New Blog

Hi all, I would like to invite you all to follow me on my new blog as Ms. Kansas US Beauties 2011. It is also on Blogspot! Thank you!

Passing on the Title to 2011

Wow, what a great weekend! I had so much fun at the 2011 pageant. I loved seeing my sister queens, meeting all of the Miss Jr. Teen and Miss Teen Kansas World contestants, and spending time with our director and her family. The new Mrs. Kansas US 2011 is Brandi Palmer. She is a 2 year breast cancer survivor, a mother of two beautiful girls, an active community volunteer and a great friend! I can't wait to follow her journey throughout this next year.

2011 Update from Stephanie

Hello everyone, the year is off to a great start! I am embarking on several new adventures! I started my own mobile spray tan business called TANS (Tans Are Now Safe). As part of my mission to increase awareness and prevent skin cancer, I am offering this service as a safe alternative to tanning beds. I spoke to a group of competitive cheerleaders last night and 7 of them knew someone or had a family member who has had skin cancer. Here is my website:
http://www.tansarenowsafe.com/stephaniel. To make a spray tan appointment, you can email me at stephaniel@tansarenowsafe.com or call (913) 484-3810. Please like my Facebook page too! It is Tans Are Now Safe: Stephanie Leibengood.

My tanning solution is all natural, DHA based and is available in different formulations depending on your skin type and level of color desired. I am so excited about this business and I love making people look and feel beautiful!

I have also been busy organizing my Miles Against Melanoma KC 5k. I am so happy to report that we have 3 different dermatology groups who are on board as our sponsors! TANS is also a partner and sponsor of the race! All of our proceeds will go to the Kansas City Cancer Center and help cancer survivors and their families.

Finally, as my year as Mrs. Kansas US wraps up, I have decided to continue on with pageantry! I have been named Ms. Kansas US Beauties 2011 and will compete in Chicago at nationals on July 10! For the first time, this pageant is going international and I am excited about what they represent, the success of the modern woman. I will have a new blog and Facebook fan page up shortly.

I will continue to talk to young women about skin cancer in the next month and have an appearance at Morse Elementary reading to the children later this month. I am working on my farewell video for the March 5, 2011 pageant as well. It is crazy how fast this past year has gone! If you would like to see me crown the next Mrs. Kansas US 2011, tickets are available at:http://www.missteenkansas-world.eventbrite.com.

More life lessons in 2011

I am back from Oklahoma after competing in the Mrs. Kansas America pageant system. Although I certainly trained hard, prepared diligently, and gave it my absolute best effort, I did not walk away with the crown this weekend. I have to admit I was disappointed in myself. Our director reminded all of us that only 1 person can walk away with the crown and that it is simply the opinion of 5 people (the judges) on that given day. That makes me feel a tiny bit better because I can only be myself, and be the best me that I can be. The person they chose to be the 2011 winner looks nothing like me. Having spent the entire weekend with her, I developed a friendship with her and quite frankly, I think she will make a great Mrs. Kansas America 2011. Her platform is child trafficing, something I have only a vague knowledge of. I hope to learn more on this subject from her in the coming year.
Although I wanted to win and worked hard to make it happen, I can't help but be happy for her and all that she will accomplish in the coming year. I feel like I learned alot from the competition this weekend. You cannot judge beauty by just the outward appearance. I know that sounds cliche! It is true! I met a lot of women this weekend and learned alot about myself. I feel like I made some true friends through this experience and hope to stay in touch with all of the Kansas girls and many of the Oklahoma girls as well. Many of us are the same on the inside. We are married women, most with children at home, who are trying to make a difference in our communities. We try to take good care of ourselves, we take risks, we make mistakes and we try to learn from them. In a pageant only 1 person can be crowned the winner. However, there were many winners this weekend. I feel like a winner and my "prize" was the new friends I made and the things I learned from each of them. I don't know what 2011 holds, but I know it will be something meaningful and something great!
God bless!

Miles Against Melanoma

Most of you know my platform for Mrs. Kansas is skin cancer prevention and awareness. I am excited to share that I am helping organize a 5k run/walk here in Kansas City that is called Miles Against Melanoma KC. We have a date set for May 28, 2011 at Grounds Park in Blue Springs, Missouri. We are donating proceeds to the Kansas City Cancer Center. Our goal is to educate people in the community about melanoma and other forms of skin cancer. We also want to make people aware of the dangers of tanning beds and showcase some local companies who provide custom spray tanning services. We are currently searching for corporate and individual sponsors. We will honor survivors and angels at our event with signs donated by sponsors. Each sign will also include facts about skin cancer and prevention tips. I am working with a family who recently lost their loved one (a mother, daughter and best friend) to melanoma in 2010. It is fabulous to see what God can use for His glory! Her story will be a wake up call to other young women, a beautiful remembrance of her life, and a celebration of her courageous battle with melanoma.

Please visit our Facebook page or our web page at www.milesagainstmelanoma5k.com. If you are interested in volunteering at our race, participating in the walk or run, or sponsoring us in any amount, please contact me!

2010 wrap up

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas. We just returned from Christmas in Wichita, where my mom and dad live. I was also able to celebrate my Grandma's 80th birthday! I feel so lucky to have her and that my girls have a relationship with their Great-Grandmother.

Right before Christmas I had the opportunity to participate in a holiday surprise for the residents of Safehome. Safehome is a shelter for battered women and children here in Johnson County, KS. A local hair stylist had the idea to treat these women to a makeover and professional photo shoot. It was fun to see them smile and feel good about themselves! I also had the honor of meeting the KCTV 5 morning news anchor Kelly Jones, 2 local professional photographers, and the director of Safehome, Sharon Katz. I was there with Hoffman Models and Talent Director of New Faces, Laura Beckley and Linda Loveless, a model and former Mrs. Kansas America. I was able to present each woman with a gift bag filled with items donated by local companies. I was deeply moved by being a part of this special event and could feel the spirit of Christmas all around me!

Safehome is such a worthwhile organization. I was reminded that they not only need cash donations but also basic items such as soap, toilet paper, paper towels, underwear for women and children, etc. They have a website where you can find more info at http://www.safehome-ks.org/. Click on the "needs" tab and you can find a link to their wish list.

Here is a link to the video which aired on Christmas Eve: http://www.kctv5.com/local-video/index.html?grabnetworks_video_id=4473979.

Angels for Afton

I am really excited to help out with a new ministry "Angels for Afton." This caught my attention from a friend on Facebook. Afton, Oklahoma is located about 3 hours from Kansas City and over 80% of the children in the school system are living in extreme poverty. Their principal is collecting gently used children's clothing, shoes, backpacks, books, personal care items (such as body wash) and food for the kid's grades K-8.

Tomorrow they are having a sorting party with all of the donations they have collected from the KC area. On Monday several volunteers are driving down to Afton to deliver the gifts and watch the children's Christmas program. I will be there bright and early to sort clothing and other donations!

I am competing in the Mrs. Kansas America 2011 pageant in January as Mrs. Kansas City 2011. Since our pageant is being held with the Mrs. Oklahoma pageant in Guthrie, OK, I am inviting all of the other contestants to join me in being "Angels for Afton." We are going to bring all of our donations to Guthrie and present them to someone from Afton during the pageant on January 22, 2011. I am excited to see how much we can collect to help these children!