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!