Salon Twist’s 2nd Annual Change the World Fundraiser at Alys Beach

Grayton Beach, FL – (September 11, 2007) – When local salon owner Gina Shiflett talks to her clients every day, she learns about the heartbeat of her community. Most recently she discovered that several Ukrainian children, whom were abandoned, needed a loving environment to call home while they awaited adoption. Shiflett’s client Patricia “Sister” Schubert Barnes, founder of the famous Sister Schubert’s yeast roll company, informed Shiflett of the plight of abandoned children in Gorlovka, Ukraine. Shiflett was moved by the story of the helpless children abroad and immediately knew the Barnes Family Foundation was the perfect benefactor for her 2nd Annual Change the World Fundraiser.

“I have a heart to get involved and do what I can to help those less fortunate and find that the opportunity to speak to customers on a daily basis is my platform to evoke change; hence, the Change the World Fundraiser,” said Salon Twist co-owner Gina Shiflett.

Shiflett soon enlisted the support of another client, Lisa Burwell, to handle the organization and promotion of the event. Burwell, founder and president of Cornerstone Marketing and Advertising, Inc., helped Salon Twist establish their first fundraiser raising $19,000 for insecticide-treated mosquito nets for African families last year. As the women collaborated, ideas began to form and a plan was set in motion.

“We knew Sasha’s Home in Ukraine supported by Barnes Family Foundation; a foundation that Sister Schubert and her family established, would be the focus of our fundraiser, but we had to find a special venue with the right format of entertainment that would show our community how a few people can come together to truly change the world right from our own backyard,” said Burwell. “We approached Alys Beach and Greg Barnhill and they both pledged their support for the event.” Sasha’s Home is a multi-family, foster care community that will provide temporary families for orphaned children in Ukraine. Sister met Kenny Payne, a missionary in Ukraine, 12 years ago at a rotary club meeting in Luverne, Alabama. When she heard him speak of his vision for the orphanage she knew she wanted to help.

The 2nd Annual Change the World Fundraiser benefiting the Barnes Family Foundation for Sasha’s Home in Ukraine will be an evening with award-winning singer/songwriter Greg Barnhill and a group of accomplished musicians from Nashville, Tennessee performing a “Songwriters in the Round” at Alys Beach’s stunning new Caliza Pool on Thursday, November 1, 2007.

Tickets to the 2nd Annual Change the World Fundraiser are $100 per person and can be purchased by calling Salon Twist at 850- 231-7853. Food and wine, a photo exhibit of Ukrainian orphans, an intimate “Songwriters in the Round” performance, synchronized swimming performances, the chance to bid on fabulous auction items and the opportunity to purchase a tile in the Ukrainian orphanage Garden of Friends courtyard with your name on it for $500 amidst a setting to rival all that awaits you.

“We partnered with Alys Beach because their town’s new ‘Caliza Pool’ is truly the most beautiful venue that we could find for this important event,” said Schubert. “Not only was the Alys Beach team eager to help us plan and host our fundraiser, but Caliza Pool is absolutely breathtaking.”

The Barnes Family Foundation is launching the Change the World fundraiser at 5 p.m. at Alys Beach’s Caliza Pool. The dramatic design of the pool is in the timeless tradition of the Greek agora or the Roman piazza. Caliza features a 50’x100’ saltwater pool, a separate family pool, a 75-foot lap pool, a spa whirlpool and numerous secluded outdoor living areas flanked with tropical palms and gardens. The exquisite architecture includes arched colonnades, private cabanas, fountains and spectacular views of the Gulf of Mexico.

“Every aspect of Alys Beach has been created with families in mind,” said Jason Comer, Alys Beach’s Town Founder. “We’re extremely proud and honored to host an event that’s designed to unite deserving children with loving families.”

Through her foundation, Barnes expects the 2nd Annual Change the World Fundraiser to raise awareness and funds for Ukrainian orphans needing a nurturing, home-like environment to thrive in while they await adoption. Barnes and her family-run Barnes Family Foundation hope the evening of food and entertainment will raise enough money to bring them closer to realizing their dream of opening Sasha’s Home in Gorlovka, Ukraine.

“Our vision is to have a place where these abandoned children have the opportunity to move out of hospitals and live in an enriching, loving environment,” said Barnes. “Right now the system in Ukraine channels these abandoned children to crowded state-run orphanages, where conditions are poor by Western standards. We are renovating an old building that will be a brighter, warmer facility for the children to live in while they wait for their forever families. This will be Sasha’s Home.”

Barnes, who has visited Ukraine several times, has special ties to the children of Gorlovka. During one of her visits in 2003, she was listening to her translator speak with a nurse at the hospital. The nurse began to cry and Barnes asked the translator to tell her what they were talking about. It was about a beautiful boy who the nurse feared would never be adopted because he had two clubbed feet. The operation would not be performed on an orphaned child and he would most likely spend the rest of his life in a state-run institution. Barnes was touched by the story and insisted on meeting him in person.

“As soon as I laid eyes on him I knew he would forever be part of my life, I just wasn’t sure how,” Barnes explained. After researching several avenues, Barnes found that the only way to help the boy named Alexsey was to bring him to the United States under the care of a Ukrainian nanny to have several surgeries to fix his feet. “I made arrangements for the nanny and Alex to travel to America for treatment. Of course I fell in love with him and ended up adopting him!”

Alex is now 5 years old and lives with Barnes and her family in Andalusia, Alabama.

In a brainstorming meeting with Sister, Salon Twist and Cornerstone an idea was birthed to create a name that would have an emotional connection with the Ukrainian people. The name Sasha is an affectionate nickname for children with the name Alexander or Alexandra in Ukraine. Because of her role in the opening of the home and her adopted Ukrainian-born son named Alexsey, Barnes billed the new home for orphans, Sasha’s Home.

Barnes and Payne have provided assistance for abandoned children in Gorlovka, Ukraine since early 2000. They dreamed of building a home for the children that would provide a stable, family atmosphere until they found their “forever families”. They have been working the past three years to make that dream a reality.

Those attending the event will have the opportunity to purchase a granite tile to create the Garden of Friends in the courtyard of Sasha’s Home. The goal is for 1,000 donors to become friends by each purchasing a $500 tile to be displayed as a reminder of the many people who cared enough to help provide this loving environment for children who were once abandoned. Each tile will be engraved with the donor’s name and place of residence.

“The gift is much more than a tile in a courtyard as beautiful as that is,” said Payne. “It is a brighter future for children who would otherwise live in an institutionalized setting, never knowing the love of a family. By purchasing a tile and giving to Sasha’s Home, you really are changing the world by changing the lives of our children.”

Those wishing to help the plight of Ukrainian orphans can mail check made out to the Barnes Family Foundation, 102 Country Club Drive, Andalusia, AL, 36421 now or donate directly online by visiting www.barnesfamilyfoundation.org. on September 22, 2007 when the website is launched. All donations are tax-deductible. The Barnes Family Foundation began working with the abandoned babies long before the fundraising campaign was officially launched. Approximately $500,000 in medical supplies and cash has already been gifted through the foundation to support the work with these children. The complete renovation of Sasha’s Home will cost an estimated $1 million.
Corporate sponsors are still needed to help make this event a successful fundraiser. Please contact Lisa Burwell at 850-231-3087 ext. 1 to learn how you can help.

About the Barnes Family Foundation
The Barnes Family Foundation is a foundation dedicated to improving the lives of the less fortunate and enhancing our community through education, historical preservation and compassion. Since its inception in 2000, the Barnes Family Foundation has donated more than $700,000 to charities, scholarships and historical preservation. The Barnes Family Foundation is dedicated to seeing the realization of Sasha’s Home by supporting the mission and fundraising efforts. Their dream is to open Sasha’s Home in Gorlovka, Ukraine which will serve as a loving environment for abandoned children to thrive while they await adoption. To read more or to donate, please visit www.barnesfamilyfoundation.org.

About Patricia “Sister” Barnes
In 1989, Sister Schubert (dubbed "Sister" by a sibling) was baking her now famous rolls in the kitchen of her home for her small catering business and for friends and family using recipes belonging to her grandmother and other family members. That year, she donated some of her rolls to the food fair at her church. She filled 80 orders; the next year, 200; and the following year, 300. Today Sister Schubert's Homemade Rolls is a multi-million dollar corporation owned by the T. Marzetti Company with Sister and her husband, George Barnes, running the business. Her rolls can be found in the freezer section of grocery stores in more than half the states in the U.S.

About Alys Beach
A stunning new resort town located on Florida's famous Scenic Highway 30A, Alys Beach is the world's most extraordinary example of New Urbanism, a method of town planning recognized by The New York Times as “the most important collective architectural movement in the past fifty years.”

Master planned by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ), Alys Beach's amazing architectural vision drew its inspiration from both the islands of Bermuda and the family courtyard homes of Antigua, Guatemala. Alys Beach features 1,500 feet of sugar-white beaches along the Gulf of Mexico. When the development is complete, the 158-acre resort town will be home to over 600 villas, rowhouses, flats, courtyard homes and family compound retreats.

“Alys Beach may well be the most truly innovative community under construction in the United States today," said Andrés Duany of DPZ, designers of over 300 new towns and revitalization projects around the world. “Alys Beach will eventually be imitated everywhere, I am certain.”

For sales or rental information, please call 1-877-259-5500 or visit www.alysbeach.com.

About Greg Barnhill
Greg Barnhill, a native of New Orleans, is nothing short of a musically creative powerhouse. His move to Nashville in 1985 was a natural progression of his songwriting ability and his desire to grow as a musical artist. Barnhill's Grammy-nominated song, "Walkaway Joe," was recorded by Trisha Yearwood and Don Henley in 1993. Since then, Greg's songs have been embraced by many other famed Nashville recording artists including Tim McGraw, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Lonestar, Martina McBride, Bryan White, Etta James, Ty Herndon, John Berry, Shereé Austin, Pam Tillis and Lee Ann Womack. Greg's voice has been heard on many movie soundtracks and TV shows including "Today Show," "The View," "Baywatch," "Growing Pains," "Murphy Brown," "Touched by an Angel," and "Murder She Wrote."

Greg's newest CD, "No Chaser," displays his talent as a multi-genre musician and performing songwriter. For more information, visit www.gregbarnhill.com