Hogs for Hackleburg

 

This morning I had the privelege of helping the men and women of the Lone Wolf H.O.G. Chapeter raise money for the small, close knit town of Hackleburg, Alabama.  One of the chapter members works with me, and this is where his wife's family lives.  On April 27, the town was wiped out by an F5 tornado and are having to start the painful process of rebuilding. 

  I was stationed at one of the local WalMart's with some chapter members and asked for donations from shoppers.  This was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I surpassed the nerves and we were able to raise some money to support the cause.  The other chapter members visited with their bikes and ended the day back at Lone Wolf Harley Davidson for lunch.  Each biker paid a donation to ride in the event and have lunch.  Luckily, the rain held off and the ride was successful!

Thanks Jim and Paula Perry for having me!

Spokane Lilac Festival

   Last night I had the privelege of participating in the 2011 "Ignite The Spirit of America" Armed Forces Torchlight Parade.  The parade is the largest Armed Forces torchlight parade in the United States and a cherished tradition for those of us in Spokane.

I was lucky enough to ride in a convertable Porsche with Judi Baggarly-Mrs. Spokane and Anna Hiatt-Mrs. Seattle International.  We had a great time shivering and laughing together while we waited for our time slot (we were at the end of the parade and didn't start until 10:00pm).  While waiting, we were able to meet the Lilac Royalty, Miss Spokane America, Miss Spokane Interstate Rodeo, and the amazing KHQ news crew.  Overall, it was wonderful to see all the great people of Spokane and the surrounding areas, and even some of my students out in the crowd.

A big thank you goes out to Bo Lively and Porsche of Spokane.  We had an amazing car and Bo was so fun and accommodating as our driver.  We definitely had some memorable moments! 

Until next year...

                      

March of Dimes-March for Babies

 Today I had the privilege of walking with the Valley Hospital Team at the March of Dimes-March for Babies.  An old high school classmate of mine works in the maternity ward and sees the effects of premature birth both as part of her job, but also when she had her son prematurely over a year ago.

The March of Dimes is an organization committed to helping moms have full-term pregnancies and research the problems that threaten the health of babies.  It was great to see so many people out supporting this great cause.

My first daughter was born through emergency c-section at 37 weeks.  Thankfully, she was born healthy and happy.  My second daughter was born full term, but spent three days in the NICU because of fluid in her lungs.  It was sad to see the many other babies in the NICU who were clinging to life and couldn't even be held they were so tiny.  We thank God for the wonderful doctors and nurses who took care of our daughter during that time, and organizations like the March of Dimes who provide support for families dealing with premature birth. 

We will definitely be back next year!

The Water Project...

   

As stated in a previous post, this month our youth group is focusing on serving others.  Last week we started participating in The Water Project.  For two weeks, students (and leaders) will be giving up drinking anything but water.  (This is going to be tough for me for one major reason...COFFEE!!!  You don't realize how addicted you are until you can't have it, but I'm on day 3 and still surviving).  The idea is that students would save the money they would be spending on other beverages and donate it to the Water Project.
Did you know:

More than 1 in 6 people in the world don't have access to safe drinking water.

1 out of every 4 deaths under the age of 5 worldwide is due to a water-related disease.

Nearly 80% of illnesses in developing countries are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions.

But, for only $10, we can give clean water for one person... for ten years!  The Water Project focuses on building wells in communities in countries in Africa and India.  It's amazing to see how giving what seems like so little can have such a huge effect.  Last year we raised over $400, which helped over 40 people for 10 years!  My goal for this year is 50 people. 

Read more: http://thewaterproject.org/

Please be praying for this fundraiser, and if you'd like to donate, let me know!

Help support a worthy cause...

The Mrs. Washington Pageant is supporting the Moses Lake Food Bank by having a fundraiser.  Each of the contestants have put together a basket full of goodies to bid on.  I have put together a "Scrap and Go" basket that includes an album, paper, stickers, embellishments, and scissors in a basket that converts into a storage container with lid.  It's very cute!  Please bid on any of the baskets, as they all are for this worthy cause.  Here is the link to the contestants page where you can view all of the baskets: 

2012 contestants and basket bidding page

Service day at the Union Gospel Mission

Today was a long, but very fulfilling day.  This month in youth group, we are focusing on serving others.  Today some of our youth students spent part of their spring break giving back.  The high school students spent the afternoon helping at the 2nd Harvest Food Bank, while the junior high students worked at the Union Gospel Mission.  What a great experience!  I have always supported the work of UGM, but didn't realize just how much they help our community.  I bet you didn't know that the food they receive not only helps feed the men at the UGM, but is also used to help 18 other ministries! 

We spent our time in the warehouse doing inventory on all of their canned goods.  My group of three girls filled out 12 pages of inventory!  It was a lot of work and very cold, but it was worth it.  Isn't that what serving is all about?  Giving of yourself for the sake of others? 

Here are some pictures of today's event:

The big announcement...

I have just signed up to compete in the Mrs. Washington America Pageant!  I currently hold the title of Mrs. Spokane County and look forward to working in our great community.  It still hasn't completely sunk in, but I couldn't be more proud to represent our area for this great organization.

Here is how this all came about:
 About a year ago, I was scanning the Music Educator's Journal and came across an article about Music In Our School's Month that featured pictures of Mrs. America speaking on behalf of music education.  As I read further, I found out that MENC (the National Association for Music Education) is one of the main sponsors of the pageant.  I thought it was wonderful that the pageant would partner with MENC and promote the importance of music education.  I figured that maybe "one day" I would enter the pageant myself.  I mean, if anyone understands the importance of music education, it's a music educator, right?  I decided to tuck that thought away for a later date.  Well, I couldn't stay away for long.  Two months ago I started looking more into the state pageant, and finally decided to go for it!  Now here I am...

I am excited to support many events and organizations around our area this year.  My passion, however, is for mentoring youth.  I believe that children, especially in middle and high school, need someone they can look to as a positive role model to help mentor them through ups and downs of adolescence.  This passion was ignited after my third year of teaching.  My first group of sixth graders were entering high school, and the updates I would receive on them were heartbreaking.  One of them was pregnant, one was dating a drug dealer, and several others were involved in self-destructive behavior.  I was surprised that these students who were so full of life and promise just three years earlier were traveling down such a different path.  What happened those three years?  Would circumstances have been different if they had someone who was there to help them navigate those paths? 
It was after this realization that I became a leader for my church's youth group.  I co lead the junior high girls group.  This is a position I never thought I would have wanted, but wouldn't change for the world.  I think the girls have taught me just as much (if not more) about life and love in the past year and a half as I've taught them.  I've been blessed to witness the positive growth and maturity in these girls, several of whom are going through life experiences that no child should have to deal with.
During my time as Mrs. Spokane County, I will be promoting ways that people can get involved in changing kids lives and seeing the amazing potential these kids can reach.
I will keep the blog updated with events and reflections from the days to come.