G.R.A.C.E Foundation: Trick-or-Treat Halloween Event

The G.R.A.C.E Foundation's Trick-or-Treat Halloween Event held at Staten Island's very own Lake Club was such an awesome event for friends & family supporting children with Autism. Not only was it a great way to support this amazing cause but it gave the children who attended the event a way to celebrate Halloween! I had so much fun painting pumpkins, eating some yummy candy & dressing up to get in the Halloween spirit! It was great to see the support and love that the foundation put into making this event a huge success for kids & their families. 

The Alzheimer's Foundation of Staten Island's CTV Show

It was truly such an honor to have been given the opportunity to participate in yet another Alzheimer's Foundation of Staten Island's CTV Show. This foundation makes me so proud to live on Staten Island because of the hard work that is put into raising awareness for Alzheimer's Disease. On this episode of the show I was interviewed for twenty eight minutes where I was asked multiple things regarding my platform & how my reign has been as Miss Staten Island's Outstanding Teen 2013. Also, I was asked about many upcoming performances I will be taking part in as a senior dance major at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. Lastly, a new fun fact that I was able to share with my interviewer Rosemarie Mandart, was how I will be taking part in the Miss New York Teen USA Pageant in January! I am beyond excited to move forward & continue to be an active role model in my community. I am looking forward to run for Miss Staten Island next year, with big hopes that one day I will become Miss America! 

The Alzheimer's Foundation Of Staten Island: Dr. Stanley Stilwell Memorial Golf Outing in Memory of Gladys Schweiger

        It was such an honor to take part in yet another amazing event held by the Alzheimer's Foundation of Staten Island. I was able to meet so many inspirational people and share the importance of my platform Alzheimer's Awareness & Support. Not only did I meet so many great people, but I was then asked to speak for the Staten Island Cable Network which will be available for others to see. Lastly, I was then asked to speak about my platform and my own personal story. I was happy to be able to support such an amazing cause and to advocate for my platform to the best of my ability. 

Columbus Day Parade

The Columbus Day Parade in Staten Island was an exciting day! This was my first time ever in the Columbus Day Parade & it was even better because I  had my sister queen Miss Staten Island Amanda Lee Alicea by my side. We both had so much fun riding in a car together that was nicely offered to us by The Italian Club of Staten Island. Meeting children throughout the parade makes both of us proud to represent Staten Island. I was so honored to have been able to watch my sister queen sing at the opening ceremonies of that parade earlier that morning. She truly is an inspiration of mine & I one day aspire to be just like her. The Columbus Day Parade was a huge success & I am looking forward for another great parade next year! 

Alzheimer's Foundation of Staten Island's Annual Chinese Auction

The Alzheimer's Foundation of Staten Island's Annual Chinese Auction was a great way to come together to not only win great prizes & baskets, but also to come together to support a great cause. I enjoyed helping with raffle tickets & meeting so many people that came out to support the foundation. It was so enjoyable to watch people win special prizes and I was happy to award the 50/50 cash prize winner. It is always fun to attend the events that The Alzheimer's Foundation of Staten Island has to offer! 

             

The G.R.A.C.E Foundation Carnival

 The G.R.A.C.E Foundation carnival today at Nansen Park had an awesome turn out and was a wonderful day for children & their families to enjoy a day of fun. Playing, dancing & simply just speaking to the kids affected by autism touched my heart. They are all so special & truly inspirational to me. They all put smiles on my face the entire day. I hope you all had an amazing day & I look forward to another carnival that the Grace foundation has to offer next year. 

My man Patrick & I enjoying a day of fun & games.
it was great to see you again buddy! 

Staten Island Council for Animal Welfare Walkathon

                 Today at Cloves Lake Park was the Staten Island Council for Animal Welfare Walkathon! Here I was able to make a donation to the foundation & also meet some adorable dogs that I wish I could have taken all of them home with me! Featured in the image above is my new friend Lady! She was such a loving & beautiful dog and I am so happy I was able to spend time with her! This was truly a wonderful event, not only because I love animals, but every animal deserves a loving home that will treat them right & give them everything they need. 

Light the Night Walk at Midland Beach

So honored to have met you Marina. You are so inspirational to others battling cancer & you are such an inspiration to me. 

               The Light the Night Walk at Midland Beach was such an incredible night! I am so glad I was able to partake in such a great night for a great cause. Not only was it a beautiful night, but it was uplifting to see how many people came to support family members and friends that participated in this walk. Meeting cancer survivors was a major highlight to my night. It was so moving to me to see these amazing children overcome cancer & fight through it. It makes me appreciate my life everyday & realize how blessed I am to be here. Meeting these survivors was so amazing and its something I will take with me for the rest of my life. I can't wait until next years Light the Night Walk to have another successful year walking for an amazing cause. 

Alzheimer's Foundation of Staten Island's Victorian Tea Party

    The Alzheimer's Foundation of Staten Island held yet again another successful event. I'm so honored to be apart of such a loving & supportive organization for a cause that is so dear to my heart. Everything that I do to support the Alzheimer's Foundation I do to make my Poppy proud. He is the reason why I strive to give this disease its own voice & for everyone to be aware of how serious this disease truly is. The Victorian Tea Party was a wonderful way for everyone who is a supporter of the foundation to come together & raise money for this devastating disease. Many baskets were raffled off including a $170 50/50 cash prize winner. I was also very honored that I was able to share with the guests my story about why my platform means to much to me & how I got involved in the pageant system. It was so great to also watch 3 members of the Susan E. Wanger High School Performing Arts Program sing wonderful songs for all of us. They were all truly very talented & it was a pleasure to listen to them sing. It is such an honor for me to be apart of the Alzheimer's Foundation of Staten Island. 

Miss America 2014

 

        Wow! Watching Miss America for the first time live in Atlantic City was a dream come true. I had such a great weekend with my fellow title holders. We shared so many great laughs & most importantly we all were able to share more time together as a pageant sister family. The Show Me Your Shoe Parade was such an exciting event for everyone in Atlantic City supporting the Miss America Organization. We were able to watch every Miss America Contestant drive by in their cars on the boardwalk displaying the shoe that they created that best symbolizes where they are from & what state they are representing at Miss America! The night of the show was such an exciting night for me & my sister queens! We all got dressed up in our beautiful dresses & looked our best for the big night! The ending to the pageant night was so amazing when Nina Davuluri Miss New York was crowned Miss America! First Mallory Hagan being crowned Miss America 2013 & now Miss New York being crowned back to back was so amazing to watch! Mallory, you were truly such an incredible Miss America 2013. You have so much poise, elegance, style, & you are beautiful both inside & out. You are an unforgettable Miss America in my eyes & will always be an inspiration to me. Congratulations to Miss America 2014 Nina! You looked amazing on that stage & I couldn't be happier for all that you have accomplished. Good luck with your reign as Miss America 2014! 

Briana's Dream

My favorite part about being Miss Staten Island's Outstanding Teen is getting to meet so many different children & hopefully inspire them to go the extra mile to reach there dreams. Such a great day with my fellow title holders of Staten Island at Briana's Dream.

                       My little man Shane & I smiling big at yesterday's event Briana's Dream 

So glad I was able to meet Briana of Briana's Dream. She was such a sweet and wonderful person. Briana's Dream was started in 2008 when Briana was diagnosed with Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy. Yesterday was the annual outdoor event to raise awareness for this disease, as well as raise awareness for Autism Speaks. So honored to have been apart of a wonderful event. Thank you Briana.

Richmond County Fair 2013

I had a wonderful time at the Richmond County Fair with one of my pageant sisters Miss Greater New York Jamie Lynn Macchia! I truly enjoyed meeting adorable children & getting to enjoy the parade with them! Jamie & I watched dancers perform, ate some yummy soft serve ice cream & most importantly spent time meeting & greeting people throughout the fair. I am so excited for next years fair! Congratulations Staten Island to another successful Richmond County Fair! 

Bikers for Bini

   Yesterday August 25th was such a beautiful day for the Carl V. Bini Memorial Fund Bikers for Bini Fundraiser. The BINI Fund was founded in honor of firefighter Carl V. Bini, who's life was lost in 9/11. The BINI Fund supports the community through scholarships, emergency grants, and special needs assistance. The Fund is there to adapt to the needs of growing communities, and to always lend a helping hand during a crisis. I was truly so honored to have been able to take part in such a wonderful charity event. Staten Island came together at yesterdays event in such an amazing way & it truly makes me proud to be a native Staten Islander. Thank you everyone who came out yesterday to support this wonderful charity. It was such a pleasure to meet young children & family members who came to take part in yesterdays event. 

Walk Now for Autism Speaks

I am so thrilled to be taking part in the walk for Autism Speaks in Staten Island, New York. I am interested in having members join my team Miss Staten Island Outstanding Teen & share this wonderful experience with me! Please if interested in making a donation click on the link to my personal walk page below! Thank you everyone & I hope to see you at the Autism Speaks Walk October 27th. 

http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/statenisland/ashmd

St. Clare Family Festival

             I was extremely happy to be able to take part in my very own parish's Family Festival! There were so many wonderful vendors there & volunteers to make this event as successful as it was. The event coordinator Louis Maresca did an amazing job with putting this event together. I had a blast meeting so many children & playing different carnival games with them. Every child I met at this event really makes me so happy to be Miss Staten Island's Outstanding Teen. I am so honored to be a positive role model for young girls & encourage them to reach for the stars. Thank you so much for making my job as Miss Staten Island's Outstanding Teen such a joy! I am looking forward to next years Family Festival at St. Clare.

Autism Speaks Dinner

 The Autism Speaks Dinner was such an incredible night to speak and get to learn more about Autism. I was able to meet and converse with so many people who have family members with this disease. It was also very touching to hear that Staten Island made still made it possible to have a very successful Autism Speaks Annual walk this past October even though this was the day before Hurricane Sandy hit Staten Island. This makes me proud to live & represent Staten Island as Miss Staten Island's Outstanding Teen. I am beyond excited to take part in this years walk on Sunday October 27 at The College of Staten Island! Lets speak up & walk up for this amazing cause! 

To My Mom

Mom, I truly don't know what I would have done without you throughout this whole journey. You have done so much for me & I really do consider you my hero! I can't imagine going through this without you & you have supported me every step of the way. From picking out my gown, to helping me prepare for the pageant & attending every event with me I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are my best friend & my number one. I know I can count on you with anything & everything. I love you & thank you for all your dedication & support you put into going along with me throughout this journey. 

Staten Island Advance

I just wanted to personally thank the Staten Island Advance for publishing this amazing photo from last nights pageant! You captured a beautiful photo that will always remind me of how the Miss New York OT Pageant was such an amazing experience. Thank you for that!