Making Operation Smile Encouragement Cards

I was so excited to share my platform with a few students at Jim Stone Elementary. With this particular class I talked about Operation Smile and how some children are not born with a perfect, beautiful smile. I explained cleft lip and cleft palate to the children and told them about the complications it causes.

We had a great time making cards to send to children who have received surgery from Operation Smile. The students made beautiful cards and were so sweet! 

One young girl especially touched my heart. I the time of this appearance I still had braces. She saw my crown then came running up to me in the hallway and introduced herself. Once she spotted the braces she said, "You look just like me!!!" She had the biggest smile on her face and had no shame in showing off her braces! Throughout the day we discovered both of our favorite color was pink and we both had rabbits named Thumper. 

I can also say this is the first time I have ever been bowed to. This young man walked into the classroom and as he bowed said, "Hello queen of awesome!" He was too funny! He became my King of Awesome!

Giving Children Hope Through A Smile is so much more than just teaching proper dental care and spreading awareness of Operation Smile. These appearances really put into perspective the impact a beautiful smile can have on someones life. All it took was a smile to make this young girls day and allow me to see how much of a difference one person truly can make. 

Giving Children at Julia Lee Moore Hope Through A Smile

I always enjoy sharing my platform with others and I was especially grateful to return to Mrs. Fitts class at Julia Lee Moore to teach the children about proper dental care. I read them two stories about going to the dentist and about animals who did and didn't take care of their teeth.

After reading the stories to them I talked about how to properly brush and take care of your teeth. Each child received a dental kit to take home with them.

I was so happy to hear from a mother of one of the children who informed me her child was brushing her teeth all the time and having so much fun with it. I feel very strongly about the importance of a beautiful smile and am so thrilled that my platform has made an impact on children today.

Miss Timeless Beauty

 I was invited to judge the Miss Timeless Beauty Pageant at Southridge Living Center. What a fun event! Each of the contestants were introduced in a beautiful gown they had picked out. They were then asked a question about who they admired most and why. Each of the contestants were so elegant and beautiful. There was a large audience in attendance and they did a great job with cheering for everyone. I enjoyed meeting the contestants and their relatives and getting to know about them even more. I was honored to help with the crowning and sign autographs after.

State Special Olympics

Miss Arkansas, Sloane Roberts and Miss Arkansas' Outstanding Teen, Laura Leigh Turner invited all of the contestants to join them at the state special olympics tournament. As Miss UCA, I have been greatly honored to have had the chance to help with Alpha Sigma Alpha's Race for a Reason and the Area 17 Special Olympics. I was so excited to get to attend the state tournament that I had heard so much about from the athletes of area 17.

I had a great time taking pictures and talking with the athletes and especially helping a young group of athletes with their events. They were all such hard workers and absolutely loved participating. I was especially grateful that I got to see two of my friends from the previous events I had attended. Johnny and Rodney are two young men I met at Race for a Reason, area 17 special olympics, and then I was able to see them again in Searcy.

Seeing how happy they were to see me again really put into perspective how much of a difference the volunteers are making in the lives of these athletes. I was sad to leave, but know that I will have the chance to work with more events in the future and I can not wait for that opportunity.

Miss Arkansas Weekend of FUN!

May 18-20 was an eventful weekend for the Miss Arkansas contestants. The weekend began with the Tony Bowls photo shoot, which was an absolute blast! It is one of the events that I most look forward to each year. Upon arrival, I had my hair and makeup done by the fabulous Lauren Colclasure and Joel Green. Tony Bowls himself then picked out a beautiful light turquoise dress for me to wear for the shoot! Once I was ready it was time to feel like a super model for a day! Jason Masters captured wonderful photos. The Miss Arkansas organization is so blessed to have such wonderful volunteers and sponsors. Tony Bowls is a true blessing to the organization. Laine Berry was another wonderful asset for the event. She was there to help each contestant work it and feel confident.

                        (Check out my post below for my Tony Bowls photo that you can vote on!)

On Sunday we had the contestant meeting and lottery. We turned in paperwork, heard from numerous sponsors, received important information and decided on our placement for the pageant. I am spot B29, which is the next to last spot in group B. This means that the week of the pageant I will compete in evening gown Wednesday, talent on Thursday, and swimsuit on Friday. Saturday night the top 10 contestants will be announced and compete again in all phases for the title of Miss Arkansas. My personal interview with the judges will take place on Tuesday that week. I am so excited for the week of Miss Arkansas (July 14-20).

 

Monday was another busy day. The group I was in started out at the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Golf Tournament. We were able to take sponsor photos, visit with the golfers, drive them to warm up, and have lunch. After lunch we headed to Arkansas Children's Hospital. We took a tour of the hospital, make birthday and congratulations cards, and sorted crayons into bags. It was such an amazing experience to get to see what the money raised through Children's Miracle Network is doing!

Tony Bowls Photoshoot

Each year the contestants are given the amazing opportunity to participate in a Tony Bowls Photoshoot.  I showed up to the shoot where Joel Green did my makeup and Lauren Colclasure did my hair. Laine Berry picked out the perfect Tony Bowls dress, shoes, and accessories for me to wear! Soon after, it was time to begin the fun! Jason Masters did an amazing job photographing everyone and I definitely felt like a supermodel. This event is always one of my favorites and I am so glad I had the chance to do it again! The pictures are being voted on for a people choice award and the winner will receive a scholarship! Thank you to everyone who made this event possible! Arkansas is very blessed with wonderful sponsors. Vote for the pictures here: http://www.missarkansas.org/photoshoot

Dental Care at Ellie's Daycare

This morning I was very excited to visit Ellie's daycare! I was especially excited to see my little nephew there! I read to the children about the lion who didn't brush his teeth. I talked to them about the importance of taking care of their teeth and handed out dental kits to the children.

After the presentation I spent some time playing with the kids. They were so much fun to be around. The little girls loved my crown and the boys were so funny. One little boy even seemed a little embarrassed to take a picture with me.

My favorite thing about presenting my platform is being able to show children what a huge difference a smile can make in someone's life. While taking care of your smile is extremely important for your health, just giving someone a simple smile and showing them you care can turn their day around! :)

The Studio By Lauren's Mini Recital at Salem Assisted Living

I was so proud of my dance students for joining me in this next appearance. We were able to put on a mini recital for the residents at Salem Assisted Living Center. The girls enjoyed sharing their love of dance and it was so great to the smiles they put on everyone's face. Audrey (pictured above on the left) was able to dance for her great grandmother who is a resident. We were told that some of the residents who never leave their room left to watch these precious dancers.

The floors were slick and the girls were dancing in a smaller space than they are used to, but they did an amazing job and had so much fun! I am so proud to have such a great group of girls who enjoy doing kind things for others.

Studio D Imaging Shoot

I always love getting fabulous pictures taken with David Hatfield and Laine Berry at Studio D Imaging! Laine does an amazing job with hair, makeup, and wardrobe selection to make me feel and look my absolute best! David Hatfield does a great job with the pictures! Here is one of my head shots from the shoot!

First Pitch at the UCA Baseball Game

May 5th I was asked to throw out the first pitch at the UCA baseball game. You would think that I would be a tom boy since I have three older brothers, however I am not. I wanted to make sure I would be able to throw the ball far enough, so the night before my brother Ryan helped me out a little.

Thankfully my pitch made it all the way to the catcher! I was so excited! I am a huge supporter of the UCA baseball team and have enjoyed helping them out as a Diamond Doll! They have had a great season!

                  Pictured with Eric Fulton, who is a huge supporter of the UCA Baseball Team.

VIT Toad Race at Toad Suck Daze

Never in my life did I think I would have the opportunity to say, "I raced a toad!" Before this appearance I had never even touched a toad! The Toad Suck Daze festival in Conway is a tradition that has been around for years and while I do always take part in the festivities, racing toads was never part of my involvement.

I will say I had a BLAST at this appearance! I was a little freaked out by my toad, Honey Toad Toad, but wearing gloves helped with that issue. Honey Toad Toad decided NOT to cross the start line when the toad master said "GO!" Instead she hopped horizontally behind the start line. Not being a toad fan, I was not very eager to get her to the finish. My toad was the only one that did not make it to the end, but I had so much fun! I just may have to make racing toads a yearly tradition now.

Show and Tell With My Princess

My sweet princess Audrey was student of the month in April. She got to have show and tell for one whole week. On the last day she asked me to be her show and tell item as her dance teacher and Miss UCA. It was definitely one of the most fun appearances I have done. She was so excited!

We talked to the class about all of her dance classes and competitions. She loved telling them about the awards she has won with her solo. Earlier in the week the students got to watch her dance. I absolutely love teaching Audrey at The Studio. She loves dancing and puts her whole heart into it. If she isn't at the studio practicing, she is practicing at home, in restraints, and at the store. When she is on stage her personality comes to life and she is such a little entertainer! I predict she will be a future Miss Arkansas.

We also told the class about her being my princess. The children weren't exactly sure what that meant so I explained that she gets to go to appearances with me and spend the week with me at Miss Arkansas.

All of the children told Audrey her show and tell was the best ever! We had such a great time and I can't wait to visit her class again! :)

Miss Sweetheart of Arkansas Pageant

The Miss Sweetheart of Arkansas Pageant is the final prelim for Miss Arkansas each year. In order to qualify, a contestant must have placed as a runner-up in a local prelim for Miss Arkansas.

There were so many wonderful contestants in this pageant and each did an outstanding job. Congrats to Mary Scarlett for winning the title. She was my teen queen when I held my first title of Miss Spirit of Arkansas. I was so proud of her and know she is so excited to represent Miss Sweetheart of Arkansas. Many of the contestants for Miss Arkansas were able to attend this pageant! It was exciting to get to meet some new girls that I will be spending a week of my summer with. I am so excited for the Miss Arkansas week and am especially excited for the wonderful friendships that will be made.

AETN Telethon

I had the privilege of volunteering for the AETN Telethon. AETN is Arkansas's only statewide public media network that not only delivers local, award-winning productions relevant to Arkansans but is one of 175 Public Broadcasting Service member stations licensed by the FCC.

The telethon allowed for viewers to call in and make a donation to AETN. I had a great time volunteering with Halle, Miss Central Arkansas and girls from other pageant systems. I enjoyed listening to the viewers and learning about the programs they enjoyed most.

A Week of Presenting My Platform and Reading to Different Schools

My next few appearances made for a busy week! I absolutely love children and was so happy to get to visit many different schools classes.

My first visit was to Jim Stone Elementary for dental appreciation week. I read two books about dental health to a group of kindergartners. The first book is about going to the dentist. It is a silly book about one imagines going to the dentist is like. In the end it is not scary at all, but fun because the children who visit the dentist get to leave with a prize. The second book is about animals and how they do or don't take care of their teeth. The children loved the books. After we read I talked to them about how to properly brush their teeth and take care of them. Then each child received a dental care kit.

The next day I visited two different classes at Margaret Van Elementary in Conway. Both of these classes were first graders. I presented the same information to them about proper dental care and passed out more dental kits. I even had a chance to visit with the classes about the Miss UCA and Miss Arkansas Pageant. All of the girls were so interested and excited to possibly compete one day.

The following day I returned to Jim Stone to talk to another group of children. I was so excited to see one of my former dance students in this class. All of the children loved hearing about dental care and going to the dentist. It is so much fun to share this information with children in a way that makes them excited to take care of their teeth.

I finished out the week by reading at Anne Watson Elementary in Perryville. This time I read to every class in the elementary school in honor of Read Across America Week. The children had spent the week reading Dr. Suess books and enjoying crafts that had to do with Dr. Suess. I read What Was I Scared Of? Each class loved the book and I really enjoyed interacting with them throughout and asking questions. At the end of each session I gave the children a few minutes to ask me any questions they had. This was definitely my favorite part of the day! They were so much fun to be around!

I had a wonderful week spending time with all of these children! They are so precious and I look forward to visiting more schools and encouraging children to take proper care of their mouth!