Federation Day

The Delaware Federation of Women's Club hosted a Federation Day luncheon and auction at the lovely Harrington Casino. It was a huge success thanks to the many volunteers that took their time and effort to getting it all together, and that includes Mr. Chuck Ivans and Mrs. Trish Rodriguez (Left and Right respectively in photo above).

I was asked to start off the luncheon with singing our National Anthem and then entertain with a few songs before the auction. So, of course, I sang music from none other than my favorite fifties country star, Patsy Cline. I sang "Crazy", "She's Got You" and "Walkin' After Midnight". After we were done jamming out to some Patsy Cline, the women began their live auction of over 90 items!

For those of you that may not know what these women do year round, I'd like to take a moment to inform you. I had not realized all of the work they put in to helping those in need. They put on fundraisers and community service events to raise money for charities that benefit our state and country. There is even a national convention that many of them attend to represent the work that has been accomplished in our state/country thanks to them.
As I go through my year as Miss Delaware, I find more and more examples of good citizenship that I never knew existed in our lovely state. We may be small, but our people are powerful. I've seen community service represented by all ages and it puts a smile on my face. It is rewarding to know that I have played a part in the process of volunteering, and that I am able to experience it with so many people.

Seasons of Respect-Blades Elementary

My "CharacterCounts!" mentor, Kim, also works with Connecting Generation's "Seasons of Respect" program. She has graciously partnered with me to assist in making the 8th week of the program a memorable celebration of everything the students have learned. "Seasons of Respect" is an 8 week program for 5th graders. The students learn about the definition of respect, respectful listening, conflict resolution, stereotyping, and much more. Since respect is one of the six pillars of "CharacterCounts!", this lesson is perfect for me to get involved in.

We handle the celebration as a team. She gets the students pumped up and ready, then I come in and do a review of everything they learned over the past two months. After that, she does a quick game with them, and finally we dance and enjoy a yummy snack! It has been a pleasure getting to know the students involved with "Seasons of Respect". Most of the schools already have some type of motto centered around respect. I think that is a huge help in aiding the students to retain the information Kim teaches them.

The boys and girls always react differently to me showing up at their school. The girls are always excited and want to get to know me. The boys react one of two ways: One- they could care less that I'm there, I am still just another girl; or Two- they decide to pursue a relationship with me and the girls tell me how much the boys love me. It really is the cutest thing. Sometimes I like to play it up and ask who "So-and-so" is so I can waive hi. Other times they come up to me to defend themselves and deny that they said anything about me. Oh the good ol' days!

After we enjoyed our snack the dance floor was open! This was the first celebration where I was asked if we could do the limbo. So I asked Kim if we had a way to do the limbo. Being the creative lady that she is she decided to use the string of paperclips used as a project for the classes. You see, each class was asked to have the students put a paperclip in a piggy bank in the classroom everytime they saw someone showing respect. So by the time the celebration came, the strings of paperclips were extremely long. Thus being the perfect tool for limbo!
Of course, I wanted to participate! Now I did not consider that my odds of winning were slim from the start. I was taller than most of the students, especially with my heels on, and I had a crown on my head. Nonetheless, I went for it. The students got a kick out of my attempts to get under the string of paperclips. Once our limbo stick was too low the students were sliding, rolling, and evening army crawling under the string. All rules were put aside and we were just having fun. It is always a joy to experience these celebrations and get to know the students in Delaware's schools.

Delaware Bride-Bridal Expo

This must be the time for weddings, because I have certainly been to my fair share of bridal shows. Here I am wearing a dress from Lady's Image. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Mrs. Delaware America was going to be joining me as well. I had not met her before this point and she is an absolute doll!

Amanda Shepard and I had a great time mingling with the crowd. There were a ton of vendors and a very entertaining fashion show to keep the brides-to-be excited.

I hung out at the entrance for a while to welcome the guests and hand out some coupons. During the fashion show Amanda and I had to return the diamond necklaces we were wearing for Orly Diamonds. While we were doing that, we were graciously offered some of the flower arrangements on display. I thought this one was really cute and small so I decided to bring it home with me. Beautiful and springy isn't it??

The flowers were arranged by Petal Pushers. I thought that was an adorable name for a business. You should check them out!

Local Pageants

Miss Southern Delaware 2010 was a wonderful event and a new pageant brought to Miss Delaware this year. I had the pleasure of co hosting with Mr. DE 2008 and dear friend, Chris. We had a great time as we watched talented, beautiful, and intelligent young women compete for the title.

Lorin Walls won the title of Miss Southern Delaware 2010! Her platform is "Get Your Head in the Game" promoting awareness of brain tumors and her talent is Irish step dancing. She is a great role model for girls to look up to.

Another local pageant held a couple weeks after was Miss Kent County 2010. My co host for the evening was Miss Capital Heather McKinney. We had a great time yet again. It was a tough competition!

Kayla Martell won the title of Miss Kent County and will be competing for Miss Delaware this June along side of 11 other contestants. She has been incredibly involved in community service and is always a joy to watch as she dances. I know I have said this before, but I truly think Miss Delaware is going to a close competition this year!

MDOT 2010

A few weeks ago Katelynn Mayers was crowned Miss Delaware's Outstanding Teen 2010!! She will be going on to compete for Miss America's Outstanding Teen this August. I have watched her grow over the past couple years. I am so proud of her, and I know she will do us proud this summer.

This was also a time that we said farewell to my little sis Danielle Marshall. We did a duet to Last Dance (she danced while I sang) and it was one of the most enjoyable performances I have ever had.

All of the girls did a fantastic job. They are proof that there is something to be proud of about our younger generation. They are role models for their friends, families, and communities.

I was excited to see that so many of the Miss Delaware local titleholders came to watch and support the pageant as well. This shows the great partnership the two organizations have, and I am proud to be a part of it.

Go Red for Women

Being that February is Heart Month, every year at the Sheraton the American Heart Association has a Go Red for Women luncheon and fashion show. I had the honor of being a part of it and modeling my Heather French Henry gown from Miss America. This year they had to have it in the atrium and ballroom of the hotel in order to seat the number of guests that attended! All of the models looked fabulous. Local businesses had women model their fashions in support of heart health awareness.

One of the models was my sister queen Brittany Dempsey, Miss Delaware 2007. She also wore a gown from Miss America if I am not mistaken. I can only hope and pray that I still fit into my Miss America wardrobe years after I give over the crown!

Another one of the models was my good friend Hope. We decided, while we were waiting to start the show, that it was only appropriate to crown her for being and looking so fabulous. That girl always has it going on! Needless to say we had a blast and enjoyed a wonderful lunch in support of national Heart Month.



P.S. Hey Vicky! Thanks for reading my blog...there's more coming!