"Bowling for a Paws" is all set! We are working on a few more ideas and the event will be held on November 17th! I will have Miss Empire Star's outstanding teen there which is my Madison :) Also making an appearance so far is Miss Fulton County, Colleen Gagne and Katelynn Smith, Miss Empire Rose. At the event my sorority which supports a philanthropy of Preventing Child Abuse In America will have a table to explain the organization and how animal abuse is a bridge crime. Assemblyman Tedisco is sending a represenative to help them with that as well as he will be out of town that day. I am so excited for this event and I really think it will be great! I will have more updates on it as the date gets closer!

Now when you attend the event I expect perfect form like these guys! :D :p

 

Last weekend I made an appearance as Miss Empire Star at an event held at Tractor's supply in Gloversville. The event was put on by my good friend Jef Conine and his friend Brian Matis. Brian has a lot of businesses involving horse training and horseback riding lessons. He would also make a great Mr. Empire Star if I do say so myself ;)

 

 

The event was helf for the benefit of the Cat Sanctuary in Gloversville and Natasha's Helping Hand which is a big cat rescue located on route 30 in Mayfield! I will soon be visiting Natasha's Helping Hand to see exactly what a day is like at the rescue. I am very much looking forward to that. Steve Salton, the owner of the rescue was generous to show us pictures of his babies. They all have their own personalities and likes and dislikes. It will be a treat to be able to meet them.

 

 

 

Horse back rides were given for three dollars each and it was a hit with the kids. It really helped us raise more money for the cat sanctuary and Natasha's Helping Hand as well! Jef was so generouus in donations for us to raffle off and finding other items as well. He donated a gold bracelet from J fine Jewelers and Tractor Supply donated a carhartt jacket. I met a puppy named Mason who was so curious about everything! We had farm animals and of course Brian's horses. Also there were free kittens looking for new homes! Here is Mason!

 

 

I was honored to be a guest and to be among so many others who care. The highlight of my day was when a little girl came up to me with her mom saying she wanted to meet a "real princess" :) She told me her name was Aurora and so I reminded her that she has a real princess name! She was so cute and after finding out that she was the real princess she happily ran over to see the kittens haha

When I returned to school on Monday, it was time to prepare for the Miss Oneonta pageant! I represented my sorority in the pageant and it is a memory I will have forever. Plus great practice for
locals!

 

For my outfit of choice my sister Hannah Wightman helped me make a paw print skirt to reflect my love for animals and my platform in the Miss America Organization. Within the paw prints I puffy painted the letters of my sorority to reflect its importance in my life and the love I have for my sisters! The whole pageant was basically just  public speaking which I really appreciated because any chance I get to practice I take advantage of! My little was an amazing hostess haha she always supports me in everything I do <3 abel="abel" and="and" best="best" came="came" course="course" friend="friend" from="from" home="home" it="it" kevin="kevin" me="me" meant="meant" my="my" nbsp="nbsp" of="of" p="p" parents="parents" see="see" the="the" to="to" up="up" with="with" world="world">

 

Lauren Crandall was our winner and she did a great job! :) I have competed with her many times before and it is always a pleasure.

 

 

 

 

 

I was awarded first runner up! not too bad! :p Coming up on November 3rd I will be helping Steve Caporizzo with his adoption clinic on wolf road in albany! Then coming upon us quickly is the "Bowling for a Paws" bowlathon!! Hope to see you there !!!

Over the weekend I had a blast! Friday night I was a guest at the Regional Animal Shelter benefit in the Gloversville Pizza Hut parking lot and the following morning, Sigma Delta Tau and Phi Kappa Psi hosted the walk for Berkshire Farms! On friday night I traveled home from Latham after a brief meeting with the owner of Spare Time Family Fun Center. I am not going to go into detail but I am about jumping up and down with excitement because of the plans we have made so far for the next event! More information will come soon ;) When I got back I immediately went home and dressed in my warmest clothes...minus the five inch pink wedges I added to my outfit lol those only lasted an hour and then i was opting for the flats. I fastened my sash onto my jacket and put my crown on and then headed out the door. I was immediately jealous when I got to the pizza hut parking lot because I did not bring a dog OR a bike! But what made up for that were the many opportunities I was given to talk about my platform and the reason why I was attending this event in my crown and sash.

There was a piece of paper with the many donors of the event and it was so exciting and thrilling to see how many people came out to support the animals and the shelter despite the very cold weather. I met a variety of different people that night all with different personalities and interests but with one focus in common...the well-being of the animals and preventing abuse.

I took the microphone to explain my reasons for being at the shelter and why I have such a passionate love for animals. In the picture you have a clear view of my pink wedges of death! :) The grand creator of "Fulton county and beyond" was in attendance along with Mayor Dayton King! Thomas Voght and his son Thomas Voght Jr. founded the 2Wheels Bike night in a parking lot of a Cumberland Farms and turned it into an event to help the animals out of the generosity and kindess of theitr hearts. They are already planning next years event at an earlier and warmer time!

The event had a great turn out and was something anyone would have been disappointed to miss. I am more than happy that I was able to come down from school and make an appearance. I was able to talk to Channel Thirteen news about my platform and how much we really needed the regional animal shelter in our area. The best part of the night was just being able to be home and talk to those who have the same passion as I do. Also, it is amazing to see the beautiful relationships between pets and their owners. Many people came out with their own dogs and one dog was adopted right there while another is having paperwork done for her adoption in the next couple days. Elliot is a chocolate lab puppy who was adopted by Gordy and Debbie Suits. They were so happy to welcome Elliot into their home due to the fact that their dog had passed away and they are retired. It is for certain that Elliot will have a very happy long life with his new owners :)

At the end of the night we pulled the tickets for the raffle. This adorable little girl received the best prize for best paint! She also told me she has a minature horse at home named Sally :)

The total amount of money that was raised for the regional animal shelter was over 1600 dollars! Thank you so much to those who came out to spend some time with the adoptable animals and those who would give their lives for their well-being!

 

On Saturday morning after I had travelled back to Oneonta, the walk for the Berkshire Farms took place in the alumni Field House on campus. Berkshire Farms Center for Youth Services deals with helping children and their families work through life problems, offers counseling services and more. We raised total of 700 dollars!

 

It was so nice to see all of the other greek organizations coming out to support Sigma Delta Tau and Phi Kappa Psi :) We have a philanthropy of Preventing Child Abuse in America and Phi Kappa Psi has a philanthropy regarding the boys and girls club so we figured that this would be a great event for us to team up on.

there were letters of encouragment that we allowed people to write at tables placed on the outside of the gym as well!

More to come about the Berkshire Farms walk!

 

The Celebration of the Animals and the Pumpkin Fund walk! Even though it rained a little bit, it was a great time filled with love and appreciation for our pets and companions. Bailey and Max saw the leashes come out and knew it was time to get in the back of the truck! They always get so excited to go for rides and they were running back and forth all the way to Gansevoort so afraid that they might miss something on one side or the other :p When we got to the benefit I realized that I had only grabbed one of the leashes so my father had to make a makeshift leash to fill in for Max. It can be seen in various pictures as a cable used to hold things onto the back of cars haha. Chelsea was at the registration table and I stopped to talk with her for awhile. She is so dedicated to her platform and to the Miss America Program which I really appreciate about her. It is really nice to have someone with the same platform who cares about these issues as much as I do. I am very excited for this year and to see her title. She will be competing in Miss Finger Lakes on February 16th which is her grandmother's birthday so it has to be a sign! She is everything a titlehold should be:)I had a little difficulty getting the picture of her and I to save to my computer so I copied and pasted it. It isnt very clear lol I was very impressed with the event as a whole! There were a lot of different vendors and stations set up for cat adoptions. The cats were very well taken care of and kept out of the rain. They each had a description of their background, dislikes and likes. Three were adopted that day!

The walk began and we all made a big circle around the field and then around the firehouse. My uncle Dean made an appearance with his dog "Toby" which was a nice surprise!

When we got back from the walk it was time to bless the animals! a catholic priest came and splashed holy water on the animals to bless them and it was really sweet :) Max kind of looked at him strangely as if to say "What did you just do to me?" It gave me a laugh lol. Chelsea's godson and his brother came over to talk to me about their two black labs "Libby" and "Sam". You could tell they loved their dogs very much and they were so excited to tell me their stories. I told them that Bailey and Max are very much like Sam and Libby in that they are best friends and love eachother very much :) They are animal rights leaders of the future! Especially with such an amazing family of animal lovers to grow up in!

Bailey and Max began to get very tired out and so we waited for the raffles to end and I thanked Chelsea and her mother for a great time! We got some nice pictures with Bailey and Max and then we headed home with two exhausted dogs! Tanis Brumagen is such an amazing lady. She wrote the story of Pumpkin who she named the organization after in a book and as I read it, it was difficult not to cry. To imagine all of the things she went through with Pumpkin and having to go through it with your own pet. I am grateful to know such a loving and compassionate family!