More pictures from Miss Muskingum Valley!

The lovely Top 5

Brandi's new hair-do!

My mom:)

Marlia Fontaine, Miss Ohio 2005, and me

The new Miss Muskingum Valley, Stephanie Rodgers!

Miss Ohio 2008, Karissa Martin, and me

Me, Megan Wombacker (Top 10), and Katie Camp (Miss Miami Valley)

A variety of colors as Adam Young serenades the young ladies after evening gown.

Miss Muskingum Valley

Last night, I attended the Miss Muskingum Valley scholarship program at Secrest Auditorium in Zanesville. Twenty-one young ladies vied for the title of Miss Muskingum Valley and the opportunity to compete at Miss Ohio in June. Congratulations to the new Miss Muskingum Valley, Stephanie Rodgers. Stephanie a graduate of Ohio State University and a native of Dresden, OH. This was her second Miss Ohio preliminary. Also, a huge congrats to my Miss Ohio roommate, Heather Wells, who was 1st Runner-Up! All the ladies did a fabulous job. Here is a breakdown of the scholarships awarded.

Miss Muskingum Valley 2009-

Stephanie Rodgers ($2800)

1st Runner-Up- Heather Wells ($1500)

2nd Runner-Up- Kaley Mitchell ($1000)

(pictured left)

3rd Runner-Up- Alicia Huyghe ($700) (pictured right)

4th Runner-up- Bree Grosshandler ($500)

Additional 5 in the Top 10- Megan Wombacker, Amanda Summers, Krystle Formosa, Danielle Henry, Christina Hagan ($200 each)

Ellen Spinner Interview Award- Megan Wombacker ($200)

Julie Marsh Community Service Essay Award- Megan Wombacker ($200)

Spirit of Chloe Award- Kaley Mitchell ($200)

Non-finalist Talent- Jodi Van Dyke ($200)

Titleholders at the event included Alyssa Hanson (Miss Scioto Valley), Amber Bussa (Miss Portsmouth), Katie Camp (Miss Miami Valley), Sasha Eby (Miss North Coast), Sarah Eash (Miss Fallen Timber's Outstanding Teen), and Olivia Maniaci (Miss SEO 2009) Several board members and executive directors were present as well as Miss Ohio 2008, Karissa Martin. Karissa sang her Miss America talent piece, "Girl in 14G," as well as the inspirational ballad "Astonishing" from Little Women.

Former Miss SEOs with Miss Ohio 2008, Karissa Martin

A much-needed update!

These past few months I have been neglecting my blog, and I truly apologize for that! I enjoy writing, I have since I was a little girl when I was determined to be an award-winning author (ha.. how things change), but I'll make it a late New Year's Resolution to update this blog on a regular basis. There is a great deal going on in my life, and therefore much to write about! Between my March of Dimes work, my grad school application process, and Miss Ohio preparation, I have been very busy.

Last weekend, I attended Miss Bay Village in Cleveland, OH. I had a mock interview that afternoon and attended the local program that night. Marlia Fontaine, Miss Ohio 2005, emceed and entertained at the event, singing one of my favorite songs, "Bridge Over Troubled Water." She sounded and looked phenomenal!...especially with that new baby on the way!:) Also, I wish my dad would have been in the audience because he would have been blown away by Paulette Maria Penzvalto singing, "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel. This is one of his favorite songs and he has always has wanted me to perform it. I must say; however, after hearing this power-house sing it, I'll never touch the song! She was simply incredible!

I was surprised and excited to reunite with several contestants that I have competed with in the past. They all did a much better job taking pictures of the event! My camera died by the time the program began. I enjoyed sitting with my mom and watching the pageant from the audience perspective. Congratulations to Emily Pheils, the new Miss Bay Village! She is a very sweet girl and I know she will do a wonderful job at Miss Ohio. I look forward to watching several of these young ladies in Miss Muskingum this coming weekend...and I promise, I will take good pictures this time!

Other events coming up include our Athens County March for Babies Kick Off. Our Bobcats for Babies organization has been planning this in conjunction with the Athens community director. It will take place Tuesday, March 10, 2009 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm in our Student Center Ballroom. It is a time for students and community members to learn more about our March for Babies walk in May and hear the inspirational story of our 2009 ambassador family.

We also just elected our new Bobcats for Babies officers for the 2009-2010 school year. This was very exciting, because we will need strong leaders to keep this organization going. I started Bobcats for Babies my freshman year of college with the help of a few friends, and it has since developed into a well-established organization. This past week, we recorded a PSA at the radio station and held an awareness table to promote the Kick-Off event.

If you are interested in keeping up with our March of Dimes efforts, I also have a Bobcats for Babies blog at oubobcats4babies.blogspot.com.

Again, I apologize for the lack of posts over the last few months. I promise, I will budget my time better to include blogging! Until next time, thanks for being patient with me and I will have more updates soon!

Aaron Cox wins OU Idol!

OU Idol took over my life for pretty much the entire month of October. I literally ate, slept, and breathed OU Idol. My social life was a bit nonexistent and even my school work took a backseat to this production. It was the first show I have ever produced, and fortunately I had the help of my classmates, our Bobcats for Babies collegiate council, and the NCASC communications club.

In honor of Prematurity Awareness Month which is the month of November, we decided that OU Idol would be a great way to heighten awareness for premature birth and raise money for the March of Dimes. Prematurity Awareness Month takes place every November in honor of all the babies born prematurely, many of whom are no longer here with us today. Even when premature babies do survive, they often suffer life-long health problems such as blindness or cerebral palsy. When these babies are born early, there vital organs are not yet developed causing severe problems. Here is a picture of our campus graffiti wall we painted to further heighten awareness of premature birth.

On October 27th, twenty-six students auditioned for the OU Idol competition on the Athens campus in the Baker Student Center Ballroom. The contest was open to all students on the Athens campus. Contestants paid a $10 fee entry fee that benefited the March of Dimes. Contestants were ask to sing 60-90 seconds A Cappella for the auditions. After each performance, the judges provided feedback to each contestant. At the end of Monday's show the Top Ten contestants were announced, and then two more contestants were added in to make a Top 12. These Top 12 advanced to the OU Idol Finals on Tuesday, October 28th. During the Finals, contestants performed their entire song and were critiqued by three, qualified judges imitating Randy, Simon, and Paula. A Public Vote accounted for the score of the “fourth judge.” Ticket prices were $1 for the audition round and $3 for the Finals round. All Prizes were offered to the Top 12 Contestants. At the end of the finals night, the Top 5 contestants were announced, each receiving $25 to a local hair salon. The grand prize winner several gift certificates from around Athens, a $150 to a local hair salon, a gift basket, and a 3 song demo recording CD with LeVeck Entertainment and Production.

Aaron Cox wins OU Idol and the prize package worth over $1000! Aaron sang John Mayer's,"I Don't Trust Myself with Loving You" while playing acoustic guitar in the Finals Round.

The stage set-up in the Baker Ballroom. 125 students attended the auditions and almost 250 attended the Finals Round. OU Idol raised $700 for the March of Dimes! We had a great deal of media coverage and the front page of one of our local newspapers, "The Athens News." It was a fun show and was well supported by the community. Singers were able to showcase their talent and we were able to raise funds and heighten awareness for the mission of the March of Dimes.

March of Dimes Volunteer Leadership Conference 2008

It seems to have been a long time since my last post, and a great deal has taken place since then! October marked our March of Dimes Volunteer Leadership Conference as well as as OU Idol competition. The later took over my life for a good while, but was well worth it! Below are pictures from our Volunteer Leadership Conference in Houston, Texas. Every fall, volunteers from all over the country and our twenty National Youth Council members attend this conference. The past two year Sherri Shepherd, one of the co-host from "The View," has hosted the awards ceremony. Sherri had a premature baby a few years ago and has since become a life-long volunteerfor the March of Dimes. Other guests included Celebrity Chef Rock (pictured above) and Congresswoman Jackson-Lee, both of whom care dearly about issues dealing with infant mortality and premature birth. The President of the March of Dimes, Dr. Jennifer Howse, spoke to the National Youth Council when we arrived at the conference. This is always a highlight of my weekend. Below is a picture of me with Dr. Howse.She is an amazing transformational leader! The weekend was full of stories of triumph from families who have dealt with premature birth and workshops to help each volunteer better serve his community. I was part of a generation panel workshop that discussed trends in volunteering over each generation. I represented Generation Y and sat along side a representative from the Generation X, the Baby Boomers, and the Elders Generation.This was my third Volunteer Leadership Conference. It is always refreshing to my commitment to the March of Dimes and it is always great to spend time with other members of the National Youth Council. We are all college students from different states across the country and we are almost like extended family. Pictured below are some of our NYC members.

This conference yet another wonderful opportunity with the March of Dimes and I am honored to serve this organization that has contributed to the healthy life I am living today.

OU Idol, Las Vegas, and Miss NEO!

This week has been full of tests, quizzes, meetings, and planning for OU Idol! Our Bobcats for Babies group on campus will be producing an Ohio University Idol in October. We will be holding an audition round on Monday, October 27th and a finals round on Tuesday, October 28th. All proceeds benefit the March of Dimes! We are holding both rounds in out student center Ballroom and are currently accepting applications. I have spent at least 20 hours this week getting our registration forms, flyers, and logistics together so we can start publicizing the event. Now that everything is in place, we can better delegate work to committees. My National Communication Club is also working on the event to help members get experience in PR and advertising. For the audition round, contestants will sing 60-90 seconds of a song A Cappella. The top twenty who make it on, will get to perform the entire song to backing music at the finals. Prizes are yet to be determined, but hopefully the community of Athens will be feeling generous!

Tomorrow, I leave for Las Vegas for a week-long internship with Destinations by Design, a full-service meeting and event management company based out of Dublin, Ohio. The fifteen of us going will be working a Fourth-Quarter Kickoff Event for T-Mobile. This corporate meeting is for 2,600 of T-Mobile’s employees, handset vendors, and partners to come together and get ready for the Q4 Selling Season. We will be exposed to logistical planning procedures, event execution, and other event planning details. With a love for event planning, I know this internship experience will be very helpful to my future career.

I will return from Vegas on Friday, October 3rd, before Miss North East Ohio,which will take place on Sunday. It is bound to be a long day after flying across the country and going on no sleep, but I am looking forward to crowning the next Miss North East Ohio! Anne and Ken have been wonderful directors and will be great mentors to any of the contestants competing. Good luck ladies! I will see you in a week:)

Miss Lake Erie

Yesterday, six Miss contestants and three Teen contestants competed for the title of Miss Lake Erie and Miss Lake Erie Teen at Lexington High School. I had a great time getting to know each of the young ladies. In the dressing room, I shared a table with Heather Wells, who was my roommate at Miss Ohio. I also had the opportunity to get to know Ashley Hartman, Alicia Huyghe, Monica Johnson, and Brittany all of whom I had never competed with before. It was an honor to share the stage with each of these talented women. There might have only been six of us, but we had so much fun together! Ashley was first runner-up and I am sure I will see her again on the Miss Ohio stage. Also, congrats to Heather for winning the swimsuit award which was well-deserved. I was happy that my mom, dad, and grandma were able to attend the show. They are so supportive and I am so thankful they were there. I am excited to return to Miss Ohio again this year as Miss Lake Erie. A huge thank you to the Miss Lake Erie crew, James Grimes, and Kasey and Nancianne for putting on a great show.

On October 5th I will give up my title as Miss North East Ohio. Anne and Ken have been wonderful directors and I will miss them very much. If any ladies are interested, Miss NEO applicatons are due on Tuesday.

I am looking forward to my year as Miss Lake Erie and sharing my efforts through this blog. The beginning of this year has been a bit of a struggle thus far, so hopefully things will begin looking up:) My horoscope (Aries) even says I might meet someone interesting this month, so at least that is a start! Thanks to all the ladies for being so wonderful yesterday. I hope to see you all again soon! ...maybe even at Miss North East Ohio in two weeks:) Pictures are posted below!

Miss and Teen contestants before interview

My Miss North East Ohio directors, Anne and Ken Hablitzel

My wonderful, amazing grandma!

My mom and dad:)

Ladies in evening wear

Before the talent competition