WBZ meteorologist Melissa Mack will be the master of ceremonies for  MetroWest Women’s Alliance 2nd Annual Ruby Slippers Gala on Thursday Sept. 27, from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center.

The Gala will highlight the MetroWest Women’s Alliance and its 2012 contributions to women and girls in the MetroWest area.

The event’s keynote speaker Laura Schroff, Simon and Schuster author of An Invisible Thread, will speak to her remarkable story of how an 11 year old panhandler, a gift of time, and a lunch not only changed a boy’s life, but Schroff’s as well. Schroff’s highly sought after book speaks to the power we all have to elevate and enrich those around us.

Additional featured guests include Massachusetts rising jazz artist Grace Kelly and Hayley Reardon. At just 20 years old, Kelly has already received many accolades, has been profiled on CNN, and is touted as Boston’s Best Jazz Act for four consecutive years. Reardon, another teenage musical wonder and original songwriter, is the 2009 Boston Folk Festival winner and the creator of the anti-bulling program “Find Your Voice.”

Tickets for this small plate event are $75.

To register for the event go to uwotc.org/rubyslippers or call Leanne Cordischi at 508-370-4857.

The MetroWest Women’s Alliance is an initiative of the United Way of Tri-County and the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce. Proceeds from the event will benefit women and girls in the MetroWest area.