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!

A New Borough President

On January 5th, our new Borough President, James Oddo, hosted an Open House at Borough Hall to meet and greet the people of Staten Island. Although I have met Mr. Oddo several times before, I felt that it was important to greet him in his official “home” as he started his year.

The snow was pretty much cleared from our snow storm the week before, but the sidewalks were slippery with ice. To be safe, Alexa and I put on our boots and bravely ventured off - making quite a fashion statement I might add!

Once we arrived, we quickly put on our heels (to the amusement of several bystanders who thought it was pretty funny watching two girls with crowns balancing on one foot) and made our way inside. There was already a crowd gathered, so after we signed in we stopped to take pictures and chat. The security guard Keith, whom I had met on a previous visit, graciously offered to hold our coats for us. Thanks Keith!

We entered Mr. Oddo’s office where we spoke with him, offered our future support and posed for pictures. As we exited his office, we met a little girl who was very interested in our crowns. Alexa and I stopped to explain the Star Princess Program to her and her mom. Judging from her excitement, I think it’s safe to say that she is most definitely a future Star Princess!

We saw several familiar faces including Assemblyman Mike Cusick, Former Commissioner Fred Cerullo (a long time friend of my mom), Vito Fossella and of course, the Executive Director of the Miss Staten Island Pageant, Jim Smith.

We came across Charista Mroczek (Miss Richmond County’s Outstanding Teen) and her mom who had just arrived after a swim-meet. We posed for some fun pictures and before we knew it, the event came to a close. We forfeited the boots on the way out and braved the ice in our heels because, after all, we titleholders are pretty fearless! ; ]

I wish Borough President James Oddo a wonderful a successful term serving the Staten Island Community. His kind, genuine, and caring nature is just what our borough needs. I know that he will do great things, just as he has in the past. Thank you, Mr. Oddo, for welcoming us with your Open House!

From a Firehouse to a Winter Wonderland

December 21st, with Christmas just around the corner, I took a break from my holiday shopping, (which was not even close to being finished) to attend two very special events.

In the early afternoon, my little sister queen Alexa and I made our way to Richmond Town to visit Richmond Engine Company No. 1, which has been providing firefighting and emergency services to the Staten Island community since 1905. It is one of the ten remaining Volunteer Fire Departments in New York City. I was invited to the house by Steve White, a volunteer firefighter and photographer whom I had met at several other Staten Island events. Alexa and I were excited to take a tour of the house and visit with the firefighters during their annual holiday party.

We were greeted by Steve and given a VIP tour of the house, which included a vintage fire engine, a huge collection of old pictures and documents and a look at the view from the top floor overlooking Richmond Town Restoration.

After the tour, we met some of the volunteer firefighters and got to climb aboard the truck, which I am proud to say, I accomplished in 6-inch heels!

Though we were not able to stay long enough for the party or the ride with Santa, we made sure to try on some fire gear before we left! Just the coat weighed pretty much what I do! It made me realize just what these guys go through to protect us every day. I am so proud to say that in a few short months my boyfriend will join the ranks of these awesome individuals, as he starts the academy on Jan. 27th!

After a quick change (something I’m getting very used to), Alexa and I were off to Eve Ultra Lounge to attend Winter Wonderland - a party to support Autism Speaks and Gianna Nicole’s Heart of Hope. When we arrived we were greeted by so many familiar faces including Tammi D’Antoni, Kelly Quinn and Gianna’s family. There were so many people having such a great time! Alexa and I dove right in, chatting with the kids, speaking to vendors and giving out gifts.

There was food, face painting, music, dancing and, of course, raffle baskets! The performers included a magician and 80’s superstar Brenda K. Star’s daughter Gianna.

I was thrilled that a dear friend, Lauren Lam, was volunteering at this event. Lauren is a brain cancer survivor and I have become very close to her and her family during the past few years.

Once again, it was amazing to see so many philanthropic people coming together to help out their community. This is what makes Staten Island great - the people. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of this inspiring event! What a great day!