Every Little Girl's Dream



 

 

    

     As I was getting ready for my event yesterday, I thought to myself that being a pageant girl is sort of every little girl's dream - at least in the sense that little girls dream of sashaying around in crowns and pretty dresses. If only we knew as little girls that the crown we imagined wearing as a little girl, was about so much more than simply dressing up and looking pretty.
     Really, one of the best parts about putting on the crown (besides the added sparkle) is knowing that I am on my way to help someone else and to get to know another amazing aspect of my community!

Ready to welcome princesses!

Some of the first arrivals!

     Yesterday was no exception to this belief! I was honored to have my friend and long-time twirling teammate, Rachel Foehlinger, invite myself and fellow twirler, Aleah Peters, to help with a fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network. The three of us, with the help of Sue Foehlinger, ran a Princess-For-A-Day event in which little girls from around the community came out to get their hair and makeup done, complete a princess craft, and learn modeling and a dance to perform for their parents!

 Kayleigh and Claire helping with crafts

 Two of our princesses waiting to get their hair done!

 One of the girls from my work ready to get her makeup done!

 Cute princess crafts!

 Learning a fun dance!

 One of my students dressed in her princess dress!

 

     While Rachel taught the dance and Aleah helped with modeling, I was able to run the hair, make-up, and crafts areas, ensuring that everything ran smoothly and assisting the little girls in their transitions. In addition to seeing the little girls transform into princesses, I had the opportunity to put participants in the hot seat, asking them interview questions ranging from their favorite color and activity to their favorite part of school and what kind of tree they would be if given the choice!

Aleah helping with modeling - so cute!

The six-year-olds all dolled up!

 

     In addition to the interviewing and observation, it was wonderful to see some of our other teammates helping to transform these girls and to see how sweet the girls were! At one point while doing crafts, a four-year old non-chalantly spoke to the girl next to her while working and stated "we should be best friends, ok" and continued working on her craft! It was incredibly adorable and reminded me why I love working with kids!

Rachel, Aleah, and I before the pageant!

     The very next day, the studio became home to 13 wonderful young ladies vying for the titles of Miss Lincoln, Miss Star City, or Miss Lincoln Outstanding Teen! It was great to watch the pageant from the comfort of my "second home" and the girls all did a phenomenal job! After a very tough competition, the judges chose Steffanie Jiroux to be Miss Lincoln, Brooke Ludemann to be Miss Star City, and Morgan Holen to be Miss Lincoln Outstanding Teen. All of these girls did a wonderful job and I hope they enjoy their journeys in the pageant world as much as I have this year! I also want to congratulate one of my fellow sister queens, Kalyssa Hoeffer, on winning first runner up, she did wonderfully!

     I just love this photo (compliments of Miss Heartland) - welcome to the club ladies!

Empowering Women

    

     Last Saturday, after the Hands and Voices social (and a few hours of practice) I had the honor of attending a masquerade ball for the Metro Omaha Women's Business Center. The business center is all about empowering women to be financially stable by providing education and assistance to women in our community.
     The ball was held to raise money and honor a woman with a grant to use toward starting a small business. This is such an amazing opportunity for the women of Nebraska. I even learned that the first woman who was awarded a grant nearly tripled the investment made by the organization!

    

      It really was an honor to attend such a wonderful event and I sincerely enjoyed greeting guests as they came off the "runway" and directing them toward the silent auction!

     One of the most fun parts of the night had to be hanging out with the 2012 Mrs. Nebraska, Kandis Friedenbach. I haven't had much exposure to the Mrs. Nebraska pageant and it was great learning about it and getting to know Kandis! I want to wish her the best of luck as she competes for the title of Mrs. America in August!

Nebraska Hands and Voices

   

One of the cutest little girls - I am hoping to keep up with her acquisition of sign language as we both learn!

 

     This past Saturday was the first time I was able to attend a social for Nebraska Hands and Voices, a local non-profit whose aim is to support families of children with hearing loss. The group is just beginning quarterly socials where deaf and hard of hearing children and adults (as well as their families) are able to get together and socialize. This particular Saturday the social took place at AV Sorenson Community Center in Omaha.
     I have to admit that I was nervous for this event. After one semester of sign language, I came to the conclusion that sign language is difficult to learn and that I wanted to finish my elementary education degree before diving into sign language whole-heartedly. That means, however, that I have not seriously used sign language in about a year.
     I had no reason to worry however. There was a great mix of hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing people there Saturday and everyone was more than willing to help me communicate and take things slow.
     It was extremely interesting talking to families of children with hearing loss and I feel I gained a lot of insight. In fact, as I talked to families, we discussed the failure of our society to communicate with individuals who are deaf or hard-of hearing. I personally feel that people fail to communicate with individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing because they don't know much about hearing loss or sign language and they often feel intimidated by sign language.
     My goal as Miss Kool-Aid Days is to spread awareness about hearing loss and communicating with people who have hearing loss. Not only do I want to speak to students around the state about hearing loss, I would also love to teach at least a little sign language when I give speeches.
     I was fortunate enough to meet many kids at the event who seemed more than willing to help me learn the important sign language to teach when I give speeches.

One of the young boys who was willing to stop his game long enough for a picture :)

 

     Among the kids I met throughout the day, Austin was one of my favorites. Austin has been deaf for most of his life. After getting implants, he can hear quite well, but he can not talk very much. When Austin finally slowed down long enough to talk to me, he listened and watched as I signed and talked to him and he was kind enough to correct me or teach me a sign when I was having trouble!
     I was sincerely honored to attend the event with Nebraska Hands and Voices this past weekend. The parents who run the organization do a fantastic job! They are also the ones arranging monthly readings/signings of books at public libraries and the mentoring program that I am so excited to take part in! The deaf and hard-of-hearing community in Nebraska is truly lucky to have them!
     I also learned two great websites for practicing/learning sign language - check them out and learn some sign!
     aslpro.com
     signingsavvy.com

Can You Hear Me Now: Hearing Loss Prevention

      One night at practice, a teammate asked me about my platform. As I explained my choice of hearing loss, she was surprised to learn that I had lost the hearing in my left ear. It was at that point that I relized I have not really shared my story with many people. I decided it was time to change this - so here is my story - a story about hearing loss, why it's prevention is important to me, and why it should be important to you.
      Eight years ago, as I sat around at an extracurricular activity chatting with friends, my left ear began ringing. Ringing ears aren't exactly a phenomenon and we've all experienced it. The only problem is that the ringing didn't stop - Not the day it started, the next day, or even the next week. I later noticed that I also couldn't hear in my left ear.
      Concerned, I went to see a doctor about the problem. I was assured nothing was wrong and sent on my way - twice! Finally on the third visit (after three weeks of no hearing in my left ear) I insisted that something needed to be done. I went right over to see an ear, nose, and throat doctor who immediately informed me that I had a virus that had killed almost all of the cells in my ear - including the balance cells. The otolaryngologist added that, had the virus been found earlier, it is possible that the effects could have been reversed and I may have regained some of my hearing.
      There I was, 14 years old, suffering from hearing loss and left to deal with it on my own. I was continually surrounded by people, but no one who could understand what I was going through. I was scared and didn't want to say anything to those around me to indicate that I couldn't hear what they said. I tried simply turning my good ear toward the speaker, but it wasn't always that easy, especially in noisy or large spaces. I found myself becoming more withdrawn socially and finding it more difficult to get involved in conversations - so many times, I simply didn't try.
     As if that weren't hard enough for a teenage girl, I lost all of the balance cells in my left ear. My balance wasn't exactly top notch before the hearing loss, as I noticed constantly during my early twirling career, and losing those balance cells didn't really help the situation! It was a long battle to regain my balance, learning how to spin and jump again, so that I could continue to pursue my passion of twirling baton.
    I was again faced by the difficulties of my hearing loss when I began my work at an after-school program. With deafness in one ear, I have trouble placing where sounds are coming from. When a kid is shouting "Kimmy!" I often have no idea where the noise is coming from and I have to look all around to find the source of the voice. The kids have learned to deal with the loss, but I still worry if there was ever an emergency.
     It has taken a long time for me to come out of my shell again. In fact, I really came out of my shell when I became more involved in my community and began attending events as part of my involvement in the Miss Nebraska Pageant. Through my involvement with the pageant system, I have learned how to put myself out there, adapt so that I can hear as well as possible, and to share my story with those I meet.
    I have effectively learned how to be my own advocate which is something that all people who go through hearing loss need to do. You don't really look at someone and know they have experienced hearing loss (unless you see their hearing aid). It therefore becomes the responsibility of the individual with hearing loss to adjust and to speak out and let others know that they may need some help.
   This is exactly why I want to speak out and let people know how to prevent hearing loss, how to recognize the signs of hearing loss, and about hearing loss in general. Plus, I cannot think of a better way to make this difference than through my pageant platform because it has made such a change for me!
   As I promote my platform of hearing loss prevention, I am incredibly grateful for the resources and support of some truly phenomenal organizations! I am excited to work with the Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Hands and Voices, and the Olive Osmond Hearing Fund! Each group will be featured here throughout the coming months as I work with them in the name of hearing loss!