It's Simple. Be Kind

"Feed My Starving Children® is a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit. The approach is simple: children and adults hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and we ship these meals to our distribution partners. FMSC meals have reached nearly 70 countries around the world in our history." - Feed My Starving Children I was absolutely blown away by this organization. From the friendly, passionate volunteers who run the daily activities to the way it's organized to ensure things go smoothly. One of the things I absolutely loved was the fact that you are able to see how many meals you actually helped create at the end of your session.  "Boxes Packaged: 101  Meals: 21,815  Kids Fed For A Year: 60!" Before the food preparation session begins, they have a brief orientation. You find out where your meals are heading and how to bag the meals properly. On ...

Upon being crowned, my sister Queens and I wasted no time. We were so excited to take on our new roles and get even more involved with our community! My first appearance as Mrs. Illinois International 2016 was for an amazing organization called The Fuller Center For Housing . It is faith-driven and Christ Centered organization that promotes collaborative and innovative partnerships with individuals and organizations in a quest to provide shelter for all people in need worldwide. "The Fuller Center For Housing (FCH) - Hero Project Lake Country is Fuller Center’s first active Illinois Covenant Partner. Hero Project Lake Country distinguishes itself by focusing on Housing, Wellness, and Working Families. Our hope is to link veterans and undeserved men and women to the job and business opportunities where possible. Our purpose is to “give people a hand-up, not a hand out”, so that they have an active role in their own transformation. We do this by activating the hero that li...

Going into pageant week, I was SO excited. I had been preparing for months and was ready to go! One of the things I was most excited about was being able to tell my story for the first time in a very public arena. Yes, I have been writing all about my experience, but this time I was going to be able to stand tall and proud on a stage and share a little bit about what drove me to compete in the first place. Upon arrival, I was excited - yet calm, and proud that I was even there! Someone had told me that a really great idea was to start journaling a little bit before the pageant to stir up all the emotions that went into my preparation and my journey. That advice really helped me stay grounded and reminded me of my message. I spent the rest of the night in my quiet room reflecting on all I had done to get to this point.  I knew all the weeks of preparation really paid off and I went to bed knowing that I was ready. The first part of the competition was the one-on-one interview. I...