June, July and August - Out and about events and updates with life!

Well so much has been going on for the last 3 months!

June and July was all about vacations and family time with lots of volunteer events and pageantry mixed in! August also had pageants, volunteer events and life change with a new addition to our family - We are the proud owners of Sassy Sissy - a Cream color Chi - she is a deer head - took some time to adjust to our family and now she is best friends and sister to Princess Kilala we love her she is such a delight! She will never replace the love of my life (Sir For your pillay only) - Pepper Domino Oulton however I know Pepdog is looking down on our family and protects us always and he would want me to get another baby to love and knows that sister needs a playmate!

Kilala celebrated her Birthday July 17th and then I celebrated mine on the 19th - she is 4 years old - wow where does the time go - and lol I am not telling my age however I will say - I feel pretty darn good trying to keep learning lots and have a long bucket list to get through before this lifetime ends!


Had a wonderful time with my friends and family - on a much needed vacation! Wish I could see family all the time! That is so special and dear to me so much more now that I am getting older and wiser! LOL

Congrats to the New Miss Florida (Kristina Janolo) and Miss Florida Outstanding Teen (Elizabeth Fecthel)- Everyone did an amazing JOB you all should be very proud - congrats Kalen Dennis - have a great time at the National Sweetheart Pageant - kick some pageant crown!

Wonderful event - the United States Pageants - Jr. Teen, Teen, Miss and Ms. - Las Vegas, NV - Congrats to Ms. Lynda Samuels and staff once again and to the New Queens - everyone did such a wonderful Job - I loved being apart of this event again this past July!


Congrats to the New Perfect girls - everyone did a great JOB - that pageant is always a great one to watch!

First Coast Heart Walk - Kick off event = success we are working hard for the walk with great fund raising events!

Donations went off without a hitch for Operation Back to school (Backpacks)

The United Way events are in full swing!

WOW and can I say WOW again - Canie Cocktails event was a blast!

Making Strides Cancer Walk event with Bake sales and Jewerly making events underway!

We had a great time at the I.M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless - feeding 450 Man, Women and Children - I also had some wonderful donations come in to give to them as well - lots of food and some soap, shampoo items! Can't wait for the next event! And if you look real close at the Sulzbacher photos - you will see that I am holding - it's a potato & it looks like a Heart - thought that was cool not sure if it was some kind of sign! so if it was we kept it and I decided to take every photo with it - lol! Everyone was like AWE that is so sweet b/c they all know that American Heart Association and the Center are close to my Heart!

Oh and I guess you all know by now I am - Mrs. Jacksonville Beach International competing September 10-11 in Orlando,Florida for Mrs. Florida International - come out and support if you can!

Congrats to the New - Mrs. International - Janet Bolin - love her platform - All about me some Nascar and love the Nascar Foundation! Sounds like it was a wonderful show - I can't wait to have my dreams come true to represent Florida at the International Pageant 2012.



NEW NEWS - Congrats to the New America's Outstanding Teen -Elizabeth Fecthel Go Florida and to the New Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen - Rachel Strever - WOW Florida is on a roll - and shout out to the New Mrs. United States - Shannon Ford - Go Florida - Congrats to all!





Enjoy all the photos!

Always remember (Volunteering is Easy and fun to do!)

August - Awareness & Volunteering

Medic Alert Month

The MedicAlert Foundation is a non-profit healthcare informatics organization dedicated to providing services worldwide to our members that protect and save lives.




Psoriasis Awareness Month

The National Psoriasis Foundation is a patient-driven nonprofit organization that is the voice for the 5 million people affected by psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Our mission is to improve lives through education, advocacy and research.




Amblyopia Awareness Month

Since 1908, Prevent Blindness America has been the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization with the sole mission of preventing blindness and preserving sight.



National Pain Awareness Month

The National Pain Foundation is an online educational and support community for persons in pain, their families and physicians. It's a great source for treatment options and pain information that is peer reviewed by leading pain specialists.


National Night Out:
America's Night Out Against Crime

The National Association of Town Watch (NATW) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of organized, law enforcement-affiliated crime and drug prevention programs. Members include: Neighborhood, Crime, Community, Town and Block Watch Groups; law enforcement agencies; state and regional crime prevention associations; and a variety of businesses, civic groups and concerned individuals working to make their communities safer places in which to live and work.


www.natw.org//

Fun Read

This was sent to me and I thought it was a Fun Read! Enjoy!




The power of music.......Amazing Grace


As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a Funeral Director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Kentucky back country.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and,being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the digging crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late.

I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around.

I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man. And as I played 'Amazing Grace,' the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together.

When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full. As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen nothin' like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."

Apparently, I was still lost...

Once again I am reminded why I volunteer!

Once again, I am reminded as to why I volunteer I get asked all the time to speak about why I volunteer and how I think I can make a difference when there is so much to do and why I do not only help one organization or why do I have so many passions! I love to tell this story so I thought I would post it again for all to read! I do love volunteering and yes, I have many passions with different organization's I like to help them all as much as I can it burns in my heart to help others and I won't lie it helps me as well! If you only want to help one that is fine as well just find that passion from within and go help someone you never know it just may help you as well!






The Starfish Story


A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,

“Well, I made a difference to that one!”

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. - adapted from the Star Thrower by Loren C. Eiseley

Perseverance against great odds and against the criticism of others is the very hallmark of value-based idealism, as is refusing to accept failure. The understanding that we hold in our hands the power to change a life, a mind, or a circumstance today – right now – is a powerful insight and motivator. At the same time, idealistic acts, even highly symbolic ones, have the power to inspire others to act, and sometimes in numbers significant enough to make a major or even complete impact on the problem at hand. Perhaps most inspiring of all is to witness the idealistic power of children and young people in action. The idealism of youth is a powerful force for leading change in the world. Often it is our youth who put into action values that we have instilled in them – but have failed to act on ourselves. The world, therefore, depends on the idealism of youth to lead the way.


This is why I speak out to make sure we have our youth lead the way are actions speak volumes! Thanks for volunteering today! Find your passion!

THE NEED for COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERISM!

The need for community volunteerism has never been greater than it is today. The economy has strangled the budgets of many Home Owner Associations and elevated the need for community home owners to be more involved in caring for the public areas in their associations. Though volunteering may seem to be an encumbrance on home owners, it can actually turn into a benefit.

Those who volunteer to assist the community testify to the payback they receive from doing so. And, just what are those benefits? First, volunteerism gives one a sense of self-worth. There is a personal satisfaction in one's spirit when he or she has done something meaningful without being remunerated for it.

Secondly, there is a special connection with others in the community who joined in the volunteer effort. Getting to know your neighbors while being involved in a project within the community builds friendships and unite the community in ways that serves everyone's interests.

Thirdly, there is a blessing involved in feeling that you are improving the area in which you live. We all know that special mood that is produced when we plant trees or flowers in our own yard, or when we put out bird feeders or bird baths for our special feathered friends. That unique emotion is multiplied when special projects are accomplished in the community public areas by the residents who live there.

All of us are finding ways to cut costs in this tight economy. When we volunteer to help our community, we can hold down the increase in assessments that may arise by having the companies employee or contract with someone to accomplish the task. The result is a savings to everyone in the community, including your own family budget. Every time we complete a job by volunteering we reduce the need for paying others to do it. Labor costs can be extensive, but volunteers can reduce or eliminate many of those expenses through their unpaid assistant. Saving money is important and volunteering is one way to do that.

When we volunteer to help our community we learn more about the entire process that is necessary to care for the public areas. This increased knowledge helps us participate more effectively in all the ongoing home owner issues. We get to know the officers better and we become aware of how difficult their work is as they serve on the various committees of the association. Volunteers have information to pass on to other residents, and informed residents are more likely to be positive and supportive in the future. One volunteer may be able to recruit two or three additional volunteers for future projects by sharing the joys, savings, and benefits obtained through the process.

Community leaders, especially those serving on committees, should consider having a Volunteer Day for the community. This should be promoted widely and held on a Saturday or during the week days. At that event, those who attend could be given a list of things that could be done by volunteers. The benefits of such service should be explained. Those present should be urged to encourage other residents to participate in the projects. When neighbors get involved, they tend to reach other neighbors who will also participate. Residents should be given the opportunity to sign up for particular projects at that meeting. When the community has a single day once or twice a year for people to participate, they limit the number of people who can take part. When those leaders offer people the chance to volunteer to carry out certain tasks, along with their neighbors, at a time when they are most available, the number of people participating will increase dramatically. In other words, setting aside a single day for landscape projects does not get good results. But, when you let someone or a group of residents volunteer to do the landscape project on a day they choose, you more involvement and better results.


Volunnteering makes the world go round!