Official Teen Ambassador for NOF!! :)

On Saturday morning, March 1st, Kris House came to pick us up to take us to the airport at 7:45am. While we were driving, Kris said that Leo Schargorodski was supposed to announce that I have been named the official Teen Ambassador for NOF!!!!! I am so humbled and truly blessed by this honor!!! :)

This has been a goal of mine ever since I first contacted NOF in February 2007!! I waited for one year, but it has all been worth it! I am so incredibly blessed!!! I hope that I have helped the organization by making an appearance and speaking on Capital Hill on their behalf!! I am continuing my efforts to get the word out about Osteoporosis by writing a book called "No Bones About It!" and hope to have the manuscript done by April 30th. That is my personal deadline, but with schoolwork, school and community activities, community service, and Charity events, it has been hard to stay with it consistently. I just keep plugging away at it when I can!

It is important to me that others know this is a lifetime commitment not just something I did for a pageant. My efforts began a year ago and for it come to fruition is very satisfying in a way that is hard to explain. This is a cause that I am very proud to support and lend my time to. Not for a day, a month, a year, or a pageant . . . but for a lifetime!! :)

If you are interested in helping out, please consider making a donation to NOF and please let them know I sent you! Thank you so much!! :)

Speaking to Congress on Capital Hill!! :)

On, Thursday, Feb 28th, I had the most amazing opportunity to speak to Michigan's members of Congress! This was such a positive experience for me and I want to do it all over again! This was one day after my friend, and our new Miss America, Kirsten Haglund, had been on the Hill. I had just missed her!

My first appointment was with Rep. Mike Rogers at 11:30 am. He deals with Health issues on the Hill. I was so well prepared by Roberta Biegel, the Senior Director of Public Policy & Government Relations, that I wasn't nervous at all. She had me practice exactly what I would say and taught me to be brief (because their time is so short) and I felt very confident and ready. Heather Rabinowitz, from NOF's Communication Dept, joined us to take photos as I talked with Rep Rogers. He was sooooooooooo nice and was genuinely interested in what I had to say!!! I was so happy that he agreed with me that this is an issue that needs to be discussed in our schools because when we are young is the time to develop positive health habits. I felt like he really understood where I was coming from and it made me feel like my voice as a constituent really mattered!! :) There was a vote "on the table" and so Rep Rogers had to "run" to get his vote in on time so our time was cut a few minutes short, but I wouldn't have traded a minute of his time for anything! He has such a great personality and really does care about us Michiganders!

We had a quick lunch in the downstairs cafe of one of the buildings on the Hill. I saw so many young college students working as aides who are interested in politics and I was quite surprised. They don't make much money and many were doing internships in hopes of landing a job later on. I felt very proud that so many of us young people are interested in making our world a better place for others. My second appointment was with the saff of Senator Debbie Stabenow. Unfortunately, she was not able to attend this meeting, but I was still able to speak about Osteoporosis and they seemed to appreciate the information. In late January I was able to meet Sen. Stabenow at the Detroit Auto Show and she seemed very genuine and is certainly working very hard for our State. I hope to see her again in the ner future!

My last meeting on the Hill was with Senator Carl Levin and Mrs. Levin. She is an active Board Member for NOF as well. They were so gracious to listen to my speech and because Mrs. Levin suffers from Osteoporosis they took an active role in listening and asking questions. I also had the delight of meeting their little seven year old grand-daughter, Bess! She has to be the smartest little girl I have ever met! I think someday she will be working on Capital Hill with her grandfather!

After the meetings, my mom and I were given a private tour of the Nations Capital and even got to see the "hide away" where Rep Carl Levin stays when he needs to get away from everything for a bit. This hideaway overlooks the Jefferson Monument and has the most awesome view!! All of the Sentaors have a hide-away and I felt honored to have been given a birds eye view of this special place. It is off limits to the public and so I know how priviledged I was to experience it! :)

After the tour, we headed back to NOF for one more meeting. Kelly Cataldo talked about preparing us for the Gala Event called the Silhoutte Gala Ball. This is the biggest fund raiser and Award Banquet for the organization. It will be held on Friday, May 16th and I can't wait!! I am looking for the perfect gown to wear as this is a black tie event. Mr. Donald Trump has been invited and I hope he can make it to the Ball since it is being held in NYC and that is where he lives! Wouldn't that be cool??????????!!

For dinner, we went with Kris House and Piper Dankworth, the Director of Development at NOF, to a resturant called Old Glory and we talked more about Osteoporosis and the day's events on Capital Hill. We had such a great time and it was the perfect time to reflect on such a great effort on everyone's part to help make my time on the Hill a wonderful success! I am so thankful for their expertise and help!

I am so humbled by everything that NOF did to put me at ease and educate me about this issue. The staff is truly incredible and they all work together so well and for such a great cause. My time with them in Washington is one I will never forget!

National Osteoporosis Foundation Headquarters in Washington, D.C.!!

On Wednesday, Feb 27th, my mom and I flew to Washington, D.C. to meet with the staff at the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) headquarters and to prepare for my visit on Capital Hill!

The staff did everything with such class and they were very prepared for our arrival. I had several meetings with various departments to learn all that I could about how the organization is run. First, I met with Mr. Leo Schargorodski who is the Executive Director. I was then given a tour of the offices with Kris House, the Community Outreach & Special Events Manager, who I have worked closely with for the past year.

From there I went to various departments: Advocacy, Education, and Communications. Each person involved led me through a great deal of information (at times overwhelming!!) but I learned more than I thought I could! The meetings ran from 1:30pm-5:30pm. I can't believe how much work goes into running an organization and how much there is still to do to get the word out about Osteoporosis.

After the last meeting we went to dinner at Kinkeads. It was a very beautiful resturant and featured a live piano player! Mrs. Judy Black joined us as well. At one time, Mrs. Black worked in the White House with former President Ronald Reagan. She is now involved traveling with the John McCain staff helping with his campaign.

She is also very involved with NOF as a Board Member and has spoken to members of Congress herself about Osteoporosis. I heard so many real life stories about people who have had devastating effects of this disease. I am even more faithful about taking my calcium pills and making healthy choices for my bone care.

After dinner, mom and I headed back to our hotel room. It was huge!! And very stylish as it was decorated in yellow and blues. Everyone walks in D.C or takes the metro (subway) or taxis. But most people walk. We did and it was FREEZING out!! A week ago they had 50 & 60 degree weather and several daffodils and croqusis had bloomed (yes, in February!) and then with the cold front they were frozen and lifeless. It was really wierd to see!

I loved Washington, D.C. and I hope to return again soon. I would love to attend the Cherry Festival and take in more sights next time.

My first Comp Card!! I am SOOOOO excited! :)

I am very excited to show you my first official comp card!! This photo was taken by the very talented and wonderful photographer Tim Priest, last October 2007, in Grand Rapids! I hope you like it too! :)

Michigan Winter Special Olympics 2008!! :)

Have you ever felt like the Lord put you in the right place at the right time? Where you were almost transended to "another time and another place?" That is exactly how I felt as a Celebrity Volunteer for the Special Olympics, held in Traverse City, from Wednesday Jan 30th-Friday Feb 1st!! While I was there I learned there were 950 athletes and 700 volunteers to make all of this happen! It was incredible!

On Wednesday, my mom and I headed up North on some very trecherous roads to be a part of something very special indeed! It was bitterly cold, and so cold in fact, that the time trials for the athletes were cancelled and the schools within a 50 mile radius were closed! But that didn't stop any of us from enjoyingthe Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday night! Each team came in with their own group all dressed up in their team uniforms and then the ceremony began. One of the largest sponsors is the Wertz Warriors, a group of men (and one or two women) who travel by snowmobile and raise money for the Michigan Special Olympics! This year one of the guests, and a Wertz Warrior, was none other than Mark "The Bird" Fidrych who was a former pitcher for the Detroit Tigers!!! He gave a speech to the athletes and really got them fired up for the games! One of the athletes brought in the "torch" and lit the "flame" to officially kick off the events! It was all very exciting!

Thursday morning I volunteered at the indoor ice rink (because I was sick and on an antibiotic) although I was originally scheduled to work at the outdoor snowboarding event. I was very thankful to be switched because I had missed school on Tuesday (and later learned it had been canceled anyway!!) and we were concerned about being out in the wind as sick as I was. In the morning I handed out medals to the figure skaters and in the afternoon I handed out medals to the speed skaters! I had such a blast! These athletes were amazing :) and could do all kinds of things that I cannot do! I was most impressed with their hard work ethic and their very sweet dispositions! They really cheer one another on and are genuinely happy when their friends do well, even if they didn't place. I was deeply touched.

After a full day of events, in the late afternoon, before dinner, all of the celebrities had an autograph session! One of them was Drew Stanton, a quarterback for the Detroit Lions! Me, and also my queen sister, the beautiful Elisabeth Crawford ~ Miss Michigan USA 2008, Kaylee Magro ~ Miss Southwest Michigan, Brittany Hopkins ~ Miss Southwest Michigan Teen, and Alicia Jaros ~ Miss Washtenaw County signed autographs for nearly 2 hours. Alicia has been involved with the Special Olympics for about six years and has chosen this cause as her personal platform. She also sang the National Anthem for both the open and closing ceremonies. During the closing we got to see videos from the days events and everyone was cheering for each other, laughing when they saw themselves, and just plain having fun!

The closing ceremonies were just as much fun as the opening ones, but concluded with a dance for all the athletes! All of us queen celebrities joined in too and we danced our hearts out! It was wild, crazy, fun, and I wished it didn't have to end! During the closing ceremony, we had a very unexpected surprise. One of the guys that had been attending the Games for years, as a volunteer, met a lovely young lady there years ago and in front of all of us he got down on one knee and proposed to her!! And what a beautiful rock (diamond) she got!! :) I think that volunteer work through the Special Olympics to bring to people together for life is just awesome! Oh yeah . . . she said "yes!!" So glad I was there to witness it! :) What was weird was that the closing ceremonies happen before all the events are through!! We still had one more day to go, but they have the closing for everyone so that those who do not compete in the second days events could head for home.

Friday morning I felt well enough to go outside and attend the snowshoe races. I had no idea what to expect . . . they ran as fast as they could on snowshoes for the win!! I can't even walk on snowshoes ~ nevermind run!! These athletes were incredible! :) I enjoyed handing out the medals and yelling as loud as I could with everyone else during the races! We finished up just before noon and then mom and I left for home.

I had such a fantastic time! I am hooked! I cannot wait to see all of these athletes again and attend the Summer Special Olympics games, in May, at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant!! I hope you will consider coming out to join us and volunteer your time as well!

Detroit Auto Show Preview Charity 2008

On Friday night, January 18th, I attended the Charity Preview Gala at the Detroit Auto Show! What a wonderful opportunity to be a part of an event that raises money for several Children's charities. On this one night over $6M was raised for children across Michigan.

It is usually my mom that chaparones me to any appearances that I make, but this one was especially reserved for my dad! He looked so sharp in his tux and I think he really enjoyed this special night with me! I had been looking forward to this night ever since the night I was crowned Miss Michigan Teen USA 2008 (I never get tired of saying that!)

I had several photo opportunities and a few interviews as well. It was wonderful to see Governor Jennifer Granholm again! I had presented her with the "Pearls of Strength" bracelet on behalf of the National Osteoporosis Foundation (my personal platform) last March when I was Michigan Jr. Teen National American Miss 2006! I was thrilled that she remembered me as 'the girl who gave her the pearls'!!

The Auto Show was full of politicians and not so many Hollywood celebrities this year. I was hoping to meet Kid Rock, who attended last year, but since he lives here in my hometown of Clarkston, I hope to run into him someday around town!

The cars were fabulous and my all time favorites are the Chevy Corvettes! My dad owns one and, yes, I have driven it too and very fast (just don't tell him!!) I even had my photo taken in the new 2009 Corvette on Friday night!

This was my third time to attend an Auto Show in Detroit, but because I was stopped so many times on Friday night, for photos and interviews, I felt bad for my dad because we didn't get to really see the cars this year so we went back to the show on Saturday afternoon and spent about 3.5 hours getting a good look at all of them. I love cars and I had a great time checking them out with my dad!

It was also very nice to be a part of something so fun and special that helped raise funds for children's charities!

Eagle University Success & Leadership Seminar!! :)

After spending the wonderful holidays with my parents, I took off for Dallas, TX on January 2, 2008! It was very exciting because I had never flown alone before and even traveled 1st class thanks to my Dad's frequent flier miles and proiority points! When I arrived at the airport a Limo (yes, a limo!!) took me straight to the Omni West Park Hotel in the beautiful city of Dallas!

The next 5 days had to be one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had! Eagle University is not a college university, but it provided me with a wealth of information that I will use for the rest of my life! January 2-6 was time to focus on my future for school and life and taught invaluable lessons I will remember for a lifetime!

I felt very motivated as a contestant and student before I got to Dallas, but now I am even more focused and motivated than ever! The guest speakers were awesome and shared some stories that had us laughing one moment and crying the next!!

We were put into groups and our group won an award! We were the Golden Eagles! Most of my group members were some of the state title holders for Teen USA! It was really nice to get to meet them before we go to Nationals!

My roommate Stacie was awesome! She is from Colorado and was a semi-finalist for the Teen Division. She is such a sweetheart and I loved that she was my roommate! We keep in contact as much as possible!

Spending time with Elisabeth, my sister queen is always special! This trip I got to know Elisabeth's first runner-up Hannah Lynn a little better as she attended too! They are both so uplifting and I love them to pieces!!! : )

I use the things I learned from Eagle U everyday and I'm so thankful and blessed to have had the opportunity to learn and meet the people that I did! God really does bless me everyday!