Three Weeks of Appearances - Part Two (8/10/08)

McHenry County Fair Pageant – McHenry
- 18 contestants – every single one of them talented, well-spoken, and beautiful representatives for their communities
- I spoke about the Miss America Organization and performed my talent on stage
- Amalia judged and helped choose the winner – Carly Dikun, 19, from Harvard. I had the chance to chat with her and she is an amazing woman! Congrats Carly!
- Beautiful country stage and delicious fair food!

Fashion Show at the Peninsula Hotel – Chicago
- Modeled some of the latest fashions for the Service Club of Chicago – one of the oldest philanthropic organizations in the city
- Helped raise money for a variety of different charities and gave great visibility to the Miss Illinois Scholarship Association all while mingling with the “Who’s Who” of Chicago!

Children’s Memorial Hospital/CMN/101.9 FM – The Mix Radiothon Party
- Event to thank all the children and parents who collected change for Eric & Kathy’s Radiothon which benefited Children's Memorial Hospital
- I signed autographs, took pictures, and worked on an activity with the kids to be displayed in CMH
- Saw the biggest cake I have seen – 8 feet by 4 feet!!! (it was delicious)
- All the kids had amazing stories about how they raised their money and why they felt it was important to help other kids in need. It was truly inspiring to hear stories from all sides (donors, recipients, participants etc.) of this great event.

Mooseheart Fundraiser at the Claddaugh – Geneva
- The Claddaugh donated 20% of all sales to Mooseheart – an organization that provides a home for children & teens in need whose families are no longer able to take care of them.
- I signed autographs, took pictures, & interacted with customers in the lively environment (with a live band!) at Claddaugh’s
- Thanks to Glen Schwerdtmann for chaperoning!

DuPage Dragons Fundraiser
- After spending an afternoon with Emily Travis, Miss Illinois’ Outstanding Teen, we drove to Lisle for a DuPage Dragons vs. the Quincy Gems game and the Woodridge Police Dept vs the Lisle-Woodridge Firefighters Dept. game
- We signed autographs and greeted fans until the stormy weather came in and the game was cancelled
- Emily and I waited out the storm in a McDonald’s and enjoyed free food from the employees while conversing with them in Spanish – an eventful night indeed!

National Night Out – Bartlett
- A wonderful community celebration hosted by the Bartlett Police Department that encourages neighbors to come out of their backyards and meet each other!
- Miss Illinois’ Princess, Jessica Durante, was on hand to sign pictures and speak to the media!
* I’m so impressed every time I hear Jessica speak about our Princess Program. She explains everything so completely and succinctly and I truly feel that we’re recruiting more and more girls each day as families are able to hear about the positive experiences she’s had with our organization. Way to go Jessica!
- We also participated in a cake eating contest – we lost.
- Thanks for Eric Tavolacci and the rest of the officers of the Bartlett Police Department for keeping us safe.

Emily’s Send-Off! – Oak Park
- Glen Fox hosted a wonderful celebration to send Emily on her way to Orlando
- We chatted, relaxed, and mingled with Emily’s many supporters and sponsors one last time before seeing her on stage!
- I can’t wait to see Emily perform at Miss America’s Outstanding Teen and am excited to hear about the amazing experiences she’ll have at national competition!

Miracle Treat Day – Chicago, Des Plaines, & St. Charles
- Two days of fun with Dairy Queen and Children’s Memorial Hospital
* Blizzard pickup, Polaroid logistics, and texting with CMH’s Beth Wolcott
* Celebrating Miracle Child Kelly’s 6th birthday with Miss America, Kirsten Haglund!
- I made Blizzards and greeted guests at three separate Dairy Queens to promote Miracle Treat Day – 100% of the proceeds from every Blizzard went to CMN!
* Special thanks to DQ owners Dave Zardzin and Bob Cahill for hosting me and for free Blizzards!
- Three media interviews – So fun!
* 103.5 Kiss FM
* NBC 5
* Fox 32

Patriot Guard Riders – Marine Welcome Home Reception – McHenry
- 70+ bikers, dozens of American flags, 3 police cars, a fire truck, and a beauty queen
- An awesome show of support for Joe Salgado, returning soldier of McHenry who was in Iraq for 14 months

Barnes & Noble/United Way Book Drive – Vernon Hills
- Served as a “Celebrity Reader” to help United Way raise money for Waukegan Schools
- Read five books (complete with voices and audience interaction ;)) to an extremely intelligent and talkative young crowd. (Charlotte wanted to be a Fighter Pilot AND Miss America – how cool is that?!)
- Signed autographs, took pictures & even got to use my Spanish with a few customers!


I wanted to give a public “Thank You” to my Executive Director, Amalia Schwerdtmann. She has been working so hard to find great sponsors, fashion, hair, and makeup consultants, new and exciting appearances, and the perfect team for my Miss America preparation. We’re working well together and I wanted emphasize how much I appreciate her hard work! Thank you Amalia for all you do!

Phew! Combine this with Orlando wardrobe shopping, Miss America paperwork, new car/rental car logistics (Thanks Mom & Dad! I love you!), working out, dancing, choreography/music production coordination, photo shoots, makeup sessions, hair sessions, Miss America wardrobe prep, Loyola & Starcom “wrap up”, moving to a new apartment and I’m sure…much, much more…you now have my past three weeks.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

KT
Miss Illinois 2008