It's Simple. Be Kind

I was so excited to be discussing bully prevention, awareness & inspiring kindness with the students from Haines Elementary School- and I brought my buddy Rainbow Rabbit! I visited 8 different class rooms ranging from ages k- 2nd grade.  This was the first time I would be introducing the story of the Rainbow Rabbit. I knew from reading it to my son the kids here would really enjoy it. From the moment I walked in each classroom the kids were so excited! They would run up to Rainbow Rabbit and touch him or say how pretty he was! Everyone wanted to hold him! Once the story began the kids were silent. Their eyes never left the pages. They loved how it rhymed and the bright colored illustrations. Every once in a while a child would react with "Oh no!" or "That's so sad!" during the parts where Rainbow Rabbit was being left out or was crying. They would cheer when there were happy parts, or when the princess helped him out- it was so sweet to see. They remained...

This last month my husband and I were invited to speak as a dental team for career day at Haines Elementary School, here in downtown Chicago. I absolutely love that we work in the same field and that we had the opportunity to do something so fun together! We both love the field we work in, and to be able to share what we do with young people, and inspire them to maybe follow suit was really exciting for us both. Dentistry has a stigma that comes along with it, so any opportunity we have to change that we gladly take! So many advancements have been made in the field and I personally know a lot of clinicians, including both of us, do what we can to let people know their dental visits don't have to be a negative experience. Chris and I took turns describing what each of us do, how much schooling each of us had to complete and went through, step by step proper brushing and flossing technique. We especially had fun with the many, many questions we were asked. One of our favorites was ...

I fell in love with the story of this organization and I think you will too! I am so proud to be included in Team Rainbow Rabbit - a family-based and family-run organization. To trust me with your message is an honor and I am so excited to share such a great story!! Rainbow Rabbit was the vision of Arthur Vallee, an animator for the Walt Disney Company back in the 1940's. It was his strong belief that this tale of inclusion and unity, along with the emphasis of belonging would capture the hearts of children and adults... I know it captured mine. Arthur passed away in 2010 at the age of 93 before he could realize the dream of having his book read in classrooms all of the world! His passion has not been forgotten, and the Rainbow Rabbit organization works continuously to spread this message of acceptance and tolerance within our communities near and far. I'm thrilled to be a part of this realization! Reading this amazing story to the youth of our world and watching them expe...

I was so excited to be invited to Edgewood School in Woodridge Illinois to discuss Bully Prevention and Awareness! This was my very first class I presented my new program to. I was so excited! ( and maybe a little nervous ). I started with a short video and asked the kids how they felt about it. I was pleasantly surprised by the eagerness to participate! I designed the presentation to be interactive, to make sure I kept their attention. I asked a lot of questions and they had some very smart answers. Some of them were even brave enough to share their own stories of when they felt left out, were picked on for one reason or another, or even when people said things that hurt their feelings. I want to take this opportunity to say "Thank You" to the students that trusted me enough to share! I had so much fun and can't wait to check in to see what you all are up to!! You are all amazing and smart kids!

On October 15th I held my very first fundraiser! I decided to do this pretty much 5 weeks before the event date! I thought to myself - "Hey, how hard can it be??" I was so nervous, excited, and hopeful all at once! I decided to go with a casual happy hour event at a South Loop neighborhood restaurant called The Scout. Now,  I have attended MANY fundraising events in my life time, but never really stopped to think what actually went into planning and hosting one all by myself. I contacted a friend, who is pretty much the queen of fundraisers and charity events, and had her walk me through it. Once I made my to-do list it was all I thought about!! I wanted to make it fun, and something people actually wanted to attend. I wanted to make sure they saw how important this was to me, and most of all I wanted to make sure I brought awareness to the world wide problem of bullying. When I first began to build my personal platform I searched hours for an organization I felt I could ...

It's true. A song can't come on the radio that doesn't immediately remind me of a dance routine I have done in the past. After all, I have been doing routines to different songs pretty much since I was 3 years old. That's 30 + years of countless routines! My days spent dancing are some of the most amazing memories I have. Some of the best friendships and important life lessons have been created through my dancing. My professional career performing in the AFL and NBA spans over 10 years! It's amazing I can still bend my knees! None the less, I am extremely proud of all my time spent on every team with which I have had the opportunity to perform. Being a part of sports and dancing growing up was undoubtedly one of the best things my parents could have done for me. No matter what was going on at school, I was able to forget about it for a while and concentrate on what I loved. I think this is a very important part of the puzzle to help a child that may feel differ...