Day 59: EWU Teddy Bear Drive

Eastern is in their 15th day of 26 days of kindness which is run by the Office of Community Engagement. An event that caught my attention the other day, was a teddy bear drive. The Office of Global Initiatives' goal was to receive 26 teddy bears in honor of the 26 children from Sandy Hook. All the teddy bears collected in the drive would then be donated to Sally's House. Although I was unable to find the original flyer, I did find this little excerpt from their online page. 

Sally's House is safe place in Spokane where children are taken when the law must intervene. The Salvation Army is directly affiliated with Sally's House. This facility deals with dangerous home issues such as; drug use in the house, failed foster placement, abuse and/or neglect, an incarcerated parent, and sexual offense within the household. You can learn more by clicking here. 

After I saw the flyer asking for teddy bears, I immediately thought to myself, "I totally could do that." For those of you who don't know me, I used to love and collect teddy bears. Especially, beanie baby bears and Build-A-Bears. At the moment, they are sitting at my house not being as loved as they could be. So when I went home, I shuffled through my bin of bears and found the perfect bear to donate. I know that this fluffy little guy is going to go to Sally's House, where it will be loved and appreciated by young girls and boys! 

If you live in the Cheney or Spokane area, you too can donate to the Sally's House teddy bear drive. They are accepting donations until March 11. 

God bless,

Kailee 

Day 58: Cereal Drive

The other day I went to the bank to get something notarized. When I walked into the bank there was a table full of cereal. Of course that caught my attention. In the center of the table was a flyer that explained the bank's ongoing 'Cereal Drive'. They were accepting all types of cereal- individual sized boxes, large boxes, sweet cereal, healthy cereal- as donations. With that in mind, I left and waited for a better day to particpate.

Today, I was on my way home from school and remembered the Cereal Drive ended soon. So, I ran to the dollar store and grabbed a few boxes of ceareal. On the flyer at the bank, I noticed something about the Cheney schools and Cheney Middle School in particular. Well, I ended up trying to donate the cereal to the middle school and was sent away. The school had never heard anything about this Cereal Drive.

  

I was confused, so I ended up calling Banner Bank. They informed me that the bank was where you could drop off donations. When I got to the bank, I learned that the Cheney schools were in fact on the flyer. But, it was not for the reason I had orginally assumed. The cereal obtained in the drive was then donated to the schools for their "Backpack Program." The teller at the bank had explained that this was a before school program , where students could go and eat a nice breakfast. Especially, if they did not have the means to buy a meal. Overall, this was a great learning experience. I learned about a great local program and was able to give back. It's random opportunities such as this that have great outcomes. Keep your eye out for opportunties like the Cereal Drive!

 

God bless,

Kailee

Day 57: Left Change at the Vending Machine

For today, I decided to share the love and spare a little change. I saw someone else do this and was inspired to do the same! I left the amount for a pop and a little note on the pop machine. This way the next person to come around could enjoy- as Sweet Brown would say- a cold pop!

Now, I dare you to do the same! Scrounge up some change so you can treat a stranger to a soda or even a candy from the snack vending machine. 

Keep your coins, we want change!

Kailee

Day 56: Operation Beautiful

It is my honor to introduce two more Miss Washington sisters. Ironically, both girls have the same platform and have crowned successors. Their platforms work with Operation Beautiful, loving yourself and sharing the love with others. I wanted to feature these girls this month because February is the month of love! Both Tasia and Sadie's stories are inspiring and beautiful. I am so grateful to know each of them and so happy they allowed me to share their stories!

Operation Beautiful's mission is to end negative self-talk or "Fat Talk." The site states: "If this little blog only does one productive thing, I hope it helps readers realize how truly toxic negative self-talk- it hurts emotionally, spiritually, and physically." You can find more about this organization by visiting their website.

Meet Tasia Jungbauer, Miss Thurston County 2012

What is your platform titled?
TJ: My platform is Encouraging Self-Esteem and Smart Decision Making in Young Women. 

How can others get involved with your platform?
TJ: Something that could do in relation to my platform is post sweet and inspiring messages in random places for people to find. I made a bunch with my Girl Talk girls (a mentoring group I started at my local middle school) and it was fun thinking of messages, finding quotes, decorating them and then hiding them.

Why did you choose your platform?
TJ: I chose my platform because I grew up in a house with a single mom, my grandma and my twin sister-so our house was full of women. My family and other female teachers, and mentors throughout the years made such a big impact on me when I had rough times in my own life. So when it came time to choose a platform, I knew helping  young women is what I wanted to do!

Meet Sadie Johnson, Miss Clark County 2012

Why did you choose your platform?
SJ: I wanted to reach out to our youth, particularly young women and encourage them to embrace who they are. Because of my involvement in gymnastics, I struggled with my body image ever since the age of 6. I was always on a diet. Not because I was fat but because that what you do when you're a competitive gymnast. When I hit puberty at 14, I tended to be anorexic and then at 17 became bulimic. Although after treatment at 18, I consider myself "normal" I think the thought of never being good enough still haunts me. This is why my platform is important to me...I want to change this pattern, even if it's in one person's life. When I spoke at schools, I received great responses and it made it not so embarrassing to talk about. It has taken 3 years to come out about it, but it has been 5 years now, so it seems like another life! Thoughts are all controllable and that's what I wanted to make a point about as my platform. For everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity...embrace themselves and love who they are and who they are meant to be.

Again, I listened to the pros and created the little stick it notes below. I placed them in various places around school. I know that if I saw a positive affirmation note, it would make me smile!

God bless & remember you ARE beautiful just the way you are!

Kailee

Day 55: Barbie Party

This afternoon the Miss Spokane crew and I were able to take part in a stupendous event, which raised money for a great local cause. The girls and I were "Barbies" for the Barbie Party ran and fundraised for the Northeast Youth Center. The NEYC is a before and after school program for local students which is affiliated with the Spokane Parks & Recreation Department.

The attendants were assigned a Barbie, who would then accompany the group of girls to all the activities throughout the afternoon. The activities included snack time, picture time, a craft station, face painting, a hair station, dancing and a limo ride! My girls favorite part was the limo ride.

To finish off the afternoon, a special guest performer sang for the girls. They danced and sang along with the performer and altogether had an incredible time. I, too, had an amazing time spending the afternoon with adorable and sweet young ladies, fundraising for the NEYC. Although I do not know the end total raised, I hope they raised an immense amount because I loved learning about how such a great program changes lives. 

My fellow Barbies and I!

God bless,

Kailee

Day 54: Mostly Merlot

This evening, I was very fortunate to volunteer at Mostly Merlot. This is a fundraiser in Spokane that raises money for cancer patient care. The very newly crowned Miss Inland Empire, Miss Spokane and I  sold raffle tickets throughout the evening and were able to converse with the guests. The girls and I were also accompanied by Miss Spokane board members and Erica Rodarte, Miss Washington U.S. International!

The entire Spokane Club was decorated and used for this magnificent event. The venue itself was gorgeous and the dining room was beyond gorgeous. Guests were encouraged to mill about the silent auction rooms during cocktail hours and then enjoyed a scrumptious (smelling & looking at least) meal. All of the money raised this evening went to the incredible cause of cancer patient care. 

Hannah and I sold raffle tickets for a lovely wine cooler and- get this- 50 bottles of wine for the unheard of price of $20 a ticket. The tickets pretty much sold themselves.  

After our work was done, we all devoured a nice meal and Hannah and I shared a chocolate sin cake. :)  Just before I left for the evening, I was able to hear a women speak about her experience with the patient care, which took everything I had not to cry. It was amazing to hear how this immense amount of money was making a difference and touching people's lives. Overall, the night was such a great experience spent with friends, meeting new connections and raising money for an amazing cause! 

Goodnight & God bless,

Kailee 

Day 53: Supported PE in Schools

In 24 short hours we will have a new Miss Grays Harbor, which means it is time to meet another Miss Washington sister. Melissa Hornback is our current Miss Grays Harbor and her platform is Childhood Obesity and P.E. in schools. An interesting fact about Melissa is both her and her mom held the title of Miss Grays Harbor. Thank you Melissa for your year of service and best of luck to the contestants.

Meet Melissa Hornback, Miss Grays Harbor

What is your platform titled?
MH: My platform is officially Childhood Obesity and P.E. in Schools.

How can someone get involved  with your platform?
MH: I've focused a lot on raising money to buy simple things like jump ropes to donate to schools. I would suggest talking to an elementary school in your town to see if you could come in to a P.E. class and just spend the day with the kids encouraging them to keep moving. They love it when you do gym class in your crown!

Why did you choose your platform?
MH: I chose it because of a P.E. teacher I had in high school who really emphasized the education side of the class. Kids today go to P.E., they run around, and they go back to class, but no one ever really teaches them about why physical activity is so important. My teacher not only made us run laps and play volleyball, etc., but he talked about the dangers of not exercising, like obesity, which can lead to diabetes and high blood pressure. It really changed the way I look at physical activity and I wanted to share that with kids. 


After talking with Melissa, I was inspired to give back to a local school. I went to Bi-mart and took her advice. I bought a few cans of tennis balls and donated them to the school close by. I remember when I was in school, I would get so excited to have new basketballs or soccer balls to play with. New things can encourage the kids to be more active and I hope that the tennis balls are put to good use!

God bless, 

Kailee

Day 52: Sevenly Campaign

A while back, I came across the coolest site named Sevenly. Each week Sevenly chooses a cause and sells merchandise to raise money for it. For example, for each $20 t-shirt they sell, $7 will be donated to that week's cause. The merchandise usually has a cool slogan on it that is relevant to the cause. For that week, the site is transformed in correlation to its campaign. At the top of the site, you will see the total shares, as well as, total donated. There you can also find information about this week's campaign. Because the campaign is only good for a week, there is a countdown, so you know how much longer you have to donate. Also, If you have a cause that is important to you, you can recommend that particular cause! To me this is an ingenious idea!

https://www.sevenly.org

This week Sevenly is focusing on Hurricane Sandy relief. Since the hurricane, I have been trying to figure out a way to lend a hand. When I saw that Sevenly was helping, I figured I could totally use a new tee. Especially, since a portion of the money goes to a good cause. The shirt I ordered is pictured below and reads, "Can't stop the heart beat east coast."

This is the video posted on their site about this week's Hurricane Sandy relief campaign. 

Follow them on all social media sites to see what campaign is next! 

God bless, Kailee 

Day 51: Loved My Pets

February 20th is another quirky national holiday! It is national Love Your Pet Day, which can be celebrated many different ways. You could take them out for a walk- even in the cold, let them out of their pin for a longer amount of time, or do as I did and buy them a treat for no reason!

I bought this bag of goodies for my two dogs at home! Lacey is a black lab and is the mother to Sadie, a yellow lab! Even our pets deserve a little extra kindness sometimes!

Day 50: EWU Donation Drive

Beginning on February 14th, EWU started 26 acts of kindness to join the national movement honoring Sandy Hook. Tonight marks day 6 and the end of their donation drive for Crosswalk Teen Shelter in Spokane. I luckily saw the sign below when I was walking out of class and I was able to participate in the drive. One of the most needed items was mens and womens deodorant.

Before today, I had never heard of Crosswalk Teen Shelter. I did a quick web search and found that it is an emergency shelter, a school drop-out prevention center and a group of life saving and life changing programs dedicated to break the cycle of youth homelessness. According to the site, they serve  over 1,000 teens. You can learn more about the shelter here.

If you'd like to learn more about the EWU 26 days of kindness, click here!

God bless & go eags,

Kailee

Day 49: A Surprise For Two Princesses

As yesterday's events unfolded, one of my closest Miss Washington sisters and Miss WA roommate had to crown her successor. Before doing so, Kenzie was given the opportunity to do her final walk and presentation. At the end of her farewell speech, she invited two young girls on stage, whom she had met earlier this year at the Children's Hospital. The two inspiring young sisters have both battled cancer and won. As she chatted with them at the hospital, they shared that their favorite artist was Taylor Swift. While on stage, Kenzie asked them a few question and then presented them with a surprise that I am sure they will remember forever. 

(Kenzie Novell, Miss Spokane 2012) 

Below is a link to the video of Kenzie's surprise for the girls! When earlier discussing this with Kenzie, we decided that this video would be perfect. Her loving act of kindness can now be shared all over and hopefully inspire others to do something, if not of this magnitude, to at least try an act of kindness in any size or shape!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151322563826025&set=vb.572661024&type=2&theater

My act for Kenzie is to not only share this video here, but on social media as well. Who knows, maybe we could even get Taylor Swifts attention on Twitter? If you feel inspired, tweet taylor or share the video anywhere you can! You'll never know how great something could be until you just try.

Congratulations Kenzie on one fantastic year! Love you!

God bless,

Kailee

Day 48: Miss Spokane is..

Today has been a crazy long day, but a fantastic one at that! I ended up walking away with first runner up to Miss Spokane! I'm quite exhausted so we will make this short, sweet and to the point.

I am so proud of all of the girls. Especially, your new Miss Spokane Hannah Cvancara! I figured it would be an excellent opportunity to feature her on my blog. Her platform works with Disabled American Veterans. I was able to find this website online to donate to! Such a great cause, great person and great year she has ahead of her!

Now...time for sleep!

Update: A photo of Hannah & I.

Love, Kailee

Day 47: A Gift For The Girls- WWYMTD

Preface: As Miss Tri-Cities, I was very fortunate to speak to thousands of children about making a difference. To create a visual for them, I would show them a cool science project! For those of you who don't know if you put a Mento into Sprite, the pop will overflow and create a fountain. The Mentos have tiny craters that react with the pop.

The Mento represents you and the choices you make. The bottle is the "world", which is full of opportunity (pop). When your choices reflect acting in a positive manner, the opportunities will overflow and the rewards will be pretty cool!

Today was our Miss Spokane interviews and I'm sure everyone did fantastic! Tomorrow is the big day and I want the girls to know, no matter win or lose, each of us has the opportunity to create a change. That's why I will be giving each girl a pack of Mentos. To give them fresh breathe and to remind them , that we all have a purpose. In other words. What Were You Mento Do?

Good luck girls! It has been a pleasure getting to know you!

God bless!
Kailee

Day 46: Shared An Act Of Kindness

Unfortunately, I woke up with my cold this morning again. And from there on out, I wasn't having the best of days. I was having "one of those day."

I had forgot to print one of my papers out, but my teacher let me run to the library to print it out. Since I usually print all of my papers at home, I had no idea how to work the printers at school. I felt like pulling my hair out by that point, however, a very nice young man who saw I was struggling, offered to walk me through the steps. He was so kind and could obviously tell I was new and not having the best of days. He patiently helped me , a stranger. I was so grateful for HIS act of kindness, that I had to share!

God bless,
Kailee

Day 45: 21 Valentines For 21 Candles!

It is true! Today is my 21st birthday! Not to mention...it is also Valentine's Day! As this exciting day quickly approached, I realized all of the errands I had to run! I have always loved having my birthday on Valentine's Day because I get to share the love with everyone. That's when it hit me. For every candle on my cake, I would hand out one valentine!

I went to the store and bought a bulk load of valentine candies. They were inexpensive and came in packs of four. I decided that everywhere I would visit on my birthday, I would give out a box of candy! Below are the 21 acts:

1 & 2) Before I left to run errands, I left two boxes of candy for my roommates.

3) First official stop of the day was the Department of Licensing to renew my license. 

(Again, not a fan of my photo.)

4) Then to Glen Dow to get my manicure for Sunday! 

(Thank you for being an outstanding sponsor!)

5 & 6) Next, to Ulta for my birthday brow wax! 

(I met two incredible ladies who worked there. They both got candy!)

7, 8, 9 & 10) The next stop was Children's Sacred Heart Hospital. I had some gently used stuffed animals that I wanted to donate to the kids. I had four animals, but I ran into two ill children in the elevator and they got to take the other two! It was so worth my time to stop! 

11) Then to the $1 for some last minute shopping. 

12, 13, 14, 15 & 16) When Austin got here, we headed to West Central Community Center (where I volunteer) to deliver cupcakes that I had made. I was also able to hand out boxes of candy to the employees there! 

17) After we stopped in, we headed to the movie Safe Haven.

( I have been dying to see it & it was great!)

18) Twigs for dinner! 

19) Park Attendant

20) Neighbors

21) Austin!

Overall, it has been a FANTASTIC day to say the least! I loved watching the expressions on people's faces when I handed them a valentine. :) It was so fun to share the love. And to think you too could share the love with me for the next 320 days! Let's get to work.

God bless & Happy Valentine's Day,

Kailee

Day 44: Became An Organ Donor

Today, I donated life! For some reason when I turned 16, I was not asked to be a donor, so I figured I renew my license tomorrow and I might as well sign up now. As an added bonus, tomorrow is national organ donor day! What a perfect opportunity to share the love with donating life.

So, if you have not pledged to donate life, I encourage you to do so! It literally took me less than a minute. Below are steps to do so:

1) Go to this website.
http://www.organdonor.gov/becomingdonor/index.html

2) Click on 'Register in your class to become a donor.'

3) Click on your state

4) Fill out the information

5) Become a donor!

God bless & have a very Happy Valentine's Day!

Kailee

Day 43: A Valentine for the Mail Carrier

While I was sick, I missed national Thank A Mailman Day. Today, I decided to take the liberty and give our mail carrier a valentine. I found a cute box of chocolate for $1 (not expensive at all), stuck a note on the box and then placed the valentine in our mailbox. Again, a very easy task. :)

I encourage you to, sometime soon, make a point to thank your mail carrier as well. What they do is a service to you, so even they deserve a little thank you every now and then.

 God Bless,

Kailee

Day 42: Joined Forces

There are only six short days until Miss Spokane/ Inland Empire, so it is time to feature another sister. Brittany Cozza is Miss Inland Empire and her platform is titled Joining Forces- Serving America's Military and Their Families. She has spent her year working with the armed forces and promoting their service. After finding out a little bit more about her platform, I was struggling to decide between so many ideas on what I could do for her and her platform. It hit me when Tiffany and I ran into Brittany on National Pancake Day.

(Brittany Cozza, Miss Inland Empire 2012)

Tiffany has a brother who served in the Marines and now works for a recruiting office in Spokane. Tiff and Brittany chatted about his service and as they did, I decided I would do something to show my appreciation for Tiffany's brother. This was a someone within the community whom I could make a difference for. I hadn't already been directly linked to someone in the Spokane area.

I didn't want to buy anything too sweet for men who were trained to eat well. So, I resorted to Tiffany's sister-in-law, who conceptualized the idea we went with. We started with a mug and Starbucks gift card for coffee, mints (it's not a candy), pens, highlighters and notepad for recruitment.

Tiff and I then made a trip to see him and drop off the gift. I was able to meet her brother, Matt and two other recruiters. All were so pleasant and appreciative and I am so happy I was able to come together and join forces. 

God bless all of those who have served, are serving or will serve in the Armed Forces & their families! 

Love, Kailee

Day 41: Hats Off For Cancer

Erica Scevers, a Miss Whatcom County contestant, brought this important cause to my attention. This information was taken directly from her Facebook Event- Hats off for cancer: Hat Drive 2013:
 "Since 1996, Hats off for Cancer has collected and donated over 1.5 million hats to children battling cancer.

Hats off for Cancer began as a two person operation and has grown into a nationally recognized organization. Their mission is to reach out to children battling cancer, to make a child's day a bit happier and their smile a bit brighter. "

She is hosting the hat drive now until this Sunday! She is accepting all kinds of donations from beanies to baseball caps. Below is the address where donations may be sent:

Erica Scevers
P.O. Box 657
Ferndale WA, 98248

All donations will be taken to the Seattle Children's Hospital the first week of March!

After hearing about this incredible event, I started to think if I had any unused hats laying around that would benefit others more than myself. I came up with a few and now I encourage you to do the same. Rummage around and see if you have a baseball cap that a young boy may enjoy, or a cute beanie that a little girl will look adorable in. The more the merrier!

Good luck in all your future endeavors Erica!

God bless, 

Kailee

Day 40: Kisses For My Neighbors

At the very beginning of the year, I searched the web for obscure holidays. I found ones that aren't printed on calendars and ones that often are not celebrated. Today is one of those days! It's national Hersey Kiss day! In honor of the overlooked holiday, I bought a bag of kisses to hand out to my neighbors.

While at Joann Fabrics, I found these adorable bags to deliver the kisses in.

 

Then I typed up a note in a cinch and placed it in the bag with the kisses.

 

Once the gifts were complete, I placed them on the doorsteps and doorknobs of my neighbors and hope they enjoy!

Now it is your turn! Spread the love with hugs and/or kisses- real or chocolate ;).

 

 

-XO

Kailee

Day 39: Sent A Card To A Friend

Yesterday was national Send A Friend A Card day, so I figured I would take the liberty to do so today! The friend I have chosen is one of my very best friends who lives in New York! We share a love for hedgehogs, so I thought this card was suitable!

Do you have a friend that you haven't spoken to in a while? Take this time to send them a nice card! With Valentine's Day just around the corner, this is a perfect time!