Red Ribbon Week & Go Vote (Early)! (10/26/08)

I did some number crunching this week and a rough estimate says I’ve spoken to over 10,000 students since August. I can’t believe I’ve already hit that number and am looking forward to the many more lives I’ll be able to touch as Miss Illinois! This blog is ridiculously long, but I wanted to be able to share some stories from my presentations and fill you in on the past two weeks! Thank you to Jason for keeping my schedule full!

During my Character Counts! presentation, I crown six volunteers (with Walgreens tiaras – surprisingly they think these are cooler than my crown…) who can share a personal story about one of the six pillars of character – Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, & Citizenship. While every school has some amazing stories, three examples touched my heart this week while I was in Northern Illinois:

For “Caring” a student shared a story about his mother taking care of his ailing grandmother. He pointed out that while his mom was taking care of his grandmother, someone needed to take care of her and he cleaned the house (without being asked!) while she was away. Another student for “Citizenship” talked about encouraging (she used the word “forced”) her mother to register to vote because she knows how important this election is. Another student, for “Citizenship” emailed her example to me that she didn’t get to share in the assembly. Every year she has a garage sale that benefits a charity of her choice. She came up with the idea after her parents said “no” to a regular garage sale but couldn’t turn her down when she offered to donate the money.

It’s amazing to hear stories like these every day and I’m so thankful to be inspired by these students!

Polling Place Administrator Training - Chicago
- This five hour training taught me how to work the polls on November 4th
- We’ve already received some great press (Chicago Sun Times) and other outlets will cover the story closer to election day!
- It’s extremely important to participate in our government and I hope that by bringing visibility to my polling place (I’ll receive my location in a few days) we can encourage more people to vote!
- YOU can vote early and miss the lines (I already did!) now through 10/30

Northern Illinois Red Ribbon Week – Rockford, Belvidere, Freeport
- 12 schools (Belvidere Central Middle, Washington Elementary School, Belvidere South Middle, Christian Life Elementary, Freeport Aquin Middle , Immanuel Lutheran, Freeport Jr. High, Carl Sandburg Middle, St. James School, Gregory School – phew!)
- 17 presentations (including a Homecoming Pep rally!)
- 10 media appearances (TV, radio, print – you name it!)
- 1 limo (the kids went crazy when I pulled up to their school!)
- 1 hotel (pool, gym, great breakfast – what more could a girl ask for!)
- A tour of the General Mills Plant (I now have pictures with the Jolly Green Giant, cases of Nature Valley & Caribou Coffee granola bars, and a HUGE appreciation for the detail, precision, time, and sanitation needed to make our favorite General Mills products!)
- 1 Red Ribbon Awards Ceremony & Fun Fair (a safe environment for kids to play games and discuss the importance of being drug free)
- Special thank you to Paul Perrone and the Red Ribbon Committee. I felt so welcome in their care and was really treated “like a queen”. Paul made sure every detail was taken care of and I was honored to be a part of a tradition that has had every Miss Illinois since 1991

National Guard Freedom Salute - Chicago
- My second Freedom Salute ceremony with the National Guard
- Held to honor Company B, 935th Intermediate Maintenance Company for their service in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- Check out the pictures of some male Miss Illinois wannabes on the “Appearances” section of the site

Kids Fight Cancer Fundraiser - Rosemont
- An awesome event that raises money children fighting cancer (Kids Fight Cancer is the name of the organization – found here: http://www.kidsfightcancer.org)
- Jason and Glen Schwerdtmann chaperoned me to this beautiful event in Rosemont
- I mingled, danced, took photos, helped with the raffle, and did some excellent schmoozing with the “who’s who” of Chicago

St. Dominick, Link, & Hoover Schools – Bolingbrook, Elk Grove, Schaumburg
- Three great schools with some smart students!
- I met the principal of St. Dominick’s at my Character Counts training this past July. Thank you to Bill Eggebrecht for having me out!

Red Ribbon Week – Vernon Hills
- 4 Schools: Elementary North, Townline Elementary, Aspen Elementary, Elementary South
- My largest presentation yet! 950 students (and you’d never know it – they were extremely well-behaved, respectful, and good listeners!)

Elmhurst Jr. Women’s Club Breast Cancer Fundraiser – Elmhurst
- A WONDERFUL mother-daughter event to raise funds for local breast cancer research, prevention, and care
- I taught a dance to 20 or so girls, signed autographs, and participated in some of the fun activities and the trade show
o Special thanks to Miss Illinois’ Princess, Jessica Durante, for the song selection – “Burnin’ Up” by the Jonas Brothers was a big hit

Life Changes Disability Expo – Bartlett
- A great event to raise awareness about special needs issues
- The highlight was keynote speaker, Maurice Snell, and his story about living with autism and excelling against the odds
- Thank you to Easter Seals for hosting me! It was a pleasure meeting you all!

Fashion Week Naperville Finale – Naperville
- Woo! So much fun! The grande finale fashion show to close Naperville’s Fashion Week benefiting local charities
- After getting my hair and makeup done by Frank Gironda Salons (loved my look!) I mingled with guests, met the Mayor of Naperville, and watched the first half of the fashion show
- I was fortunate to model the last design by Orlando Espinoza and close the show with him!
- I signed autographs at the VIP after party and was ecstatic to learn that Naperville is truly a city of devoted volunteers. Thank you to Kristen Frederick and Kristi Berezinsky of Two K Productions for organizing and inviting me to this wonderful event!

But wait…there’s more! Look for my next blog thanking our great sponsors!

Thanks for reading!