Senior Senior Prom

When the word "prom" is mentioned, most people would expect high school seniors in June. But, on February 15, I had the honor of being a special guest at the "Senior Senior Prom" sponsored by Beacon of Hope (led by Deidre and Scott McGrath) and Where To Turn (headed by Dennis McKeon).

Many of the prom attendees were members of the New Dorp Beach Friendship Club. This club, located in the basement of Our Lady of Lourdes R.C. Church, was destroyed during Sandy. This was the "social hub of the senior community" and more than 150 seniors attended each day. Unfortunately, repairs are still not completed due to funding disputes, which is why this event was put together for our seniors.

This one-of-a-kind event took place in the New Dorp High School cafeteria. Despite the snowy weather, over 100 people made their way out to celebrate. The women looked stunning in their gowns, many of which came from a prom dress distribution by the event organizers. The gentlemen were equally dapper in everything from suits to full tuxedos. The festive decor of the room made the prom complete. 

As I walked from table to table, introducing myself and mingling with the guests, I was honored to be amongst such an amazing group of people. Many of the men told me that they could not attend their own proms because they went to war in their senior years. It made me realize even more how much I owe to those who sacrificed so much for me to live freely. I noticed that the women were having a great time looking at each other’s dresses and commenting on each other’s hairstyles. A few of them even had some tips for me! 

To make the night even better, Alexa, my teen was able to join me before her basketball game. Throughout the event there was dancing, eating (my favorite) and raffles. There was one guest whose original 1956 prom gown was on display with her prom picture. So cool!

The King and Queen were crowned by Mrs DeAngelis, the Principal of New Dorp High School, who graciously donated the space and recruited many of her students as volunteers. The royal couple had their coronation dance and posed for pictures. They were absolutely adorable.

As the evening wound down, Congressman Michael Grimm made an appearance to meet and greet the seniors. The women were pretty happy to see him! Before I left, I was introduced to Deidre and Scott McGrath from Beacon of Hope and I am excited to say that I made a few plans to work with them and their organization in the future.

I am so happy to have made it through the snow to attend this event. What Where To Turn and Beacon Of Hope did for the seniors in our community is incredible. It is so important to remember to give back to our seniors. They are the reason we are here. Thank you, Dennis, for having me and Alexa. We had a great time!

St. John Villa Academy: Fashion Show

Throughout my life, I have had the privilege of meeting so many amazing people who have helped me in more ways than I can begin to name. A few years ago, I met Lauren Lam and her mom Kelly. My sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII), adopted Lauren through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation - a non profit organization committed to improving the quality of life of children battling pediatric brain tumors. She became an honorary sister. Lauren, Kelly and their family have been some of my biggest supporters and that’s why I felt privileged to attend St. John Villa's Fashion Show on February 12th, which raised funds for "Unique: The Rare Chromosome Disorder Support Group," and to support Lauren who was one of the coordinators for this event.

If you've ever tried to park around Villa, you know that it is not easy. Now combine that with snow mounds and icy sidewalks and make that once difficult task almost impossible. Thanks to Kelly, though, who ran outside with no coat to help us out, the parking mission was accomplished.

After changing from boots to heels, I was ready to go. Once inside, I was greeted by Kelly’s daughters, Shannon and Katie, who were eager to introduce me to all of their friends. Of course, I had to stop by the raffle table and buy a few tickets! I later won 2 baskets -- happy girl!

The fashion show began. The girls looked great in their fashions from the Staten Island Mall and Ultimate Fashions. I fell in love with quite a few gowns. I think I have a dress problem! After the show I found Lauren, ate (of course), and took some pictures with the girls.

It was a great night and I was happy to support a girl who has become part of my family. Thank you to St. John Villa Academy for having me and Kelly & Lauren for inviting me. I'll be there for you anytime my little AOII!

Groundhog Day

The morning of February 2nd - Groundhog Day - was gray and cold as I bundled up in the very early morning hours and made my way to The Staten Island Zoo. I am so ready for spring to get here and I was very interested to see what our groundhog, Staten Island Chuck, would predict.

At the zoo, I made my way behind the stage where Alexa (my little sister queen) and Stephanie (Miss Richmond County) joined me. After a little while, we made our way onto the stage and prepared for the ceremony. We listened as several zoo officials and our very tall Mayor Bill DeBlasio addressed the crowd. There were so any people there, which was something I hadn’t expected. I guess I wasn’t alone in wanting winter to become a distant memory! After several opening speakers, including the Deputy Borough President (who is a pretty funny guy), it was time to see what Chuck would predict. 

My sister queens and I didn’t have a clear view from where we were standing but we heard a gasp as the mayor picked Chuck up. Apparently, Chuck isn’t a fan of being held and he jumped from the Mayor DeBlasio's hands! He quickly recovered only to run into his burrow and - you guessed it - predict that there would be 6 more weeks of winter! I guess my boots and gloves will be around for a while longer... 

Before we left we had the chance to meet the mayor and speak with him about our titles and plans. We went inside to breakfast where we mingled with our fellow Staten Islanders as the P.S. 29 chorus entertained us. All in all, the experience made waking up before the sun worth it!

Thank you to The Staten Island Zoo for hosting this time-honored Staten Island tradition and for inviting us to be a part of it!

Light The Night Awards

Last month, I had the honor of being invited to attend the Light The Night Awards Ceremony at The Grand Plaza. I served on the Light The Night Committee this year, and raised $2,710 walking with my team, "Miss Greater New York’s Angels" (as I was still Miss Greater NY 2013 in September). 

Light The Night is one of my favorite walks and it has a special meaning for me because I walk in Dominic’s memory. When I arrived I was so proud to see my name on the "Bright Lights" board in the front lobby. This was because I raised over $1,000 on my own.

My parents and I filled out gold “memory” nametags and made our way inside. I was overwhelmed with pride when I spied another board with my team name ranking amongst those that raised $1,000 - $4,999. I felt a sense of overwhelming satisfaction that I had reached another goal of mine.

To make the night even better, I ran into Dianna Caggiano and Steven Blittersdorf. I first met them at a Zumba fundraiser for Dianna’s brother who passed away a few years ago. We have been friends ever since. She is hysterically funny and great to be around as is her brother’s fiancé, Steven.

Of course, I had to sample some of the awesome food at the buffet before we were seated for the ceremony! Yum! As the awards were announced, I was inspired by the number of people who raised such huge amounts of money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to fund blood cancer research. I was also happy to see that my friend Marina Tornabene’s team, "Marina’s Miracle Mile," was one of the top rookie teams this year! Marina is battling leukemia and is one of the most amazing young ladies I’ve ever met. Go Marina!

My Staten Island pride grew even more with this award ceremony. Our community is always coming together for great causes like this one and it makes me so proud of my title. I am happy to say that I have been asked to join the committee, once again, for 2014 and I look forward to raising even more money with this year's team!

Brew For Autism

At the end of January, I was invited to attend "Brew For Autism." This event, hosted by Pour Standards and Richmond County Beer Club, was created to increase awareness of autism and raise funds to support the work of Autism Speaks.

I've attended many events in support of Autism Speaks. This organization works to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. This disease has become all too common in today's society. According to the Autism Speaks website:

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors.

They say that around 1 in 88 American children are on the autism spectrum. This is a ten-fold increase in prevalence in 40 years! That is why I support Autism Speaks and the work they are doing.

This event was a complete success. The Great Hall in Snug Harbor was completely transformed - complete with beer tastings and food. In fact, they featured over 25 home brewers from around the city! I could tell that all the guests were enjoying themselves and though I did not partake in the beer tasting, I definitely took the opportunity to do some "food tasting." The wings were delicious!

I was able to mingle with the guests and even saw some people I knew. It was also nice to meet the men and women who helped put the event together. There were so many people involved in the production of the event and I know they all care a great deal about our community.

I had a fun afternoon supporting a fantastic cause. Thank you to Pour Standards and Richmond County Beer Club for having me and for making it your mission to give back to those who need it most!

NY1 Interview

It has been an extremely busy month! Between Miss Staten Island events, my full-time and part-time jobs, and preparing for my upcoming benefit, I've been all over the place! Nevertheless, I am back to fill you all in on what I've been doing across the island.

Last month, I had the amazing opportunity to interview with NY1 as part of the "Staten Island Week In Review." To explain how this all came about, I need to back up a bit.

I have been working hard to plan "The HOPE Project," a benefit for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. This variety show, which will be held on March 29th at the College of Staten Island, will serve as a way to both promote my platform and raise funds for research to combat childhood cancer.

In order to ensure that 100% of the proceeds from this event could be donated to the foundation, I searched for sponsors to cover basic expenses. However, it is certainly not easy to raise over $5,000 quickly! I realized that friends and family who wanted to help, but could not be sponsors for $250, $500, or $1000, needed a way to give lesser amounts - because these little sums do add up. That is when I found GoFundMe (a crowdfunding site) and created my own page: www.GoFundMe.com/MissSI2014

It was then that I was contacted by Courtney Cohen, the PR Coordinator for GoFundMe, who said, "we are currently looking for powerful stories to share with the media...we wanted to see if you would be interested in sharing this story." I was so excited and happily agreed. It was only a week later that I was emailed with the NY1 Interview invitation!

I had never been interviewed in a television studio before and I couldn't have been more excited. When I first began in the Miss America Organization, I wouldn't have ever been able to speak in front a camera, let alone on NY1. I have to say, I am very proud of how far I've come.

If you haven't yet, you can see my interview here. And, if you are interested in learning more about the benefit, or would like to attend, visit my ticket website: www.MissSI2014.eventbrite.com

Thank you so much to Courtney from GoFundMe and to NY1 for welcoming me into your studio. I had such a wonderful morning and it was an experience I will always remember!

Visit To I.S.2

This past year, I began working at Physicians First Messages, Inc. - a medical answering service located on Staten Island that provides services to physicians nationwide! My boss, and owner/operator of the company, is John Calhoun. He has been very supportive of my duties as Miss Staten Island and is as excited as I am about the entire experience. That is why when he asked me to do a favor his wife, I happily agreed.

John's wife, Carol, is a teacher at I.S.2 where she is known as "Ms. Mayora." On January 17th, I arrived at the school with my brother, A.J., and was met by Principal Stallone.

I began my visit by popping into some classrooms to say hi to the kids and answer any questions they might have off the top of their heads. The most common questions were, "How did you get to be Miss Staten Island?" and "What do you do as Miss Staten Island?" I was happy to explain to them exactly what the Miss America Organization is all about.

Then came the real reason for my visit: an intimate assembly with the 7th grade girls. I decided to speak to them not only about my journey in pageants but about determination, self-worth, and confidence, as well. With some follow up questions, I definitely felt like I was able to have an impact on these young girls.

As the girls warmed up, I answered silly personal questions like "What's your favorite food?" and "What kind of music do you listen to?" I do love these types of questions, though, because it lets me show kids that I'm a normal person. For example, my favorite foods include chicken wings, pizza and sushi, and I listen to pretty much all styles of music.

They then moved on to more hard hitting questions. I had the opportunity to open up to them about my difficulties with bullying in junior high school, discuss my opinions of the portrayal of women in advertising, and even tell them what I would do if "the pageant asked me to lose weight in order to compete."

I was incredibly impressed with the students and teachers in this group. I got the chance to connect with the girls in what felt like a very private setting and - though they didn't even know it - they gave me great interview prep! Thank you so much, John & Carol, for bringing me into I.S.2! Your students are truly amazing, Carol. I had a wonderful time!