One month from today, Miss New Jersey 2015 will have been
crowned. I’m sorry, WHAT?! I can’t believe how quickly time is
flying. This past week, I have been
welcomed by my county and have had the pleasure of taking part in some
amazing opportunities. After driving
home for 8 hours, I drove straight to Voorhees for an awesome workout with
Training Aspects! Kelcie and I always
have a blast at the gym together, which can be both good and bad ;) I kicked off the summer right by attending
the Miss New Jersey Golf Outing on Friday, May 8th with some pageant
sisters! We met the golfers, manned the
award holes to vouch for any hole-in-one winners, and sold raffle tickets at
the lovely dinner at Mays Landing Golf and Country Club. I can proudly say that there were no golf cart incidents (thanks for the golf cart training, HPU ambassador program ;)
If we didn't take a selfie did it really happen?
Photo courtesy of Richard Krauss!
South Jersey girls courtesy of Richard Krauss :)
The following day I packed as many
events into my schedule as I could, with time for a quick snack and make-up
touch up in between each! I started off
the morning strong volunteering at Washington Township’s Super Saturday event,
selling wristbands. I met so many
adorable fair-goers and enjoyed making some great connections! Being able to meet the citizens of Gloucester
County and speak with those I represent as a titleholder has been such a
highlight of my year as Miss GC.
But really- we love our jobs...
The Philly Phanatic made an appearance, too!
Next, I presented my Kindness Kids program to some friends at the
Gloucester County Library! We talked
about ways to be a little volunteer and then crafted handmade bookmarks to
leave in library books. The girls and I
ventured into the bookshelves and chose some of our favorite books to leave a
little surprise for the next person who borrows them. Stephanie, the activity coordinator, and I
bonded over our love for the Harry Potter series. :)
Working hard on our bookmarks!
Finished products!
Finally, Kelcie and I traveled to Bridgeport
Speedway where we greeted the crowds and distributed flowers to all of the Moms
in attendance! One of the best moments
was being interviewed over the loud speaker (I mean it when I say LOUD) by
Bill, the track announcer!
Our new friend, Bill!
I was able to thank my own mom the next day by attending our
18th annual Mother’s Day Tea with my cousins, aunts, and
grandmother. This day is so special to
us and I love that it has become such a tradition for our family.
My mom and I went to see Cinderella later
that day, and I cannot describe how much I loved it! The overarching theme of the movie was “have
courage and be kind,” as quoted by Cinderella’s mother. I’m so grateful to have had a mother who
engrained those very ideals into me throughout my life. That’s why for this month’s 15th
day of the month lucky blog, I want to talk about courage and kindness!
If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my pageant life, it
has been that all aspects of pageantry take courage. Yes, walking in a swimsuit, modeling an
evening gown, and performing a talent on stage takes plenty of courage. What’s more courageous though, is putting
yourself in a position to change the world.
As contestants in the Miss America Organization, we are constantly
trying to change people’s perspectives.
We must break the mold that others have made which tells people what
“pageant girls” should be. By going out
into our communities and trying to change that stereotype through service and
scholarship, we are exercising courage.
This month, I will work on having enough courage to try to reach
community members and students I have not been able to thus far, and having the
courage to fearlessly reach toward my goal of becoming Miss New Jersey. Along with courage, kindness is essential to
achieving a goal. In order to best serve
our communities and inspire others, we must be kind- both to those who deserve
our kindness and those who don’t. I vow
for the next month to use kindness at all times. Remember what Dalai Lama said? “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” I will extend kindness to those who meet me
in all walks of life, even when they don’t use their turn signal :)
I’ve been asked before why “Keep Calm and Volunteer On” is
my platform when there are so many more specific causes to choose from. To me, it shouldn’t be a question of why I’ve chosen a platform that
surrounds kindness, but why not. There are plenty of causes that teach kids
and adults alike why they should not do a certain thing. I chose my platform in order to share the one
thing that always works-
kindness. There is no situation you
might run into that cannot be solved with a little kindness and courage. With my platform, I hope to encourage others
to find their own platform to stand on and to always have kindness as the theme
of their personal journey.
To follow my #RoadToMissNJ, follow these social media accounts!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Keepcalmandvolunteeron
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KCandVO or @kcandvo
Instagram: http://instagram.com/keepcalmandvolunteeron/ or @keepcalmandvolunteeron
Follow Kelcie and I as we represent Gloucester County and South Jersey at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Gloucester-County-Scholarship-Organization/111062678922833
Instagram: http://instagram.com/missgcandmisssj or @missgcandmisssj
Love always,
Brenna
