Celebrating Miss America

Since Miss America 2015 airs tomorrow, I thought it might be appropriate to share some thoughts on the program.  There are many misconceptions about the Program and I hope to shine some good light on what this program is all about!  I am going to inject some facts between my Miss America Tablescape for this post!

Did you know that Miss America is the largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women in the world?  Last year alone the Miss America Organization provided over $45 million in cash and scholarships.  This not only touches the lives of the girls you see on TV, but over 12,000 young women who have competed at the local and state levels as well.

I mentioned earlier in the year that I was starting a Non-Profit organization, I am happy to say that my daughter and I have applied for and have been granted the privlage to start the Miss Akron Canton Scholarship Program.  This will be a local program to the Miss Ohio Program.

One of the main reasons I have decided to become involved with this program is that the young women who compete are very involved in community service.  These girls are dedicated to helping all sorts of causes, whether it be Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis or Habitat for Humanity - they are out in their communities raising awareness and working along side others to make a difference.

 Many of the young women have made good decisions in life, giving many hours dedicated to better the world and along with bettering themselves.  They have become role models by making appearances at countless schools and organizations.  When people volunteer at a young age, they tend to continue to volunteer throughout their lives.  Why not give back to the young ladies who are out there working in their communities and working to better themselves?

If you notice the little frames by each place-setting, they represent the four points on the Miss America Crown - Scholarship, Service, Style and Success.

The crown I have on the table is one of the crowns my  daughter won when she competed at the local level.  She competed at the local and state levels several years ago, and earned enough scholarship dollars to pay for two years of her doctorate at The Ohio State University.

Not only did she win scholarship dollars, she also gained much confidence in herself and fantastic interview skills.  She was one of 40 students selected for the physical therapy program out of thousands who applied, we both think that this is due to the interview skills she developed while she was competing in the Miss Ohio Program.

While I am not what you may think of when you think of a pageant mom.  I never wear any makeup and don't even know how to apply it.  I have had two manicures in my lifetime!  and I am more comfortable in a hockey rink than at a pageant.  But I have had three children graduate from college, all with debt.  All their friends have graduated, all with debt.  I have a chance to make a little bit of difference to some wonderful young women who have chosen to take the higher route of being a good role model to many and improving their lives while improving the lives of people around them.

In the mean time I am routing for Miss Ohio, Mackenzie Bart tomorrow night during the Miss America Pageant.  She is a very special young lady whom I have had the pleasure of getting to know.

This is my daughter, Allie - Mackenzie Bart, Miss Ohio -and me!!

So Good Luck Mackenzie!! and Roxy Too!