Monday Memories

   

With two boys from my work!

   Memorial Day brings about thoughts of a day off, sleeping in, warm weather, grilling, and spending time with others for many people. It is also a day of remembrance for America. It is a time when we remember and celebrate the lives of those who have passed before us, especially the brave people who put their lives on the line serving our country.
   My memorial day began with waking up at 5:15 in the morning, getting ready, and heading to set up at the Boys Town Memorial Day Run before spending time with my family.
   Boys Town hosts the Memorial Day Run to raise money for the Lied Learning and Technology Center to support individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing (as well as those who are blind).

 Talk about a wet, dreary day for a run!

   The event was incredibly well put together. There was a constant video reel sharing stories and facts about people with hearing loss. Several groups (including gymnasts, dancers, and tae kwon do students) performed as runners waited for or finished up their races. There were also tables set up for different groups.

   I spent most of my day set up at a table passing out Kool-Aid, signing autographs, and sharing information with people about what I have done with my platform of Hearing Loss Prevention and Awareness. I even let a few of the girls try on my crown!

  When I wasn't at my own table, I spent my time walking around and talking to runners and visiting each of the tables. I got to hang out with clowns, meet the Storm Chasers mascot, and even break boards!

 

 

Here is the video of my board breaking!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=602793463072535&l=3243992989491950755

I even got a keychain!

 

   This was a great event raising awareness for hearing loss. It provided the perfect amount of exercise, fun, and information to spread the knowledge to nearly any member of our community!

 

Hanging out at the finish line!

My Top 8

    Miss Nebraska is one week away! In one week I get to see all of my sister queens again as we meet in North Platte for Opening Ceremonies; In less than two weeks, we will narrow the contestant pool from 16 to the top 8, 5, and our New Miss Nebraska. In honor, I decided to post about my own Top 8 - 8 of the most memorable events I have done this year (in no particular order ;) ). This has been such an incredible year with so many amazing opportunities that it was extremely difficult to pick just 8 favorites, but some certainly stood out for one reason or another. Enjoy the list!
            - Reason for the Reign
              As a Miss Nebraska Contestant and a teacher, the Children's Miracle Network is an
              organization that is very close to my heart. My visit to the Children's Hospital in Omaha
              was incredible because I got to spend the afternoon with some of my good friends, but
               also because I got to spend time with the children we spend our reign working for. It truly
               was inspiring working with the kids and getting to know one special guest, Carly!
            - Dancing Through the Decades and Polar Plunging
              If you want to know true kindness, check out my experience at the Decades Dance hosted
              by Metro Regional Program for Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing! I have never
               been in a group that was more kind, accepting, and fun before. This event constantly
               renews my energies in my work with my platform!
            - Every Little Girl's Dream
               Nearly every little girl wants to be a princess, but the Princess for a Day fundraiser provided
               a unique opportunity to teach little girls what it really means to be a "princess" in terms of
               the 4 S's of the Miss America Crown!
            - Truly Special
               The Special Olympics health screenings was probably one of my favorite events. I love
                doing volunteer work with the Special Olympics, but this provided an opportunity to
                spend time with the athletes and make a difference in their lives - while playing sports and
                while doing every day activities!
            - Signing Dr. Seuss
              I love to read, but the Social Saturday Reading Event made reading even more exciting
              (and accessible) when we read and signed a Dr. Seuss book. I would love to do more
              signing sessions at schools so students can get exposure to signing.
            - Kids Carnival
               I couldn't imagine a better way to spend a Friday night than hanging out with family and
               getting sprayed in the Spray Tank by little kids! This was a unique and fun experience
               as Miss Kool-Aid Days!
            - Dancing Through the Decade and Polar Plunging
               I am convinced the Polar Plunge is one of the worst and the best events that I do as a
               titleholder! It's a full morning of freezing, but there is no adrenaline rush like running into
                ice cold water with many other compassionate individuals waiting to follow your lead!
            - Flapper Flashback
               One lifelong dream has come true (having the ability to compete for the title of Miss
               Nebraska), but this event made it possible to accomplish another dream - going back to
               the 1920's! I was incredibly honored to model an original 1920's flapper dress in a fashion
               show raising money for the Douglas County Historical Society!

Truly Special

    

     Kind, sincere, friendly, helpful, inspiring - special. The athletes of the Special Olympics are indeed special, but not because of their disabilities. They are special for their natural ability to put a smile on your face, for their strength in the face of challenges, their acceptance of others, and the pure joy and thankfulness that is evident on their faces.

One of the good friends I have met at the Special Olympics!

     I always feel honored to attend events for the Special Olympics, but this was the first event where I really got to spend time with a lot of athletes. It was a joy to watch the athletes laugh and chat with their peers but they also showed the volunteers exceptional kindness. I had one man shake my hand vigorously with the biggest smile on his face and another who swore he saw me on TV. The second young man walked up to the table and proclaimed "Yo yo yo, I saw you on TV! You was lookin' fine! I should have voted for you!" It was absolutely priceless.

My admirer!

     I mostly hung out with the UNL Audiology students who were conducting hearing screenings all day. I met two new friends, Annelise and Nicole, and we spent the day checking athletes in and helping them get around. It was really fun and we all enjoyed seeing the hearing tests that went on throughout the day! The athletes were so excited when they were declared healthy; they were still chatty when they had to get further testing. Those who were diagnosed with a need for hearing aids were offered free hearing aids at one of the audiologist offices near them!

With Annelise and some of the younger athletes! They were precious!

Getting ready to check for ear wax!

    It was also amazing to see the other stations and meet some of the other volunteers! The first station I visited (besides the hearing one) was the fitness station where athletes were able to work on strength, flexibility, and overall healthy living.

Spinning plates in the fitness room!

One of the athletes trying on my crown in the fitness room!

    Next I stopped by the dental area where athletes were able to get their teeth checked and get fitted for a mouth guard they received for free!

With the dental students!

Mouth Guard Fitting

   The final room I was able to visit was the vision room. In there, athletes took three different tests for their sight. At the end, they were prescribed the proper glasses (if necessary) which they received before leaving. If they did not need glasses, they were given sunglasses or sports goggles!

Getting prescriptions filled!

   I later found out that athletes visit these four stations because these are areas where the special needs population is underserved. People with special needs struggle to get proper vision, hearing, and dental care and often suffer from difficulties with fitness. I was surprised to hear that the Special Olympics is able to offer these for free for athletes, but it truly goes to show how big of a difference involvement in the Special Olympics can make in an individuals life!

   

Athletes from Hastings!

Winner!

Kids Carnival

    Sometimes I see an opportunity and I think "That would be a great once in a lifetime opportunity." Recently, I thought it would be a great experience to volunteer to sit in a dunk tank at the Holling Heights School Carnival for my sister, one of the PTA parents.

    I arrived early to walk around, talk, help with games, and take pictures before my appearance in the dunk tank. It is always great to meet kids, families, and volunteers at events like this and it was an absolutely beautiful night! I even ran into a young man wearing a Kool-Aid shirt who kindly agreed to take a picture with me.

Nebraska - the true windy city!

   They also knew the way to my heart - a shaved ice truck! It was a perfect sweet treat on a warm summer night!

    Finally it was time for the dunk tank - although it wasn't a traditional dunk tank. Instead, it was more of a spray tank, which ended up being extremely fun! Whether you are plunging or being sprayed, it is still an adrenaline rush waiting for the water to pour over you while kids continually drill the target with baseballs.

I took over for the Principal!

Waiting to get sprayed!

   The kids made it more fun as they threw, bantered with me, and begged me to splash them with water. I even ended up staying 20 minutes after the carnival ended so the kids could continue to play the dunk tank!

Action Shot!

   Overall, I had a fantastic evening and I even got to enjoy time with my sister and my nieces!

My amazing sister!

My niece (Lily) and her friend!

My niece Elena!

My rockstar niece Allison!

Are You Brave?

   Today I had the extraordinary opportunity to volunteer at the Special Olympics Breakfast of Champions. Last year was my first opportunity to attend the event and I couldn't wait to come back this year!
    Rachel Foehlinger and I started the morning out by greeting guests as they arrived for the festivities. I ran into Joseph Sullivan again (my mermaid friend) as well as several athletes that I met last year. It was so exciting to see everyone and catch up with them - it was a great start to the morning!

    I also got to see one of the families from my work. Their son Nick is one of the athletes, but two of his brothers also joined the family to greet guests with us. I am so proud of them for committing to spend their early morning helping out an organization that has done so much for their brother and their family!

   Once the festivities began, we were welcomed to sit at our own table and enjoy the morning until our next duties. As we sat chatting, one incredibly friendly man approached us, apologizing that we had to sit alone, and inviting us to sit at his table so we wouldn't have to be alone. Upon arriving at the table, the rest of the members of the Omaha Knights of Columbus greeted us happily and began chatting with us. I was extremely touched by their kindness and support!

   While we sat with the Knights, we had the pleasure of hearing featured speakers, Athlete Eric LoChiano and Creighton University Basketball Coach Greg McDermott. While everyone was excited to see Coach McDermott and he gave a fantastic and heartfelt speech about the wonderful qualities of Omaha and our athletes, Eric really stole the show as he talked to us about the bravery it takes to compete, to work at  his job at Panera, and to speak in front of a large room full of people. After inspiring us with his story about the challenges he has taken on, he gave us a challenge of our own - he challenged us to be brave, to reach out, and to support the Special Olympics - an organization that gave him the confidence and the skills to be successful. The speech was met with one of the quickest standing ovations I have ever seen. It was unbelievably touching!

With Coach McDermott!

    After the speeches, Rachel and I walked around collecting donation cards and thanking everyone for coming. It was a phenomenal way to start my day!

Healthy Hearts

I am forever thankful to Ashley Christensen who always thinks of us for American Heart Association Events!

 

    Even though I leave my house by 6 A.M. each morning during the week, I am not a morning person. I have, however, spent a surprising amount of Saturdays waking up early for community service ( a cause I certainly don't mind waking up to support!) This Saturday was  no exception as I was awake, showered, made up, and crowned by the time I left the house at 6:30; I arrived at Miller Landing for the Heart Walk a little before 7.

    Upon arrival at 7, I was informed that we would not spend the morning signing autographs as planned, so we actually had no responsibilities until 8. After getting a cup of coffee (mainly to keep my hands warm on a chilly May morning), I walked around, looked at all of the booths set up, and chatted with some of the people. This is one of my favorite parts of events - learning about different organizations and issues within our community.

   This morning I was particularly interested in learning about the Go Red For Women group set up in one of the booths. According to the ladies at the booth, heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. They work to educate women about living heart healthy lives in order to save them from falling under that statistic. I think this is a great idea, especially considering the current health of the nation (high rates of obesity, heart disease, etc). They even gave me some healthy recipes and a red dress pin so I can share the information with other women I meet during my reign (it currently sits at the end of my sash)!

With Hope, one of the young walkers :)

    Rachel Foehlinger (Miss Lake McConaughy) arrived a little later and we were able to start warming the kids up for the Children's Walk. It was a lot of fun warming the kids up not only because it was cold out, but also because they were very excited to get moving for the morning (it was quite a refreshing sight)!

With the American Heart Association Mascot and some of the kids!

   After warming the children up for their walk, we had no further responsibilities until we were asked to perform at 9. We spent the time listening to music and choreographing our routine before we were ushered on to the sloped grass hill in front of the stage to perform our freshly choreographed routine. Despite the wind, grass, and sloped hill, Rachel and I made the most of our performance and had a lot of fun!

This past February, I met Joe Sullivan (Ariel) at the Polar Plunge and we took a photo together.

As I was walking around today, I ran into Joe again - minus the wig and coconut bra.

I absolutely love volunteering for the Special Olympics so I was honored to run into Joe again and to find out I would see him again at the Breakfast of Champions.

 

    Finally, we were asked to head to the start of the walk and twirl to gather the attention of the walkers. It was really exciting to get the walkers on the way, and then we got to stand by the road and cheer them on. It was so fun to wave, wish participants a good walk, and see so many friendly faces!

Ready to Start!

    Once again, I left my community service event overwhelmed by the love and goodness that is present in our community. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to help others and represent the Miss America Organization!

Karen Western

    Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to visit Karen Western Elementary School and speak to all of the students about hearing loss. It was an interesting speaking engagement because Karen Western is the school that houses the deaf and hard of hearing program in the Ralston Public School District. Rather than giving my normal spiel about hearing loss and how to prevent it, I was able to talk to students about what their hearing impaired peers go through and how they can more respectfully communicate with them.
    It was also interesting because I spoke with kindergarten, first, and second grades during the first presentation, fifth and sixth during the second, and third and fourth during the last. All of the classes were extremely respectful and had some good questions to ask that really got me thinking about my platform. It reminded me about how much we need to educate people about hearing loss because there are misconceptions about it at every age.
    For instance, the main thing we talked about today is communicating with people who have hearing loss. The visual cues become so much more important for a person with hearing loss. They rely heavily on the direct flow of the verbal communication as well as the visual input the speaker provides - lips, body, expression, even sign language sometimes.
    It is also important to be aware of your volume and diction when speaking to people with hearing loss. Hearing loss does not simply make sounds quieter, it also makes it sound more jumbled. It becomes important to speak each word clearly and loudly enough, but it won't do you any good to shout, because it will still come out jumbled. Here is an interesting video that demonstrates what hearing loss is like: http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=215539&title=Hearing_Loss_Simulation&vpkey=14141
    I was also able to talk to several of the adults at the school (who work with those who have hearing loss regularly). We discussed the importance of spreading the word about hearing loss, especially in the state of Nebraska. We have plenty of resources available in the Eastern part of the state (with large cities such as Omaha and Lincoln), but it becomes a lot more difficult to have those resources in Western Nebraska where there are more small towns that might have 1 or 2 people with hearing impairment. Having the ability to travel across the state and address this issue would be essential in improving the hearing health of our great state!

Healing through Horses

     

Aleah Peters (Miss Douglas County), Rachel Foehlinger (Miss Lake McConaughy), and I at the Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy Fundraiser - I love spending time with these girls!

 

     I personally love horseback riding. There is just something about riding through nature on a gentle animal that is refreshing and relaxing. Considering this, it shouldn't be surprising that horses are used for therapy for people with special needs.

With one of the riders - she was so sweet!

 

     When we made an appearance at the Blue Jeans and Dreams Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy fundraiser, Aleah Peters, Rachel Foehlinger, and I got to see this in action as several of the kids road their horses in front of those attending the fundraiser - it was incredibly touching to see the kids riding with the biggest smiles across their faces!

Another one of the riders - he was so excited to take a picture with us!

 

     As a Nebraska girl it was great to get to spend the evening walking around a barn in a plaid shirt and jeans, although it did get a little cold!
     Not only did we get to watch the kids ride, but we also got to chat with several of the guests and help with the live auction!  While chatting, we got to meet some of the HETRA volunteers and learn more about HETRA. Not only does the organization provide therapeutic riding for individuals with special needs, but they also provide riding for veterans who have returned home from war. Riding a horse closely mimics walking which can help veterans who need to learn how to walk all over again.

This man must have been at least 7 feet tall (if not taller)!

 

     I was so inspired by the work that the organization does and the difference they can make, that I asked about volunteering at the HETRA barn here in Omaha and I look forward to scheduling some work with them this summer!
http://www.hetra.org/ Here is the link so you can help too!