Ms. Wheelchair America Fundraiser

 

 

The fundraiser for me, Ms. Wheelchair Washington, was amazing!! All the money from the fundraiser goes towards sending me to the national competition for Ms. Wheelchair America. The competition will be held in Houston, Texas from July 15th through the 21st. The fundraiser was so magical. I was really anxiously awaiting this event all week. Family and friends gathered together to support and celebrate the accomplishment of being Ms. Wheelchair Washington. I felt so loved!! Everything flowed beautifully. The first hour people slowly filed in a mingled, I flitted around like a butterfly saying hi and taking pictures. Then dinner was served. While the guests were eating dinner they were entertained by vocalists and dancers and I went backstage and changed into my dance outfit. I was so self-conscious in my outfit at first. I’m not use to wearing dance clothes. I’ve been a closet dancer for years and this was my first live dance performance. I was so nervous, but once I got on stage I felt magical energy coming out of me! It was a thrilling experience to dance! I’m forever changed. After my dance performance my dear friend Rob and MC for the night filled the audience in on my platform and our friendship story as I went backstage and changed back into my dress, crown and sash. Then I came out and shared my vision as Ms. Wheelchair Washington to change schools with the message of “The Power of Words” and to start and integrated arts program called Pure Expressions. Then I sang “Thank You for the Music” to share my gratitude for their support. Then we finished off the night with dancing!!!! When I left the event I felt like I was flying! I am so excited to go to nationals!!

 

 

Peninsula High School

As Ms. Wheelchair Washington I had the amazing privilege of being a guest speaker at Peninsula High School. I presented “The Power of Words” in the health classroom for all 6 periods in the day. It was a crazy ride! The day flies by fast with only 5 minutes between class and 30 mins for lunch. For each class I shared my story and asked them questions to get them thinking about ways they can create a positive environment in their school. Then I split them up into groups and had them brainstorm ways they could make positive changes at school. Each class had a different energy.Surprisingly the 6th period class had the highest energy. It was like presenting to GLEE! They were so inquisitive, deep and they got me to sing for them. Every time I have these back to back presentations I learn so much and have the opportunity to grow and learn exponentially because the repetition of presentations. I also got to talk to several teachers throughout the day about the inclusion model of education. It was so inspiring to collaborate with visionaries in the education world.