I was honored to be invited by Roger Schmidgall, a family friend from church, to speak at the Sunset Rotary Club in Normal, IL yesterday on May 26, and I absolutely loved it! Roger kept the club in suspense as to who would be speaking until I arrived--he just said that they would be having a 'surprise royal guest.' Haha! The members were so welcoming and friendly, and my family and I enjoyed meeting them.
I spoke about my title and the Miss Illinois and Miss America Organizations, and played a slideshow of photos as I explained what I've been doing with my title. I focused on sharing about Children's Miracle Network and my personal platform, "Redefining Success: Using Your Talents to Serve Others." It was a great experience, and after I finished, there was a Question & Answer session so I got to interact with the members.
At the end of my senior year of high school, I actually won a Rotary Award, so I know that Rotary members are committed to community service. I thanked them for this and encouraged them to consider my perspective and continue to reach out to others. I felt so supported by this group of people, and I'm thankful to have been a part of their meeting. Their website is: http://www.bnsunsetrotary.org/
After the meeting, Roger and his wife Leah graciously treated us to dinner at Medici Restaurant, which was a fun way to end the night.
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Earlier this month, I volunteered at a Triple Threat Mentoring event--Triple Threat mentoring is a program for underprivileged kids in Aurora, IL. It was a cold day, but the kids didn't seem to mind! The main event was a softball tournament with lots of kids from different elementary schools, and kids also had fun playing games and getting their faces painted. I had fun reviving my hula hoop skills with several cute little girls. It was great to see the reigning Miss Illinois Erin O'Connor, who I hadn't seen since the night she was crowned, as well as several other titleholders. Last spring, titleholders also had a chance to interact with the kids who are involved in Triple Threat. It was definitely neat to see how it works and have one-on-one time with them. I'm glad to be a Triple Threat volunteer because I fully support their mission, method, and impact: (The following information is from their website:http://triplethreat.org/
MISSION: "Empowering urban youth to develop confidence,
character and life skills.
*To help urban youth realize their potential.
*To inspire high school and college students to develop a passion for serving under-resourced communities."
*To encourage adults to become personally involved in urban community development.
METHOD: "Offering urban youth opportunities and programming in the areas of Athletics, Academics, and Arts."
*Programs- Triple Threat will strive to address the real needs of today’s youth through strategic planning of events, programs, and projects.
*Partnerships- By developing strong partnerships with the community, schools, and churches, Triple Threat will seek opportunities to identify and serve youth in Aurora.
*Mentors- Triple Threat staff, college interns and volunteers will serve as positive role models, building relationships that encourage good character and instill values.
IMPACT: "Empowering youth who pursue goals
and live out their potential."
*To have the courage and confidence to make good choices.
*To be able to identify, develop, and achieve personal goals.
*To believe in a better future for themselves and their community.
Please consider visiting their website for ways to get involved in this valuable organization. Those kids are really benefiting from it, and I admire the staff who have really made sacrifices and put their hearts into this program, and believe in these kids. Thank you to all of them and everyone involved with Triple Threat!
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I will be in Springfield this weekend for Spring Forum. All of the contestants will meet each other and have meetings, rehearsals, mock interviews, etc., as well as attend the Illinois Talent Competition and the Miss IL Outstanding Teen & Pre-Teen pageant. I'm definitely looking forward to it!
***BEST WISHES to SUMMER ROBBINS and REGHAN PFEIFER at the MISS ILLINOIS OUTSTANDING TEEN & PRE-TEEN PAGEANT THIS WEEKEND!! Rachel, your family and friends, and I can't wait to cheer you on!! GO CAPITAL CITY GIRLS!!!:)***
*Best wishes to the contestants of the Illinois Talent Competition as well!
(More info for the above events is available on the Miss Illinois website.)
*The Miss Illinois website has been updated with photos of all the contestants! Check it out at http://missillinois.org
*AND if you want to come support me at the Miss Illinois Pageant in June, get your tickets ASAP by calling 630.584.7200 ext. 10!!! It's getting so close..I can't wait!
As usual, additional photos from my appearances have been added to my blog slideshow!
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