Day 240: A Life Jacket For Paris

In 2005 we lost a little angel due to a preventable accident. My boss at the salon and a family friend of ours lost her 2 year old niece, Paris, in a drowning accident. In august following the incident, Paris' family created The Paris White Foundation. Their goal is to "educate and inform people about how serious drowning and near drownings can be." This foundation is working to collect life jackets for areas near water in Washington. This will allow those who have forgotten a life jacket an opportunity to stay safe and still have fun on the water.

Knowing the summer season is coming to an end, my dad and I ran to Sports Authority and picked out an infant's life jacket. Drowning is the 2nd leading cause among children 1-15 and a life jacket can simply save one more life. They are on sale now, so if anyone is feeling really nice they can also buy a life jacket to donate! You can learn more about Paris and The Paris White Foundation at pariswhite.com. In addition to creating their own foundation, Paris' family also works with Safe Kids USA.

God bless & stay safe,

Kailee

Day 201: SafeKids

It is that time once again! Miss Tri-Cities 2013 will be crowned this evening and I couldn't be more excited. Before this happens, I would like to take a minute and look back on one fantastic girl's year. A year ago, I crowned the phenomenal Halle Goodwin and she was off on an incredible journey. This July, I had the opportunity to compete with her at Miss Washington. I have loved the time I have spent with her and I know she will go off to bigger and better opportunities. Let's meet Halle.

1.) What is your platform?
HG: SafeKids- Preventing Unintentional Injuries

2) How can others get involved with SafeKids?
HG: Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 to SafeKids for every photo you share on the Donate A Photo app!

3) Why did you choose this platform?
HG: My mother is the ordinate of the Benton Franklin chapter of SafeKids. I've been volunteering with them since I was 10. When choosing a platform, it was a natural choice!

As Halle mentioned, you can give back to kids safety by uploading a picture onto the app called Donate A Photo! You can upload a new photo once a day. It is so simple and anyone with an smart phone can do it. I whipped out my iPhone and I uploaded the app.  Once I uploaded the photo, I was informed that I had just donated $1 to kids safety thanks to Johnson & Johnson!

God bless,

Kailee

Day 138: Helped With Kidz Dig Rigz

This afternoon a few titleholders and I helped with a local event titled, Kidz Dig Rigz. This is an annual event that is held in the park by Kadlec Medical Center. Trucks, tractor, cars, etc. all gather for this day for the amusement of children and families from all over. For a small fee, the attendees are allowed to meander through the park, sit in all of the cool cars and maybe meet some local heroes, such as firefighters and policeman. The money raised from today will help Kadlec foundation. It was a beautiful day and there were many of cool cars to be seen.

Volunteers helped hand out hard hats and event maps as the families walked in. The girls and I were also asked to greet the attendees and converse with them to make their experience better. 

God bless,

Kailee

Day 131: Bike Day!

It was another early morning for Janae and I. We started off the morning at the Inland Empire Century Bike Ride. The ride was run by Kiwanis Clubs of Columbia and Tri-Cities Industry to raise money for their scholarships. Janae and I were in charge of managing pre-registered riders and riders packets. Bikers received packets with a snack and a t-shirt and could ride anywhere from 25 miles to 100 miles! In the short time that Janae and I were there, we were able to help and mingle with several people. I even ran into a few girls and a teacher who I spoke to last year as Miss Tri-Cities.

After finishing up with the bike ride, we ventured on over to Kadlec Hospital for Safe Kids. The families who attended Safe Kids were able to walk through the parking lot and visit local safety teams like fireman, policeman and dive and rescue. Each year over 1 million children die due to preventable injuries. However, the greatest part of Safe Kids is all children who choose to, get a free bike helmet, so they can be safe when riding their bikes. Janae and I walked around and interacted with all of the kids and helped in any way they needed. Each year it is estimated that 3,500 people attend! If you are in the area and have kids, I highly recommend attending next year. They will love it!

God bless,

Kailee

Day 74: Taste Spokane

If you were granted just one wish, what would it be? If you are unsure of your answer, then you are like me. There are so many amazing experiences and adventures waiting to be had. However, if you do know the answer, then you are much like Wishing Star kids. Children with Wishing Star are kids between the ages of 3-21 who have a life threatening or life shortening illness. Similar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Wishing Star grants one incredible wish to each their 'wish kid'. Below are three children who have processed a wish and are waiting for them to be granted.

(London, Landon and Roan)

To fundraise for future wishes, Wishing Star held their annual fundraiser titled 'Taste Spokane' at Northern Quest Casino. Guests were invited to roam about the tables with tokens which could be traded for samples of delicious food from a plethora of different restaurants, wineries and breweries within the area. While the guests milled about, there was a live band and raffle prizes being sold. This is where I came in. 

I sold raffle tickets to those who wished to purchase them and raised money for Wishing Star by doing so. Each team of sellers was given a specific child to sell for, so Bev and I had precious little London. Our job was to promote the three (phenomenal) raffle prizes, which included a day on the farm and a picnic, an airplane ride above the Northern Idaho lakes or a murder mystery party for the winner and friends. When we sold a ticket, that money was then donated to help make London's wish come that much closer to coming true. She wished for a Dora the Explorer adventure! 

Overall, my time there was a huge success. I learned about the organization and met new connections, but most importantly making more wishes possible for more children! For information on Wishing Star, please click here.

God Bless,

Kailee

Day 26: Became A Big Sister

Today is the Miss Auburn Scholarship Pageant, which means a Miss Washington sister is passing on her title. Tera Sabo's platform is Big Brothers Big Sisters and this is actually how I came up with the idea of featuring my sisters. I had been wanting to get involved with this organization for sometime now, so this was a perfect opportunity. 

(Photo credit: Select Photography) 

A big brother or sister is matched with a little brother or sister and is to act as mentor to them. Because my platform is empowering youth to take the lead, I look for any chance to inspire youth and positively encourage them to chase their dreams. Big Brothers Big Sisters' mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. How exciting right? If there is anything I have learned by working with kids, it is the feeling of pride and accomplishment you feel when you see them succeed and smile.  

You can become a big by clicking here. There are several requirements to be a big though, which include: 

1. Must be 18 or older
2. Must have a valid driver's license 
3. Commit to 18 months 
4. Visit with your little 2-4 hours a day, 2-4 times a month 

Although I haven't yet met my little, I am so excited for the adventures to come! 

Have a random act of kindness you would like me to try? Comment below.

God bless,

Kailee

Day 17: Began Volunteering At West Central Community Center

This afternoon, I began my volunteer work at West Central Community Center. For those of you that don't know, WCCC is a local after school program for elementary school children in the area. The center is very similar to a Boys and Girls Club.  This is a safe place where children can learn, grow and expand their horizons. The staff is there to encourage, mentor and empower the kids.

Their mission states: The West Central Community Center has been established to provide social, health, recreation & educations services to the community to help improve the quality of life for it's families. (Click on the logo to learn more.)

I am so excited about the time I will be spending at the center. I already feel a strong connection with a few of the kids and hope I am able to encourage, mentor and empower them as well. Sometimes, all a child needs is someone who will give them attention and listen to them.

Have a random act of kindness you would like me to try? Comment below.

God bless, 

Kailee