Yelp Helps at Cafe Cortina

On Wednesday, in Farmington Hills will host a unique event designed to draw attention to at least 16 area non-profit organizations.

Yelp Helps! will put community-minded locals in touch with non-profit organizations, including Boys Hope Girls Hope, which offers academic scholarships for underprivileged youths, and the Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter, which finds quality homes for adoptable animals.

Whatever your interest, you’re sure to find a local organization that would love and appreciate your help.

Café Cortina’s owner, Adrian Tonan, embraced the opportunity to showcase this event stating that he was glad to team up with Yelp.com, an on-line business directory founded seven years ago. Yelp.com users post reviews of businesses in cities across the country.

“This event had only been done in big markets like New York and Los Angeles,” Tonan says. “They came to us and wanted to the do the event at our restaurant.”

Tonan isn’t worried about the approximately 250-plus attendees they are expecting next Wednesday at this strolling event. Café Cortina often does weddings and private events, so they can handle big crowds.

Of course, they don’t mind the exposure either, although Tonan is happy that he and the restaurant can reach out to the community. “It’s destiny,” Tonan said, adding he is excited about being partnered up with this “cutting edge company.”

This free event offers complimentary wine, appetizers, and prizes from area restaurants such as the Cupcake Station and Sweet Lorraine’s.

So if you’re looking for ways to support or volunteer in the community, or perhaps you’ve been meaning to help but aren’t quite sure how or with whom, Yelp Helps provides a way to check out your local charities and organizations while mingling amongst like-minded Yelpers.