Miss Universe Canada Preliminary Competition

For the first time, a preliminary competition for Miss Universe Canada was held in Windsor. I had the pleasure of helping out with the Meet and Greet as well as backstage on pageant night. At the meet and greet I got the opportunity to meet all he contestants and I also helped sell tickets to the pageant. On the final night I helped out by entertaining the judges before the show, and helping out backstage getting the girls ready as well as giving them some positive encouragement. It was amazing seeing a little bit of the behind the scenes of what goes into a pageant at that level. It was also exciting to see girls that I've met through the local pageant system competing, including 3 past Miss Tecumseh contestants. At the end of the preliminary competition, they made the decision to send six girls to the National pageant instead of 5. The six lucky ladies to move on to the Miss Universe Canada pageant were: Alyssa Boston, Patricia Poczekaj, Amber Bernachi, Katrina Kryza and Sarnia’s Denise Cortez, and Laura Coppola.  All the ladies did an outstanding job and I know each and every one of them would have represented Southern Ontario well at Miss Universe Canada. I had an amazing time helping out with this pageant and I think it was a great opportunity to get introduced to a higher level of pageants. Hopefully next year I will be competing to be a part of Miss Universe Canada. 

Jill, Chelsae, and I at the Meet and Greet

Some of the contestants and I at the Meet and Greet

Jill and I at the Meet and Greet

Jill and I with the Director of the Preliminary pageant, Sonny Borrelli

Emily, Chelsae, and I at the Preliminary Competition

Patricia and I at the Preliminary Competition, Congrats on making it to Nationals!

Jill and I at the Preliminary Competition

Jill's Journey to Miss Universe Canada

Jill and I competed in the Miss Tecumseh pageant for 4 years in a row and her and we have become good friends through this pageant. This past year Jill was first runner up, Miss Congeniality, and Miss Interview! I'm so excited to support this girl on her journey to become Miss Universe Canada! She'll be competing in the Western Ontario Preliminary pageant being held in Windsor on April 26th. This girl has been working so hard to prepare for this pageant and I know she's going to rock it! She's been working hard getting sponsors and raising money for the entry fee. On March 8th Jill hosted a fundraiser to collect money for her entry fee at Leo's Komedy Korner. I had heard great things about the Komedy Korner but I had never gone so I figured what a perfect opportunity to check out some great 'komedy' and support my girl! I had some a great time with lots of good laughs! Jill did an amazing job of organizing the event. To follow Jill's journey, go like her official facebook page! Next stop is the Meet and Greet fundraiser at the Bank Nightklub on March 28th at 7pm. Come on out and meet all of the ladies competing in the preliminary competition! There is even more former Miss Tecumseh Pageant contestants competing! It'll be great to see some familiar faces and support all of my girls!

Jill and I at her fundraiser at Leo's Komedy Korner

Official Meet and Greet poster

Girl Guides Meeting

On January 20th, first runner up, Jillian Parent, and I were invited to a Girl Guides meeting to speak to the girls. Back in October, I met these ladies at the Fire Prevention Week. When I was asked to come talk to the girls I was so excited! I was a girl guide back in the day and I remember loving every minute of it. Jill and I worked together and agreed on what we would talk about and what activities we would do with the girls. We started off with a get to know you game which included an 'Interview' round. We asked the girls simple questions to get to know them a little better. We then talked about ourselves and our community involvement, the Miss Tecumseh Pageant, and a little about being Miss Tecumseh. We emphasized the importance of getting involved in your community and being confident in yourself. The girls then had a chance to interview us and ask us anything they wanted. Jill and I demonstrated our "Fashion Wear" and had the girls walk with some styling accessories. I was really impressed with how confident these girls were with their walks! We had so much fun strutting our stuff that the girls kept asking to do it again. The girls then created their own crowns with glitter glue, bedazzles, and princess stickers which all turned out beautifully! I had an absolute blast with these wonderful young ladies! We might even have some future Miss Tecumseh contestants in this bunch!

Jill and  I with all the Girl Guides!

Jillian Parent (1st Runner Up) and I

Jill and I with the Girl Guide Leaders

Tecumseh Volunteer Appreciation Night

I'm behind on my posts because my laptop was in repair for a good 3 weeks and school's been a little crazy! On January 10th was the volunteer appreciation night, which acknowledges all those that volunteer with the Town of Tecumseh throughout the year. I am honoured to have been invited! I even received my own volunteer pin which is now forever on my sash. The event took place at the new retirement facility on Riverside Drive. It's a really beautiful facility! There was a large assortment of fruits, veggies, and desserts which is where I spent a good part of my night. Two town members were recognized for their volunteer achievments that night. Jan Wright, whom I met at the Terry Fox Run this past September, received the Donald "Donny" Massender Memorial Volunteer Award for her many years of organizing the Terry Fox Run held annually. The recipant of the Dr. Henri Breault Community Excellence Award Recipient was John McGivney, the founder of the John McGivney Children's Center. Both have dedicated years to volunteering for the community, which is so inspirational to me. Giving back to the community is important and is something I plan to do for as long as I'm able to! 

Photo Credit to Wright Photography

Me with Tecumseh Town Council

Me with Chelsae and Emily (Miss Tecumseh Pageant Directors)

The Princess Ball

I had the great pleasure of attending The Princess Ball on January 18th. Tickets were $40 each and the proceeds went to Cystic Fibrosis Canada. The event was sold out within a matter of days and there was even a wait list! A former Miss Tecumseh, Aimee Quenneville, told me about the event. She asked me to recruit some local princesses, so I asked around and got plenty all excited replies. We arrived for 10am to get ready. The little princesses started to arrive at at 11am. We all stood lined up at the front to welcome the princesses as they entered. They were escorted in and announced to the hall. They were then welcomed with applause and a picture taken by Snapd. The princesses then found their table and were free to go to the stations. There were plenty of stations set up around the room that offered  hair styling, make up, glittery tattoos, face painting, cookie decorating, crown designing and many more! The princesses then went around and told tables that they could go up and get lunch. After lunch the little princesses were invited to the dance floor to be serenaded by Princess Ariel. Then the dancing began. I had such a great time dancing will all the little princesses. Several little girls wanted to hold my hands to dance. We even had a conga line going at one point. They all had such a magical time at The Princess Ball and so did I! I wish I had gone to a Princess Ball when I was a kid! I think a lot of little girls dreams came true that day. I had such a great time at The Princess Ball, I would love to volunteer for it again next year! I was also glad to see so many other local princesses. Seeing all those happy little girls faces was priceless! Check out The Princess Ball facebook page and the Cystic Fibrosis Canada facebook page to learn more. Also check out The Princess Ball featured in the Windsor Star.

Windsor-Essex Princesses, photo courtesy of Snapd

Conga line with all the little princesses

Christmas in Tecumseh

November 29th was the third annual Christmas in Tecumseh and Santa Parade. I was asked to be apart of the parade as well as help out afterwards at Town Hall. I first had to find a car for the parade and deck it out to be Christmas themed. Rafih Auto Group was kind enough to lend us a very nice brand new black Mustang for the night. It was an absolutely stunning car and I am so thankful to have been able to ride in such a nice car. I'm also thankful that I have a boyfriend that loves me enough to drive a car for 45 minutes going only 5 mph. A dance group was right in front of us so and they had some awesome jamz so we were dancing the whole time. I was glad to see so many people out on the parade route,especially in the chilly weather! I was also glad to see many of my little campers on the parade route. After the parade I made my way to Town Hall to help Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Children lined up to sit on Mr and Mrs. Claus's lap. I met the children and led them to meet the Claus'. After the children told them what they wanted for Christmas, I handed handed them some Reindeer Food for them to put on their lawns. I absolutely love Christmas time and I am so happy that I got to spread my Christmas cheer with the whole Town of Tecumseh this year!

A big thank you to:

Rafih Auto Group Website

Misha Z Photography and Fine Art Printing

My chaufer and I during the Santa Parade

Me during the Santa Parade by Misha Z Photography

Mustang from Rafih Auto Group, photo by Misha Z Photography

Helping Mr. and Mrs. Claus at Town Hall

Christmas in Tecumseh featured in The Windsor Star

Tecumseh Holiday Bazaar

The owner of Bacio Cafe in Lakeshore, Randa, invited me to the Holiday Bazaar at Tecumseh Vista on December 7th. There were a whole bunch of vendors set up throughout the hallways of Tecumseh Vista from hand made items, to boutiques, to cafes. I was seated at a table by the Town of Tecumseh booth and I was asked to sign pictures for the children at the event. The event was a huge success! A ton of people showed up for the event. A lot of people approached me to my surprise and asked for an autograph. I met a lot of people, especially young girls, and I had some great conversations with them. It was my first time signing autographs and I didn't think anyone would really want one from me but by the end of my time there, I only had two photos left! It was a really fun and successful event, Randa did a fantastic job organizing it!

Holiday Bazaar Flyer

Tecumseh Staff and I at the Holiday Bazaar

Miss Windsor Pageant

I had the pleasure of being part of the Miss Windsor Pageant on November 22nd. I was able to help out backstage and see the behind the scenes of the show. I made sure the girls were ready to get on stage for the different segments of the competition as well as give them some advice before they got onstage. It was interesting to get the behind the scenes perspective of a pageant instead of watching it from the audience or from the stage. A lot of hard work goes into a pageant and I can really appreciate how hard the directors work to make it such an amazing show. The pageant format was kind of different then the Miss Tecumseh format so that was interesting to see as well. I got to hand out sashes at the end of the night and pose with the ladies. It was nice to see some familiar faces as well meet some new people. All of the girls were so friendly and inviting and it was a real pleasure getting to know them. I would like to formally congratulate all the winners, including  the new Miss Windsor, Katrina Kryza, and the new Miss Teen Windsor, Chelsea Girard. Congratulation ladies, you all did a fantastic job and absolutely blew me away! I'm really looking forward to working with these girls through out the next year as. I'm also looking forward to going to Miss Windsor 2014. Who knows, maybe I'll even be a part of it next year! ;)

Backstage with Miss Lasalle and Miss Teen Windsor-Essex World

Handing out the Miss Teen Evening Gown Sash

Handing out the Miss Photogenic Sash

Posing with the newly crowned Miss Windsor, Katrina Kryza

With the new Miss Teen Windsor, Chelsea Girard

All the Queens and Pageant Directors