Photos: Ferndale Women Take the Stage for Charity

Several Ferndale women took the stage at Cliff Bell's in Detroit on March 4 to sing sultry songs of love and loss from the likes of Judy Garland, Joan Crawford and Billie Holiday in front of a sold-out crowd.

They were participating in a planned by Cheryl Salinas-Tucker, owner of in Ferndale. The event showcased 14 local women and one man, ages 25-60, who bravely sang songs from an era gone by.

More than $3,000 was raised, which will benefit Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, a nonprofit organization based in southwest Detroit.

Salinas-Tucker said she had wanted to do something different from a fashion show and decided to involve her friends and clients and “make their dreams come true.”

“It’s about empowerment,” she said before the event.

The singers included CEOs, business owners, teachers and community leaders who all spent weeks preparing for the big night. They were decked in sky-high heels, Jennifer Vermeersch Jewelry, and "more fashion and makeup glamor than many had ever experienced, save for their wedding day," according to Selinas-Tucker.

Voice coach Amy Saari of Sound Sorcerer Studios in Ferndale helped prepare the women for the big night, coordinating weekly rehearsals as well as one-on-one voice lessons.

"Amy volunteered many hours of time with us," Selinas-Tucker said, adding that Saari also lined up musicians for the event after the original piano player could no longer attend. "We may have been a bunch of novices going in, but Amy made us sound like professionals."

Selinas-Tucker thanked the following silent auction donors:

• Jennifer Vermeersch Jewelry
• Ann Warner Photography
• Peteet's Cheesecake
• Sally at RIED Salon of Ferndale
• Sherry Kruzman Photography /
• Janna Coumoundouros Bissett of LilacPOP Photography