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!

December Christmas Tree Lighting in Lenexa

Last night at volunteered at the Lenexa Community Center. It was so much fun to help with the lighting ceremony along with Santa, Mrs. Claus, Allie Marx (Jr. Miss United States World), and some children from the audience! Next I helped at their holiday gift shop where children of all ages shopped for holiday gifts for family members with the help of Santa's elves:) It was fun to see how excited the children were to see Santa, giving him great big hugs and high fives. I saw children from age 18 months to 14 years old go in the holiday shop to select gifts for mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, cousins, aunts and uncles. They came out with gifts wrapped up and smiles on their faces! I wonder how many of them will be able to keep their gift selections a secret until Christmas? I also met several people who work for the city of Lenexa, KS and really love serving their community. I saw alot of joy in people's faces last night. Of course, I got my picture taken with Santa!