Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Fort Wadsworth Toy Drive

It has only been three weeks since my crowning, but I have been quite busy! My first appearance with my new sister queen, Alexa Moley (Miss Staten Island's Outstanding Teen 2014), was the toy drive at Fort Wadsworth. We were invited by Melissa DiIorio Guercia and her mom, Karen. Melissa's daughter, Alexa, was a Star Princess in the Miss Staten Island Pageant!
This fort has the distinction of having the longest continuous military history in the United States and we were honored to take part in a toy drive which would benefit those children who have a parent in the military. We spent the beautiful day collecting toys and speaking with some of the brave men and women who reside at Fort Wadsworth. I even "adopted" two soldiers and will be sending them care packages over the next few months.
As an added bonus, I was able to connect with a family that I could work with in conjunction with my platform. I met Jaiyana, a little girl who lived at the fort with her family. She was diagnosed with pediatric cancer last year and is now a healthy, bright, adorable 4-year-old. Jaiyana and her family were recently given a trip to Disney, which was funded by Hearing Our Heroes. I know that as I continue to promote my platform, we can hear more success stories like this one. Jaiyana is a beautiful girl with an incredibly strong family. I am grateful to have met them and look forward to working with them in the future.
It was an great first "tag-team" appearance with my sister! Stay tuned to hear about some of the other things I've been up to!

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