishes Come True

    Idina Menzel is teaming up with the USO to help make holiday wishes come true for American military personnel and their families.

    The USO Wishbook is a catalogue of goods and services “designed to support our deployed troops, military families, wounded warriors and their families and caregivers, troops in transition and families of the fallen.”

    “This time of year is complicated and can be hard when families are not able to be together,” said the Tony Award-winning actress. “I recently had the chance to tell some military families how much I appreciate the sacrifices they make, and the USO Wishbook is an affordable and powerful way for America to be able to do the same.”

    The Frozen actress was referring to a USO meet and greet event held during the 2014 Bloomingdale’s Holiday Concert & Window Unveiling in New York City. At the event, she performed selections from her new album, Holiday Wishes.

    The USO Wishbook offers items priced from $15 up to $6,000. Some of the items include “Build a Bike for a Wounded Warrior” and “Comfort Food Packages,” which are full of troops’ favorite salty snacks and other comforts of home. Other items include a “Growing Up Kit for Kids” to help “a military child cope with the stresses of military life”, or “Phone Calls Home,” which help members of military families stay connected when separated during deployment.

    For more information, visit USOwishbook.org.

  • Jennifer Nettles’ Son Is So Ready For Christmas, As Is She

    Jennifer Nettles’ son, Magnus Hamilton Miller, is so very ready for Christmas … well nearly ready.

    He is only two after all, but his mom says he is ready to experience the wonder of Christmas.

    “Magnus is just now going to be two, so he still doesn’t understand the whole concept. He understands excitement and having people around and celebrating,” Nettles told CMT News in Nashville. “But he doesn’t understand the concept of Santa or anything from the sacred standpoint of the season just yet.”

    It may be that the host of last night’s CMA County Christmas special, in which she killed Let It Go with Idina Mendez, is the one who is really ready to experience Christmas through her son’s eyes. Nettles said it’s the traditions that she experienced as a child that she wants to share with her boy.

    “As he gets older, I’m really excited to start traditions with Magnus,” she said.

    Nettles said she takes gift-giving very seriously and wants more than anything to offer thoughtful, meaningful gifts. One of her favorite places to find special gifts is Thistle Farms, a community of women in Nashville who have overcome debilitating issues, including prostitution, alcohol and drug addiction.

    “There’s a charity here in Nashville called Thistle Farms that makes really great gift baskets. The women there have been rehabilitated after having lived lives on the streets,” she said. “And now these women make all kinds of natural lotions and balms and things, so those are special gifts I can give, because then I’m giving in two different ways.”