Dance, Soccer & an Iron Chef for Haiti

Jana La Sorte, Executive Director of Urban Bush Women, joins Travel’n on to talk about her dance company’s selection as one of three companies selected to inaugurate the U.S. State Department’s cultural exchange program called “Dance Motion USA.” Then, you will meet Cat Cora, the first and only female Iron Chef and founder of the non-profit organization called Chefs for Humanity. Cat will talk about her foundation’s philanthropic efforts, including their newly launched campaign for Haiti called One Million in One Month. And now that the Olympic Games have concluded, the world is shifting its attention to South Africa, host country for the 2010 World Cup. Travel’n on will be joined by one of our newest partners, Dr. Tommy Clark, executive director of Grassroot Soccer to learn about his organization’s efforts in South Africa and how he uses the power of soccer to help curb the spread of HIV.

Episode Segments:

World Footprints: Urban Bush Women & Dance Motion USA Jana LaSorte is the executive director of Urban Bush Women, a dance company based in New York City. She joins Ian and Tonya to talk about her dance company being chosen as one of three companies selected to inaugurate the U.S. State Department’s cultural exchange program called “Dance Motion USA.”
Embed Code
World Footprints: Chefs for Humanity Cat Cora is not only the first and only female Iron Chef in that popular show’s history, but she’s also the founder of the non-profit organization called Chefs for Humanity. Cat talks about her foundation’s philanthropic efforts, including their newly launched campaign for Haiti called One Million in One Month
Embed Code
World Footprints: Grassroot Soccer Ian and Tonya welcome Dr. Tommy Clark, executive director of Grassroot Soccer. We’ll learn about his organization’s efforts in South Africa and how they are using the power of soccer to help curb the spread of HIV.
Embed Code

Links to Related Websites:

Learn More About The Urban Bush Women Urban Bush Women (UBW) seeks to bring the untold and under-told histories and stories of disenfranchised people to light through dance. We do this from a woman-centered perspective, as members of the African Diaspora community, in order to create a more equitable balance of power in the dance world and beyond.

Learn More About Grassroot Soccer Grassroot Soccer is built upon the principle that kids learn best from people they respect. GRS educators– soccer stars, coaches, teachers, and peers– are roll models in their communities.

Chefs For Humanity Chefs for Humanity is an alliance of culinary professionals and educators working in partnership with U.S. and global organizations, providing nutrition education, hunger relief, and emergency and humanitarian aid to reduce hunger across the world.

Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Jana La Sorte Jana La Sorte, Executive Director, has over 20 years of experience in the arts, politics, communications and marketing sectors. Formerly founder/president of an arts marketing and PR consulting agency in New York City, Jana came to Urban Bush Women in June 2009 after volunteering as women’s media director for the 2008 Democratic National Convention and earning her masters in public administration/arts management from Seton Hall University. She hosted and produced an arts television series for three years and began her arts life in dance. Prior to founding her firm, she worked for Edelman Public Relations Worldwide in Washington, D.C., where she supervised teams working on crisis and issues management for clients including Nike and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. She served as a mentor/tutor, board member and 10th anniversary event chair for Project Northstar, which President Clinton selected as a Points of Light organization. She began her career on Capitol Hill working for Senator Max Baucus of Montana, her home state. She earned her B.S. from Northwestern University. Click here to learn more about Urban Bush Women

Cat Cora It's no surprise Cat Cora has become a world renowned chef. Her culinary aspirations began at an early age, and by 15, she had developed a business plan for her own restaurant. In 2005, she made television history on Food Network's Iron Chef America as the first and only female Iron Chef, and in November 2006 Bon Appetit Magazine bestowed her with their Teacher of the Year Award, an award she calls, "the greatest recognition she could achieve as a chef." That month, she was also honored with another great culinary distinction when she was named Executive Chef of the magazine. With a new restaurant recently opened at Macy's South Coast Plaza and another on the way at Walt Disney World in fall 2009, Cat's bringing a taste of her culinary influence to both coasts. There is no doubt Cat's upbringing had an influence on her career. She was raised in a small Greek community in Jackson, Mississippi, by a family for whom cooking and eating were the center of life. At the Cora house, it was common to eat spices from the South, as well as fresh sheep and goat cheeses and home-cured olives sent by relatives from the island of Skopelos. Her first cookbook, Cat Cora's Kitchen was inspired by her Greek and Southern heritage and contains many of her families' favorite recipes. In her second book, Cooking From The Hip: Fast, Easy, Phenomenal Meals (Houghton Mifflin), Cat elevates at home cooking to new levels. The book applies her "go-with-what-you've got" philosophy to creating simple, yet sensational meals. With advice from of her famous mentor Julia Child, Cat left Mississippi for New York, where she received the education of her dreams at The Culinary Institute of America. While in New York, she apprenticed with and then worked for Chef Anne Rozenweig at Arcadia and worked at the Beekman Tavern under Chef Larry Forgione of An American Place. Click here to visit Cat's Website

Tommy Clark Tommy Clark, a pediatrician and Executive Director of Grassroot Soccer, conceived the idea for Grassroot Soccer after living in Zimbabwe. Born in Scotland where his Dad played for the Scottish national team, he then moved to Zimbabwe at age 14. After playing soccer at Dartmouth College in the United States he returned to Zimbabwe to teach English and play professional soccer. After several years playing soccer he returned to Dartmouth medical school. As a resident he was named resident teacher of the year twice. He is winner of the American Academy of Pediatrics Annie Dyson Child Advocacy Award. He is winner of the Dartmouth College Martin Luther King Junior award. Click here to visit his website