Full Hearts and Sticky Hands

IHOP is a great supporter of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, raising funds throughout the month of February for Miss America’s national platform. I was fortunate enough to volunteer on Saturday, February 11th at my hometown (Shawnee) IHOP for this wonderful cause. Though it was eleven degrees outside, the IHOP held a scent of warm pancakes and big hearts – ready to serve the children of Oklahoma!

People are my passion and I was so very excited to spend the chilly morning with the friendliest, kindest folks of small town Oklahoma. I met tiny people and big people – many in PreKindergarten. We obviously had a lot in common since I teach PreK! I debated the Thunder’s season with a kindergartener and 1st grader, hearing about their love for Kevin Durant and telling them why I adore James Harden. There was a three-year-old who burst into tears when she saw me across the room and refused to calm down until she could meet the “princess.” I made new friends in Kayla, Zoe, Caitlin, and several other kids who wanted to help other kids. One man told me that I didn’t look old enough to compete for Miss America – guess it’s time to look my age! Haha, how many people are trying to look older at the age of 22?! I know I say it a lot, but this job really is one of the greatest in the world.

I met not one, but TWO Miracle Kids – Maddie and Jayse. Maddie often travels to the Oklahoma City Children’s Hospital due to diabetes. She was dressed to the nines – fur boots, pink bag, long coat, and definitely ready to take on whatever came her way!

Jayse is from St.Louis, Oklahoma and helped me raise funds for CMN today. We sold paper balloons and glow-in-the-dark bracelets – nearly selling out completely! Jayse has PKU,  phenylketonuria. People with PKU are missing an enzyme called phenylalanine hydroxylase, which is needed to break down an essential amino acid called phenylalanine. The substance is found in foods that contain protein. (This was obviously googled so I would be able to explain it better!) Jayse cannot eat protein, making his condition difficult, yet manageable by diagnosing it early and with the right diet. He is a vegan, meaning he does not eat any byproduct of animals. While Jayse and his mom make this sound fairly easy, I am still completely amazed at his positivity and ability to live with PKU, yet still feel like he has a pretty normal childhood.

The commonality between Maddie and Jayse is their outlook. Jayse’s mom said that while PKU is not always easy, there are a lot of others who have much more serious circumstances. These kids are both full of joy and passion for life. Their optimistic attitudes put our own daily struggles into perspective. I do not have diabetes or PKU – and neither of these Miracle Kids are the type of person to complain, just because their day is a bit more unique. Looking at what they must face – needles and constant checking of life-changing food ingredients – things like traffic and work issues are not important, or even comparative. These two really are Miracle Kids and we could all learn from their example of a positive life.

Children’s Miracle Network

May is for Miracles and the perfect time to help a child through the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals! When I speak about the Miss America Organization, many are surprised to hear that the organization has a national platform, among the contestant’s platforms as well. Children’s Miracle Network and Miss America have teamed up for the past few years to provide mentors and funds to children’s hospitals across the nation.

CMN was founded partially by Marie Osmond (trivia for the day!), and you have probably seen their signature yellow balloon in many ad campaigns throughout America (above). As of this year, CMN hospitals have raised over $4.3 billion to help kids in every community. Children who benefit from CMN often have life-threatening illnesses including cancer or birth defects, but many are also treated for asthma, burns, broken bones or the flu. The most amazing aspect of CMN is that, while the organization often receives large donations, most funds are raised one or two dollars at a time.

An example of this is IHOP’s National Day of Pancakes. If you refer back to previous posts (A Syrupy Sweet Saturday, National Pancake Day) you’ll remember that IHOP helped fundraise nationwide for CMN hospitals. that day, participants could purchase bracelets or a paper balloon for just a few dollars to aid in the organization’s mission. Isn’t it amazing that donating one dollar can change a life in the big picture?

Right now, I am fundraising as a Miss Oklahoma contestant. My goal is $650 and I have raised $550! While only $100 shy of my goal donation, every dollar counts – and this is where I am asking you to join in my efforts. Please consider donating to the link below. As you’ve learned, every dollar counts and can make a huge difference in a child’s life. For more information, visit the link below or Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. 

DONATE HERE: CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK

National Pancake Day

On Tuesday, March 1st I celebrated National Pancake Day! As previously posted (A Syrupy Sweet Saturday), the Miss America Organization partners with IHOP to raise funds and awareness for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. On March 1st, IHOP offered a free short stack of pancakes to patrons, in exchange for a suggested donation to CMN. I know…how could I eat pancakes when they aren’t on my strategic food plan? That’s because I spent so much time working the event from 5-8 pm that I forgot to eat dinner! It could have been my “cheat day,” but I was so focused on selling the paper balloons and glow-in-the-dark bracelets that it slipped my mind until I got home.

First, let me just say that there is nothing which prepares you more for the job of Miss Oklahoma than actually going to various fundraisers/appearances (like IHOP) and talking to Oklahomans. I met a lot of people, and don’t worry – you’ll get to hear about several! You just never know what people will ask you or what they will say. (There’s a story for that too!) Everyone thinks you are Miss USA, Miss America or Miss Oklahoma when you have a crown on. Unfortunately, I am none of the above. Others will say “Hey! I saw you on tv at Miss USA!” As flattering as that is (it would be an honor to be mistaken for Miss Okahoma or Miss Oklahoma USA), I have to explain that while I hope they will see me on-screen in the future, that was another titleholder and not me! Communicating is one of my five strengths (Strength Finders) and one of the things I enjoy most about the job of Miss Sooner State. Last Tuesday was no exception!

On to the interesting people I met! When I first arrived at the Meridian IHOP, I was a bit worried since it was nearly empty! Luckily, the business was steady throughout the night and the donations to CMN kept pouring in! This is a new friend of mine! Tyler ( left) is from New York and was visiting his dad who is stationed at Fort Sill. His mom bought a bracelet and Tyler asked me to hang out while he finished his short stack of pancakes. He is in the third grade and is learning how to write in cursive. His mom had just flown back to Oklahoma to pick him up and take him back to Northern New York. He said he would be sure to watch for me on the Miss America stage. 🙂

This cute little thing on the right is Max. If I ever have a boy (Lord knows I wouldn’t know what to do with one!) I hope he is just like Max! He is in Kindergarten and his favorite part of school is snack time. I’ll have to remember that when I have a class next year! Max was in awe of the glow-in-the-dark bracelet his dad purchased for him and kept jumping under the table to see if it still worked. He asked me if we could have a sleepover at IHOP because he wanted to stay there forever! Haha, then he added that all he needed to get from home was his toothbrush (I’m sure his dentist loves him!). He was so sweet and had most definitely never met a stranger.

This is Honor and Mariah! They were at a huge table with their three brothers, parents and extended family. When I spoke with their dad, I found out that he works with Character Counts in Edmond – Miss Oklahoma, Emoly West’s platform! He was very familiar with the Miss Oklahoma Organization and inquired about my own platform, what I do with it, my talent, and how I became involved with the system. These girls were very fun and were in a race to finish their dinner! Honor really wanted to show off her pretty smile here!! CHEESE!

The last two customers I took a picture with were Ty and his sister Danielle. This brother and sister were with their mom and I was able to spend a lot of time getting to know them. She is 8 and he is 4, another Pre-K kid! When I asked Ty what his favorite part of school was, he said playing on the playground. I asked him what made a teacher “cool” since I’ll be teaching this Fall and wanted to win over my students. He said the playground was his favorite part of the day and if his teacher played on the playground she would be really cool. He was fairly confused as to why I had a crown on my head, but I explained how I won the title and Danielle had a question for me. “Are you in beauty pageants?” she asked. “No, I compete in scholarship pageants,” I said. “Do you want me to explain how a scholarship pageant works?” Her mom jumped in and told her that I won a lot of money, but it was all to pay for school. “Oh,” Danielle said. “I know the difference.” Her mom and I watched as Danielle then added, very matter of factly, “Beauty pageants are where they show their assets.” Needless to say, “assets” was not Danielle’s word of choice! Her mom couldn’t decide if it was humorous or horrifying! Haha, I made sure to explain that televised pageants do not consist of any portion which allows a contestant to show more than necessary. When speaking with kids as a titleholder, one things is very important to remember – expect the unexpected!

At the end of the night, I had visited with hundreds of customers and collected a grand total of $174.00! It’s really amazing to think of how many contestants and IHOP’s across the country were working that evening to raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network and if I could collect $174.00, not including the donations from the free pancakes, I can only imagine what the overall total could be! I look forward to fundraising again for Children’s Miracle Network, and hopefully next year I’ll remember to celebrate correctly  by eating a short stack of pancakes!

A Syrupy Sweet Saturday

This morning I took advantage of a wonderful opportunity to work with the Miss America Organization’s national philanthropy, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The MAO has not always had a national philanthropy, just like how Miss America has not always included platform (each contestant’s individual philanthropy/cause), talent, or on-stage question. (We began as a bathing beauties contest for women ages 16-35 during Labor Day weekend! My how things have changed!) Looking back, I think it’s safe to say that Miss America is constantly growing and changing to meet the needs of modern women. The organizations paired up just a few years ago, but the partnership has been incredibly beneficial to the children, families and new MAO volunteers.

If you haven’t heard of it, CMN is an amazing organization which raises funds for medical research, children’s hospitals, and most importantly – children and their families with life-threatening diseases. Prior to competing in the Miss Oklahoma system, I had heard very little about CMN. I’m fortunate to have learned so much in the past few years! The organization works with 170 hospitals across the country, including two in Oklahoma. By working with CMN, I have been blessed to meet children and families directly benefitting from the fundraising created by events like IHOP‘s National Day of Pancakes and Dancing With the Stars (a local take on the national hit). There is absolutely nothing like the feeling you get when meeting a child who was thought to have mere months to live, but has surpassed that timeline by years, partly because of the Children’s Miracle Network.

Miss Oklahoma local titleholders were invited to spend a Saturday morning raising funds and awareness for CMN at local IHOP’s. This Saturday special leads up to National Pancake Day – March 1st. On National Pancake Day, titleholders are able to fundraise for CMN at IHOP’s in order to help better the lives of hospitalized Oklahoma children. During the event, pancakes are given out for free, though it is suggested that a donation to Children’s Miracle Network be made in exchange for the free pancakes. On National Pancake Day, I will be at the IHOP in Oklahoma City on Meridian from 6-8 pm!

When I arrived at IHOP it was packed! No one in my family is necessarily a “morning person,” so I don’t think I had ever been to an IHOP during actual breakfast time. The manager and staff were extremely friendly and so helpful. When making an appearance, you never know what to expect. Surprisingly, sometimes people make assumptions about “pageant girls” and I’m always prepared to go the extra mile to change a negative, preconceived stereotype into a positive reputation about titleholders. This was definitely not an issue at the I-240 Service Road IHOP.

The last time I volunteered with National Pancake Day, no one really told me what to do so I hung out with kids and talked about CMN to restaurant patrons. Today was even better because the manager showed me what the staff had been doing and I ran with it! The staff had been selling paper balloons which are taped to the wall for a donation of $1 or more. They were also selling glow in the dark bracelets for $2 which read “GLOW FOR KIDS.” The manager told me it would be perfectly fine to walk around, talk with patrons, and try to sell both items. Being a public relations (somewhat of a marketing degree) major, I saw a challenge and set out to sell everything!

During the three hours I was at IHOP, I met some wonderful people and never had a bad reaction from diners. Most were even SUPER friendly! I met a man who had served in the Army for 35 years, a family from Tecumseh (the town next to my hometown!) with a man who was heading to a conference where Michael J. Fox was speaking (so cool), and another family from Bray, Oklahoma (near Duncan – there are more livestock than people…also home to the largest town in America – landwise!). There was a girl eating breakfast with her best friend from Kansas for her birthday, and later they were heading to Chuck E. Cheese. Three older women were also very supportive of CMN, and had big plans to see Beauty and the Beast at the Civic Center later. I was amazed at the number of kids up before noon as well! Several families seemed to bring the entire family – one which included 8 kids – to IHOP to enjoy breakfast together.

I didn’t have a goal in mind when I first arrived, but selling the balloons and bracelets worked out perfectly. The manager had to refill the bucket of bracelets several times! It’s really amazing how generous people can be when you just ask! At the end of the day, I had raised a total of $152! Granted, in the grand scheme of things that isn’t much, but in the long run it really can add up. I was thrilled to be able to take an active role in fundraising for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. If you’ll be in the Oklahoma City area (Meridian IHOP) on March 1st, please consider stopping by (actually, at ANY IHOP for that matter!) and making a donation. You definitely won’t regret it!!

Sidenote: Please forgive the truly terrible Oklahoma-wind induced hair day which I was having. I always try to look presentable, since appearance often makes the first impression and I wanted to represent CMN and MAO positively. The weather really took hold and I could feel my bangs drooping into my face all day. Fortunately, I was reminded that kids really don’t care about what your hair looks like, and think every girl with a crown on is Miss Oklahoma – even if your sash reads otherwise! The patrons were more concerned about my explanation of CMN and how the funds helped others than if my hair was big and full of volume. It’s nice to realize that we can strive for perfection, but in the end, your appearance is nothing next to the difference you are making for the children.  Enjoy these photos of the kids I was able to spend time with!