Photo via Facebook

On Saturday, September 30, 2017, I attended the NYC Voyage with Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan.  Caitriona and Sam star in the Starz television series Outlander.  The special event, held at the Papillon Bistro Restaurant in New York City, raised money for their chosen charities.  Caitriona is the Patron of World Child Cancer.  Sam is the charity ambassador of Cahonas Scotland.  I attended the Outlander in the City event in June, and was very excited when I saw the email announcing this September event.

Photo credit Sandra Hayes

I had the opportunity to meet Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, I’ve never meet either before September. I’ll be honest, I froze when I met both of them.  I was so impressed with how kind, generous, and genuine they both were to their fans.

I did manage to remember to tell Caitriona thank you for everything she does for the fans, and that I was part of the Cooklander Cookbook Committee.  She was really lovely to talk to, and was very thankful for all the hard work the fans do on their behalf for their charities.

I happened to be the last person in the last group to meet Sam.  The bodyguard had to remind me that it was my turn.  Embarrassed, I said, “Shit! Sorry!”  PR Girl turned Fan Girl Fail.

Photo credit Lynda Price

Although, the PR Girl/Celebrity Handler part of me was pleased he was able to get something to drink. I guess I was too busy watching the handler and bodyguard interaction with Sam and the fans.  The bodyguards, Andrew and Patrick, did a great job! I believe I told Sam it was nice to meet him.  He liked my plaid phone case. I said, “Thank you!” The best $9.95 purchase I’ve ever made.  When I met Richard Rankin in June, he liked it too.

Photo via Amazon.com

I felt honored to meet the representatives from both charities.  Ritchie Marshall flew from Glasgow to attend the event for Cahonas Scotland. The charity raises awareness of male cancer. Ritchie wore his kilt made with the official Cahonas Scotland tartan.

Photo via Cahonas Scotland Instagram

Lisa Fernandes arrived in New York City from London to represent World Child Cancer.  We talked about the resources that families have in Jacksonville, FL.  We are very fortunate to have Nemours Children’s Health System and Mayo Clinic in our community.  I can’t imagine being the parent of a child in a developing country without access to healthcare.

Photo via World Child Cancer Instagram

Over $33,000 was raised for Cahonas Scotland and World Child Cancer.  Attendees had the chance to buy raffle tickets, and bid on silent auction items.  The Cooklander Cookbook looked beautiful in the Cooking raffle basket.

You can still visit their JustGiving pages to make a donation.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nycvoyagewcchttps://

http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nycvoyagecs

Photo via Bonnie Terbush Twitter

Over the weekend, I met Outlander fans and My Peak Challenge participants from all over the United States and the world.  I was just as excited to meet amazing friends from California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, China, and Japan as I was to meet Caitriona and Sam.  Friday night, we celebrated birthdays of four friends at Patsy’s Restaurant.

Photo credits to owner

After dinner, we made our way to The Skylark.

Photo credit Sylvia Ederer

On Saturday, Sylvia Ederer organized a beautiful walk for My Peak Challenge participants through Central Park.  I have always been inspired by the Peakers in this community, but it was so energizing to meet in person and hear stories of their journeys and accomplishments.  I loved hearing about the first My Peak Challenge Member Gathering in Scotland that also took place in September.

Photo credit Jackie Osborne

Photo credit Suzanne Young

Photo credit Sandra Hayes

I had the best time with my roommates Donna, Jessie, and Slyvia. We ate brunch at the Central Park Boathouse after our walk with Peakers from California, Florida, North Carolina, Oregon and Texas.

Photo credit Donna G

Photo credit to owner

Photo credit to owner

I departed New York City on Sunday after the event. When I began percolating about the evening throughout the week, I wasn’t surprised that I froze when I met them.  Though I’m positive my musings about Preschool, PTA, shopping trips to Publix, and family medical problems are riveting, I don’t think they would have been appropriate ice breakers.

I’ve been watching Outlander since its premiere in August of 2014.  I read books one through three prior to watching the show.  Obviously, I started a blog.  I think about a quote from a Beau Taplin book, Hunting Season, when I think about Caitriona and Sam.  Full disclosure, I haven’t read any of Taplin’s works of poetry in full, but this quote stands out to me.  I could focus on the sad portion of the quote, but I focus on the positive message.  How amazing is it that these two actors have started a fire in so many people? I was thrilled to have the unique opportunity to meet them.

Image via Pinterest

The organizers of the event did an outstanding job! Thank you very much Bonnie Terbush, Outlander Homepage, Liz Mercado Associates, and Outlander Forever for all of your dedication. You created an unforgettable evening.

Follow Cahonas Scotland @CahonasScotland on Twitter and @cahonasscotland on Instagram for more information on this Nonprofit organization.

Follow World Child Cancer on Twitter @WChildCancer and on Instagram @wchildcancer to learn more about how they help children with cancer and their families.

Thank you so much for reading!

Jenny Mc

inspiredbyoutlander@gmail.com

Jenny Mc @jennymcinspired – Twitter

Jennifer McAfee – Facebook