Blue Jeans Ball

Tonight I had the pleasure of appearing as a guest chef with Mr. Dean of Sangam restaurant at the 7th annual Blue Jeans Ball. This a fundraiser for the Capital Area Food bank which raises money so they can continue to provide food and nutrition information for the thousands of needy families all over the Capital area. The Ball includes silent and live auctions, live entertainment, and amazing menu, and of course the main attraction, participating chefs from all over the Capital area giving there food and time to provide samples for the those that donated there money to attend the event. I made sure I took advantage and sampled amazing dishes with food combinations I never would have thought of.

Epilepsy Foundation

March was another great month. After almost four weeks without too much activity it all came at one. I had the great pleasure of meeting Kimberli Meadows at the Health Expo where I appeared in January. Kimberli invited me to work with the National Walk for Epilepsy which took place March 27th on the National Mall. It started as me appearing, then having me sing the National Anthem for the walk, then I was invited to perform and dine at the VIP reception kickoff event which took place the night before at the Ronald Reagan building. Present were volunteers, directors and other vip guests including Craig Melvin a well known sports anchor who emceed both events, Geoff Pope of the Philadelphia Eagle, Jason Snelling of the Atlanta Falcons, Alan Faneca of the Jets and Greg Grunberg of the hit tv show Heros's. Grunberg's eldest son has epilepsy, as do Snelling and Faneca and Faneca's adorable daughter. Pope's grandmother got epilepsy after having brain surgery. Happily through the efforts of this amazing foundation and all it's volunteers, those living with the condition have a voice and can feel less alone. I've learned the importance of understanding seizures and learning to recognize them and take action. Through Kimberli's efforts I was also invited to a lunch on March 11 at the foundation headquarters where I met Bob Madigan, the WTOP Man About Town. This amazing gentleman has been a force in getting support for the Epilepsy Foundation and the National Walk for Epilepsy. He did interviews with all in attendance at the lunch and was honored as the man of the year at the VIP reception for the National Walk.

Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

March 23 I visited the Youth Services Center with the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. This will definitely be one of my most memorable appearances. Visiting a juvenile detention center was very important to me. I feel I need to make it a point to visit and have a presence in places where they wouldn't necessarily expect to see me. I've learned throughout my year as Miss DC International how important a queen can be to the youth, and how important it is for them to have a role model who genuinely cares. I met with about 15 teenage girls ranging from 14 to 17. I didn't ask what they had done to be there. For and hour and a half we talked about overcoming life's obstacles, the importance of surrounding oneself with positive people, what they can learn from the experience of being in the rehabilitation center where they were locked up. I also asked all the teens where they saw themselves in 5 years and was open with them about obstacles I'd faced in my life and how and why I continued to push forward. They all gave me a hug at the end and I signed autograph cards for them with personalized messages. I don't know how much of a difference I made but they did at least express gratitude in my coming to visit them. They told me no one visits except church people and judges, and of course their lawyers. I had never been to a jail before, and it was intimidating to have that heavy door close behind me, locking me in. I can't imagine what it must be like to walk into a place knowing you have no choice in which side of the door you are on. That thing shuts behind you .....

DC Gaels Open Field Day

Sunday March 21st was an awesome day. I attended the DC Gaels open field day. The DC Gaels is part of an organization which promotes traditional Gaelic sports. They are part of a national league of mens and womens football and mens hurling and womens camogie. I learned hurling/camogie and as you see am pictured with a hurl, which is used to shoot or push the ball or sliotar. I arrived in full makeup and hair (of course) which I promptly placed in a bun on top of my head. We started with warm up exercises: running a lap around the field and calisthenics. Then we divided into coed groups, one for football and one for hurling. They were really great about taking the time to teach everyone the basics of the sport and make us all newcomers feel at ease. It was definitely one of my more fun and social events. It was also an event that reminded me of how amazing it is to be Miss District of Columbia and all the opportunities I've had to learn more of what DC has to offer.