Time for a special Valentine’s Day edition of the Mail Bag. Send me your valentines and we’ll get them in here for next week!
We know no one uses mail anymore, but here in the mailbag we put a selection of Instagram posts, Facebook posts and Twitter posts that we’ve been tagged in.
The Miss America Organization honors the memory of Shelly Taylor, Executive Director of the Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant. A much loved and dedicated volunteer for over 30 years and the 2014 Miss America Academy of Honor Award Recipient. She was truly committed to the Miss America program and its mission of empowering young women through education.
Shelley began volunteering for the Miss Michigan Organization in the mid 1970’s. Through the years, she held various positions that ultimately led her to being named the Miss Michigan Executive Director in 2006.
Shelley worked tirelessly to bring sponsors and new scholarship awards to the Miss Michigan Scholarship Program. She always sought ways to improve the organization and worked to introduce new local competitions, as well as new contestants to this worthwhile opportunity.
The Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant has celebrated several Miss Americas and the program continued to achieve under Shelley’s dedicated leadership. Miss America 1939 Patricia Donnelly Harris, Nancy Anne Fleming Lange (1961), Pam Eldred (1970), Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson (1988), Kirsten Haglund (2008), and Miss Michigan’s Outstanding Teen 2006 Nina Davuluri went on to win the Miss New York title and ultimately became Miss America 2014.
In 2014, Shelley was recognized on the Miss America stage for her tremendous leadership and selfless support of the Miss America Organization by being awarded with the 2014 Miss America Academy of Honor Award, a special annual recognition for a volunteer with at least 20 years of outstanding success and accomplishment.
Kaye Lani Rae Rafko, Miss America 1988: “Our friendship spanned over 30 years…It is hard to imagine the Miss Michigan Program without her. For almost 40 years, Shelley has been supporting, guiding, and embracing the young women of Miss Michigan and the people of the Miss America Organization. She treated every contestant as “her girl” and made us all feel so very special when we were with her. She nurtured our Miss Michigan Program like a family. Her friendship, leadership, and the many gifts she shared with all of us here in Michigan and throughout The Miss America Organization will always be remembered and treasured.”
Gretchen Carlson, Miss America 1989 and MAO Executive Chair & CEO: “The Miss America family has lost a dear and most beloved friend. We are comforted in the selfless love Shelley expressed towards everyone she met, especially the incredible women, volunteers, and staff of the Miss America Organization. Shelley has positively impacted this organization and she will continue to reach countless lives each and every day because of her tireless dedication. Thank you Shelley Taylor for your leadership, friendship, and love.”
Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008:
“Shelley’s love, warmth, and sassy spirit were evident to all who knew her. She was a constant source of encouragement to me, throughout my time competing in the Miss America Organization and in the years following. A dear friend to my entire family, she will remembered for her steadfast belief in the importance of giving back, self-sacrifice, and commitment. I will miss Shelley’s courageous attitude and positivity, and know that her legacy will live on in Michigan and continue to inspire others to servant leadership.”
Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014:
“I met Shelley when I was 16 years old competing in the Miss Michigan’s Outstanding Teen program. From the beginning, there was never a dull moment with her! She cheered me on at MAOTeen, came to my high school graduation, watched me from the sidelines as I went to college and encouraged me to find my true self and grow into the woman I was meant to be. She was one of my biggest supporters and mentors. During my last year competing at Miss New York, she encouraged me to express myself and embrace my culture and heritage. The funny thing about Shelley is that every time I went to her with a problem, she would never offer a solution, but would make me work through every possible outcome and choose a path for myself. During my year as Miss America, Shelley was one person I could always count on to give it to me straight in the most comical way. Catching up with her was always a treat! Her love for people was endless and she was there for me and my family during the happiest and most difficult of times. Thank you Shelley for giving your heart and soul to all of us and this program. You truly helped me become the person I am today and I am forever grateful for your love and guidance. Your legacy continues to live on through myself and the countless young women you have touched. We love you dear friend. Until we meet again.”
About The Miss America Organization (MAO) The Miss America Organization, a 501(c)4 non-profit organization, is the nation’s leading advocate for women’s education and the largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women in the United States, awarding millions of dollars annually. The Miss America Organization is comprised of 51 organizations, including all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Miss America contestants contribute tens of thousands of community service hours annually and have raised over $16 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and Miss America scholarships since 2007. For more information, visit www.MissAmerica.org.
Kamie Crawford, Miss Teen USA 2010, provided her autograph card for me back when the Miss USA pageant worked more closely with the program. These were back in the days where a beauty pageant podcast was a fairly rare thing.
If you would like your autograph card featured here on a future Thursday with the PageantCast Vault, autograph your card and either scan it and send it to submit@pageantcast.com or contact me at the same email and I’ll send you the physical address to mail it to me.
We know no one uses mail anymore, but here in the mailbag we put a selection of Instagram posts, Facebook posts and Twitter posts that we’ve been tagged in.
The Executive Planning team of Mrs. Canada Globe (www.mrscanadaglobe.com) has turned up the competition for 2018. In the past few years Canada has placed in the top 10 at the Mrs. Globe competition in China, and they want to move up the ranks.
“This year is going to be exciting competition. We began a new partnership with the Your Time Women’s Empowerment Foundation who suggested we add a series of questions in the preliminaries for the candidates says Kimberly Castle, National Director of Mrs. Canada Globe. “Our judging panel needs to get to know our candidates earlier in the competition and be confident that they can represent Canada on the international stage.”
Working alongside Kimberly is Lisa Peters as Executive Producer of Mrs. Canada Globe 2018 and together they have decided that our viewers need to understand this pageant is more than a beauty contest. Mrs. Globe winners are well educated with strong communication skills and incredible leadership qualities. Overall first impressions are important, and the ability to answer questions and engage the audience weighs heavily.
Self-confidence comes out in on-stage presence, and more importantly it comes out in voices. In the preliminary competition, the ladies are judged 40% their Personality Profile, along with Evening wear at 30% and Swimsuit at 30%. But for the Finals, all previous scores are discarded, and the judges are scoring 50% on overall impression and 50% on the On-Stage Question. So, to ensure a strong winner, Castle & Peters decided to bring in a judge that cannot see them, but only hear them. Ashley Nemeth is legally Blind.
Ashley Nemeth (via Linked In)
Ashley Nemeth is recognized as a vocal advocate who breaks down barriers for the blind and partially sighted community. Ashley’s vision problems began early in childhood. A genetic disease called ocular albinism, which results in a lack of pigmentation in the iris and retina needed for normal vision, and other eye issues meant what little sight she had slowly diminished. She got her first pair of glasses at age three. By the time she was a teen, she’d lost most of her vision. Today at 31, Nemeth can only perceive light.
As a role model she is breaking down barriers and stigmas and misconceptions and addressing issues that her community faces by speaking publicly to the media, as a motivational speaker, a CNIB spokesperson and staff member, on her blog (www.blindmovingon.com), Facebook page, Twitter page, and YouTube channel. She is also a leader by example and represents the ‘possibilities’ for people with sight issues by achieving a high level of independence and mastering living life to its fullest, not letting disability determine what she can and can’t do.
“We are very excited to have Ashley join our panel of judges, she brings a guarantee against unintentional bias.”, says Peters.
Preliminaries will be held on Friday, February 9 at the What Women Want event at the new International Trade Centre, Evraz Place, the finals will be held on Sunday, February 11 from 12 noon to 2pm, same location. Admission is free with your entry to the What Women Want event (www.whatwomenwantevent.com).
Since 1996 the Mrs. Globe (www.mrsglobe.com) pageant has been producing one of the most recognized and celebrated international pageants for Mrs’ in the world. Our mission is to create a once in a lifetime experience for Canadian women ages 22+ to achieve their dreams and goals through philanthropy and pageantry. Mrs. Canada Globe encourages and supports their delegates and women in our communities to achieve their goals and dreams, in addition to, giving back to organizations and causes that contribute to the empowerment of fellow women locally, nationally and across the globe.
This year Mrs. Canada Globe will be raising funds for Your Time. Women’s Empowerment Foundation. www.YourTimeFoundation.com.
Susan Pagan, Mrs. Transcontinental – Fantastic Favorite 5
Interview with Susan Pagan, Mrs. Transcontinental includes her Favorite Five things in a semi-entertaining game show!
Submitting material to the PageantCast is as easy as 1-2-3!
Come up with an idea! (We know you have a great one! A recent crowning! A shout out! An appearance you just did!)
Record a short video (8 to 28 seconds is best) on your phone or webcam; remember to tell us your name and title in the video
Andrea Berndt, Miss St. Francis 2006, was a Miss America pageant system contestant that always was very kind to the show.
If you would like your autograph card featured here on a future Thursday with the PageantCast Vault, autograph your card and either scan it and send it to submit@pageantcast.com or contact me at the same email and I’ll send you the physical address to mail it to me.
