Yet another week of excitement!

Wow! What a week it has been! I am pleased to announce that I have been in contact back and forth with the American Red Cross and working together, we have been very productive! As it stands now, I will be hosting a blood drive in Hartsville in the month of May and co-hosting a blood drive in Manning in early June! It's so exciting to think that through the promotion of my platform, I am able to not only be in the donor's chair, I get to be an advocate for blood donation and encourage others to put themselves in the donor's seat as well! I'm thrilled about having these two drives to look forward to and the Red Cross was just as ecstatic as I was! Every blood donation counts! Currently, there is a deficit as far as blood supply goes in the state of South Carolina. With your help, we can change this and make a difference. I hope to see you in the donor's chair in either May or June. Stay tuned for more details, for they will be provided as more details are confirmed!

As if that wasn't enough excitement for one week, I was also honored to serve as the emcee at the Miss Mid-Carolina Middle School Pageant this evening! What a beautiful group of girls they had competing, and I was thoroughly impressed by their grace and professionalism! These girls have been practicing and rehearsing for weeks, and it definitely showed when they were on stage. Their poise and grace was incomparable to other girls their age, and I can truly say that I'm glad I was the emcee and not a judge for this competition! This was the first time I was behind the microphone instead of competing underneath the lights and let me just say, it was a completely different feeling! I will admit, there was a little more pressure where I was tonight, but it was a wonderful experience and I would love love love to do something like this again! I would like to extend the warmest congratulations to the new 2012 queen, Miss Kori Kunkle! I was also pleased to run into a fellow Miss South Carolina sister, Miss Piedmont Teen Megan Clark! Tonight was definitely a night of firsts, but it was a wonderful experience and a distinct honor!

Of course, I will be keeping busy and keeping this up to date. Until next time, I'll leave you with this thought: YOU have the opportunity to impact the life of a young child. When? RIGHT NOW! I strongly urge you to make a donation to the Children's Miracle Network if you are able. As a member of the Miss America Organization, I can truly say that I am thrilled to be able to represent and promote such a wonderful organization! Don't delay, donate today! Visit http://missamericaforkids.org/Donate/27232ACF48F262C.

One month of memories down...

What an amazing month it has been! Let's start at the beginning!

On January 14th, I was both honored and blessed to be crowned Miss Greater Hartsville 2012 by Mary Grace Graham at the Center Theater in Hartsville. There are no words to describe the feelings that came over me when I heard my name called. Seeing as this is my first year competing in the Miss South Carolina system, you can imagine my excitement and amazement when I was crowned! Along with my new "sparkle hat", I gained a new family that night as well. I was crowned along with 3 other beautiful girls: my teen queen, Madi Owens (Miss Greater Hartsville Teen), Mika Friday (Miss Hartsville), and Sarah Beth Kreidler (Miss Hartsville Teen). I couldn't have asked for a better group of girls to spend the year with as sister queens! After being crowned, we made our way to the Queen's Reception where we watched our current Miss South Carolina, Bree Boyce, rock the Miss America stage! That Saturday is a night that will never be forgotten!

As a Miss South Carolina local queen, I have the opportunity to have Miss South Carolina Princesses or Princes. Soon after I was crowned, I chose to have my 14-year old sister be a Princess. I look forward the spending the year with Rebecca as her mentor and her as my sidekick throughout my journey to Miss South Carolina! Maybe one day she will decide to compete in the Miss South Carolina Pageant as a result of the Princess Program!

Then, the craziness began! The week after being crowned Miss Greater Hartsville consisted of newspaper interviews and a committee meeting with my sister queens' and my new "Miss Hartsville mama", Mrs. Lynn Covington, also known as our LED! I will admit, it was a lot of information to absorb...event dates galore, paperwork information, expectations...but it was after our "family meeting" that things really began to sink in for me. I came to realize that this was truly happening! I had spent the entire week pinching myself, wondering if my dreams really were coming true, and sure enough they were.

For the following 3 weekends, I spent my Saturdays and Sundays traveling the state and watching new Miss South Carolina local queens be crowned. All in all, I had the opportunity to watch new representatives for Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, and Columbia be awarded their titles. For me, those pageants were particularly exciting, for I knew exactly how the winners felt and the excitement that was soon to ensue for them! Along with attending those preliminary pageants, I also volunteered with McLeod Children's Hospital's Annual Radiothon on February 10th! For 3 hours, I answered the phones at the phone bank, and accepted the donations of generous North and South Carolinians who wanted to see a difference made in the lives of the sick children at MCH! It was an amazing experience to be a part of, hearing the stories of the parents and children who had spent time at MCH and could really attest to the miracles that are made each day in the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Over $52,000 was raised at this year's Radiothon. Now that's amazing! Appearances, events, and Miss South Carolina Pageant preparations, and it has only just begun!

Though this month has been amazing, I still have many more to go before my year of service as Miss Greater Hartsville is over! I can't wait to extend my involvement with Miss America's national platform, the Children's Miracle Network, as well as my personal platform of "Be a Hero: Donate Blood, Save a Life" promoting blood donation through the American Red Cross. This is sure to be one amazing year, sharing my experiences, stories, and talent with others. There is nothing more exciting for me than to work directly with people and make a difference in the lives of others, be it through the gift of life in blood donation or simply inspiring them to be their best. Through dedication, determination, and making a difference, I look forward to making my reign as Miss Greater Hartsville 2012 both successful and productive. I can hardly believe that come July, I will be walking across the Miss South Carolina stage, a lifelong dream come true! What an amazing month this has been, and what an amazing year this is sure to be! 


If you wish to make an online donation to the Children's Miracle Network, visit the link provided below and make miracles happen!
http://missamericaforkids.org/Donate/27232ACF48F262C