Costco Fundraiser For CMN

Each May, Costco (a sponsor of the Miss New York Pageant) raises money for Children’s Miracle Network, the national platform of the Miss America Organization. The Children's Miracle Network raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals across North America, which, in turn, use the money where it’s needed the most. When a donation is given it stays in the community, ensuring that every dollar is helping local kids. Our local CMN Hospital is located in Long Island. All local NY titleholders are invited to come to the Costco on Staten Island to help them in their efforts.

On May 10th, I was joined by a few of my fellow Miss New York contestants at Costco to lend a hand. Although many of the girls were unable to attend, I was happy to be joined by Sarah Hreyo (Miss Empire Star), Alex Moley (Miss Staten Island’s OT), Charista Mroczek (Miss Richmond County’s OT), Dominque Bianco (Miss NYC’s OT) and Sarah Pierson (Miss Empire Star’s OT).

We had so much fun raising money for this wonderful cause together. There was an enormous cake, which was cut completely by Patrick -- not an easy feat, but he was quite the cake-cutting superhero! 

Linda Carbo, Barbara Monte and Barbara Thompson were there to cheer us on and Debbie Cantoni, Miss New York ED, dropped by to take some photos. Mike from Costco was also on hand. His catch phrase for most of the day was, “If you donate $100, Jamie will eat a piece of cake!” Even though Miss NY was a few short weeks away, I would have done just that! It was great seeing so many people I knew come by. It was even greater seeing so many students who remembered me from my visits to their schools. 

It was a long day, but it was totally worthwhile. Costco generously matched every dollar donated by the customers. We collected quite a bit of money and managed to hand out every piece of cake! Thank you so much, Costco, for not only supporting the Miss New York Organization, but also the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Together, we made a difference in our local community and had fun while doing it.