Great Video about the importance of our small businesses.
Make small business apart of your every day life, you'll be helping in a big way!
Kindest Regards,
Shannon Lewis
Your Mrs. Punkin Chunkin United States 2012
February 28, 2012
Fashion & Food!
Last night, I had the pleasure of participating in “Catwalk for a Cause” to benefit the National Eating Disorders Association. This event was hosted by Nicole Ortiz, Miss Delaware International 2012 and was part of the first NEDAawareness week in the state of Delaware! The event showcased collections from Delaware boutiques and designers and was hosted at a great venue, the Film Brothers Studio in Wilmington, DE. I was very excited to be part of this event, as eating disorder awareness is an issue that is close to my heart. I worked for several years as a counselor at the Renfrew Center in Philadelphia, which is a residential facility for women struggling with eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. I saw firsthand how detrimental this disease can be to the individual and how devastating it could be for the families, and it was heartbreaking. I also promoted eating disorder awareness as my platform when I competed for Miss Delaware, and I commend Nicole for making such a big step forward in our community.
The fashion show models included pageant titleholders and eating disorder survivors. It was fun to catch up with everyone and meet new people. I wore two outfits for the show. The first outfit I wore was by Shopmamie. It was a cute blush pink cocktail dress with pleats and they accessorized it with gold stud earrings and a long gold necklace. The second outfit I wore was by NOSO Boutique, which is also a sponsor for the Mrs. Delaware United States Pageant. It was a long gold gown with a glam scarf, accessorized with a gold clutch and bracelet. I loved both of my outfits! All of us walked the red carpet runway and “worked it”! It was a lot of fun and for a great cause!
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| My 1st outfit by Shopmamie |
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| My 2nd outfit by Noso Boutique |
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| With Anne from Noso Boutique |
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| With Nicole Ortiz-Miss DE International 2012 |
Today, I participated in the National Pancake Day by IHOP, to benefit Children’s Miracle Network. All IHOP restaurants offered a free short stack of pancakes for all of their customers and encouraged everyone to donate to this non-profit organization. Joining me were Tierra Fair, Miss Brandywine 2012 and Sammi Ponsell, Miss Brandywine Outstanding Teen 2012. I was excited to coordinate this appearance for myself and our two titleholders for the Miss Brandywine Scholarship Organization (which I am a board member of). We had a great time at the IHOP in Wilmington and everyone was so friendly! Today also was an in-service day for elementary schools in the area, which gave us a great opportunity to chat with some cool kids. What better way to celebrate a day off from school than with a free stack of pancakes? It was also nice to brighten the day of a group of school bus drivers who had stopped in between their drive time. We also had an opportunity to meet a representative from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who thanked us for being there. A huge thank you to the IHOP in the Fairfax Shopping Center in Wilmington, DE for allowing us to be part of your day and for being so hospitable and friendly; we had a blast and hope we helped with the contributions to Children’s Miracle Network.
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| Collecting donations for Children's Miracle Network |
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| Loved this little girl's glam glasses! |
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| Happy customers! |
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| With Tierra Fair-Miss Brandywine 2012 & Sammi Ponsell Miss Brandywine Outstanding Teen 2012 |
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| Us with Lisa from CHOP |
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| With the best host at IHOP! |
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| Some of the GREAT staff at IHOP |
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| Thank you IHOP Wilmington!! |
More to come soon, thanks for reading!
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| Photo courtesy of John Schulte |
Until next time,
Melissa Kirk
Mrs. New Castle County United States 2012
February 27, 2012
Busy weekend for Mrs. New Castle County
What a busy weekend I had…I am on my second cup of coffee today! I had some great volunteer opportunities this weekend for some wonderful organizations, while having a great time with some awesome ladies!
On Saturday, I volunteered at the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition’s 9th Annual Southern Lights of Life Gala at Dover Downs. The Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition’s mission is to empower our community by raising awareness of breast health issues and they offer outreach, education and support services. All of the funds raised from the gala benefit DBCC’s Kent and Sussex county programs. Joining me were Shannon Hamlin-Mrs. Townsend United States 2012, Melissa Schulte-Mrs. Delmarva 2012, and Carrie Bledsoe-Miss Delaware Galaxy 2012. We were the “Duck Girls” and helped with the Best Buy Raffle. Holding a tray of rubber ducks, we walked around the gala and encouraged people to buy their ducks for the grand prize of over $3,000 worth of electronics. I had a great time selling my ducks for a great cause, while meeting new people and telling them about my experience as Mrs. New Castle County.
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| Ducks ready for the raffle! |
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| Ducks in a row! :) |
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| With Melissa Schulte, Mrs. Delmarva 2012 |
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| With Melissa and Carrie Bledsoe, Miss Delaware Galaxy 2012 |
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Sunday I spent my day at the Ronald McDonald House in Wilmington, Delaware. The Ronald McDonald House provides a “home away from home” to families of seriously or chronically ill or injured children who are being treated at nearby hospitals. My morning started by volunteering at the American Girl Fashion Show rehearsals. The fashion show is coming up in two weeks and there is a lot of preparation for it. I was part of the video crew, helping each girl with preparing for their video bio, which will be played on the day of the show. It was cool to see the video production take place and I had a great time getting the girls prepared for their time in front of the camera. Some girls were very shy and others were bold, and it was great to see the uniqueness of each girl. I am looking forward to the American Girl Fashion Show on March 10th & 11th. All proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House, so please pass this along to any girls who might be interested in attending.
The afternoon I spent with some great ladies for our Prince and Princess Party at the Ronald McDonald House. Joining me were Melissa Schulte-Mrs. Delmarva 2012, Marlee Alsberg-Miss Delmarva 2012 and Carrie Bledsoe-Miss Delaware Galaxy 2012. I have to say that this, by far, has been one of my favorite volunteer activities to date!! We were greeted by a group of little ladies and gentlemen who were so excited to meet all of us. We helped our Princesses and Princes make their own crowns. It was so rewarding to bring a little bit of fun and a diversion for the families that were staying there. What is great about the Ronald McDonald House is that it really is a “home away from home”; it is operated primarily by volunteers who really go out of their way to make you feel welcome. Thank you for all that you do! I look forward to going back for another visit!
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| With our biggest fan |
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| Melissa and I with the princess |
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| Decorating King crowns for the boys |
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| Group Royalty Shot |
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| Little Princess fixing my crown! |
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| Hanging out with Ronald |
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| Our Honorary Prince! |
I am looking forward to a super busy week ahead; I have a volunteer activity or appearance pretty much every day this week! Better get the coffee ready! :)
Until next time,
Melissa Kirk
Your Mrs. New Castle County United States 2012
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| Photo Courtesy of John Schulte |
February 15, 2012
A Busy February for Mrs. Peach Blossom
I'm always excited to get out into the community and represent COI and the Mrs. Delaware United States system.
In celebration of Black History Month I spent the day at Tench Tigman Elementary/Middle School and talked wit students about this year's black history month theme "African American Women in History and Culture". I talked to the students about some famous pioneering women who have made their mark on this nation but then I introduced them to some women who are not so famous but who have contributed greatly to society.
The students were very receptive to the presentation but they couldn't wait to ask questions about pageantry, my crown and sash and what it takes to be a 'beauty queen'.
I also got a change to give back to the community by donating gloves, scarves and blankets for the "Project Hugs" program. Although fellow pageant sister Melissa Kirk wasn't able to attend the reception, she too donated items for the cause. It was great to hang out with our wonderful director and to meet social workers and community liaisons from Delaware who work so hard to provide services for children living in shelters and foster care in the state.
The reception and Project Hugs campaign was sponsored by the Governor's Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens (GACEC). I'm so glad that Kristin Mullen reached out to Siouxzan about partnering for this event. I can't think of a better way to serve the community than to work with those who help to support children.
I've still go a lot on my calendar so stay tuned.
February 13, 2012
Sunday in Middletown
Happy Monday! I had a great Sunday morning in Middletown yesterday! The day started off at Walmart in Middletown, where myself and Mrs. Delmarva 2012, Melissa Schulte collected money for the Children's Miracle Network. Children's Miracle Network is also Miss America's national platform, so I am familiar with it as a board member for the Miss Brandywine scholarship pageant (a Miss Delaware local preliminary) as we also raise money for this wonderful charity. Children's Miracle Network funds are often used to purchase hospital equipment and pay for uncompensated care, with the goal of saving and improving the lives of as many children as possible. I had a great time with Melissa and we had fun catching up while handing out CMN "swag" (free Children's Miracle Network stuff) for donations. We even befriended some brave Girl Scouts selling cookies outside, and I left with a box of thin mints!
Then I headed to Louis Marie Bridal for my bridal gown fitting for their upcoming fashion show. The 2012 Middletown Bridal Expo will be held on Sunday, March 4th from 12noon-4pm at the Middletown Memorial Hall. I will be one of the models for this fashion show and I am SO excited to wear my dress! I am not going to give anything away..you are just going to have to see it for yourself! :) Learn more about the expo by clicking here.
I ended my morning in Middletown by stopping by Your Creation Station for their "Pottery for Pitbulls" event. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring my guy Barron (I don't think the bridal store would have liked that! :) but I wanted to make a donation to this great organization. Response-a-Bull Rescue is a non-profit organization in Delaware that is devoted to Pit Bulls and Bully breeds, to help rescue, educate, and promote responsible ownership. Ernie and I adopted our "four legged son" Barron over the Christmas holiday, who is a Lab/Bully mix. We love him and he is such a sweet heart, so any organization that believes in giving these guys a second chance is a friend of mine! Please visit their website and support their efforts.
I am looking forward to more volunteer work in the future, it is one of the great things about being a titleholder. Hope you have a great week!
Until Next Time,
Melissa Kirk
Mrs. New Castle County United States 2012
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| At the Walmart in Middletown for Children's Miracle Network |
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| With Melissa Schulte, Mrs. Delmarva 2012 |
I ended my morning in Middletown by stopping by Your Creation Station for their "Pottery for Pitbulls" event. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring my guy Barron (I don't think the bridal store would have liked that! :) but I wanted to make a donation to this great organization. Response-a-Bull Rescue is a non-profit organization in Delaware that is devoted to Pit Bulls and Bully breeds, to help rescue, educate, and promote responsible ownership. Ernie and I adopted our "four legged son" Barron over the Christmas holiday, who is a Lab/Bully mix. We love him and he is such a sweet heart, so any organization that believes in giving these guys a second chance is a friend of mine! Please visit their website and support their efforts.
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| Our boy Barron |
Until Next Time,
Melissa Kirk
Mrs. New Castle County United States 2012
Children's Miracle Network
I had the great pleasure to volunteer Saturday February 4, 2012 for a great cause; The Children's Miracle Network at our local Middletown Wal-Mart. They will be raising funds every weekend. Stop by and show your support.
Kindest Regards,
Shannon Lewis
Your Mrs. Punkin Chunkin United States 2012
Kindest Regards,
Shannon Lewis
Your Mrs. Punkin Chunkin United States 2012
February 10, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day from Mrs. New Castle County
Happy Friday Everyone!
Valentine's Day is right around the corner. I have always been a fan of V-Day, it's a great opportunity to let others know you are thinking about them. Ernie and I are looking forward to an early celebration this weekend and I am looking forward to a yummy dinner! :)
As you know, my platform is "Stay Aware, Stay Safe", which focuses on educating women on how they can keep themselves and their families safe by increasing their awareness, making smart decisions, and being more confident. One of the organizations that I am involved with regarding my platform is RAINN: Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization and operates the
National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE and the National Sexual
Assault Online Hotline at www.rainn.org
This year, RAINN is offering special E-cards which you can send to your loved ones. Each card is only $2.50 each and all the proceeds will benefit survivors of sexual violence. It is a great and easy way to donate so an amazing organization and the cards are very cute! Check out the page below and click here to buy your cards now!
Published on RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest
National Network (http://rainn.org)
Valentine's Day E-Cards
A gift to RAINN in honor of your Valentine will make a lasting difference for
survivors of sexual violence. RAINN's special edition e-cards are perfect not
only to send to your Valentine, but also to your friends, family and anyone else
whose day you'd like to brighten. Simply choose from one of the unique e-cards
below and type in a special message for the recipient. Each e-card is $2.50 and
all proceeds will directly benefit survivors of sexual violence.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!
Until
Next Time,
Melissa
Kirk
Mrs.
New Castle County United States 2012
Make Small Business Your Valentine
Doing what I can to raise awareness to our communities and state about how important our small businesses are !!!! Just thought I'd share this:
With Valentine's Day next week, make small business one of your Valentine's and show your support with shopping your favorite local small business!
Kindest Regards,
Shannon Lewis
Your Mrs.Punkin Chunkin United States 2012
With Valentine's Day next week, make small business one of your Valentine's and show your support with shopping your favorite local small business!
Kindest Regards,
Shannon Lewis
Your Mrs.Punkin Chunkin United States 2012
February 7, 2012
Tom Foolery's Has Heart Fundraiser
It was an honor to volunteer at the Tom Foolery's has Heart Fundraiser on January 28th. The event was set up to help raise money for the American Heart Association Wilmington Heart Ball, which will be held at the Chase Center on the Riverfront on March 3rd. It was very heart warming to see so many people in the community come out and give their support.
In photo (left to right): Mrs. Punkin Chunkin United States 2012, Quinn Johnson our local State Representative
Kindest Regards,
Your Mrs. Punkin Chunkin United States 2012
Shannon Lewis
Mrs. Punkin Chunkin met with C&D Marketing Group
I had the pleasure to attend a C&D Marketing Group Meeting on January 26th. They are a small business networking group in the Middletown area that focus on helping support each other by referral exchanges, business to business relationship building, and provide motivational encouragement to each other. As I am an advocate to help support small business this was a wonderful experience to get to talk with the members of the group. I was very impressed to see the dedication they have to meet so early in the morning to help grow each others businesses. These types of groups are very important because they help grow our local small businesses despite the economy. Remember to support your local businesses; it will help out our community , state and country.
In photo (left to right): Mrs. Punkin Chunkin United States 2012, Frank Montisano owner of Excel Business Systems/President of C&D Marketing Group
In photo (left to right): Mrs.Punkin Chunkin United States 2012, Ara Atkinson-Skinner owner of Ara Illustrated Studio GroupKindest Regards,
Your Mrs. Punkin Chunkin United States 2012
Shannon Lewis
February 6, 2012
Polar Bear Plunge Weekend
Hello everyone and Happy February!
I started this month by participating in an awesome charity weekend for the Special Olympics Delaware...the Polar Bear 5K and Plunge!! Special Olympics Delaware is a fantastic organization, and has been changing the lives of Delawareans for 40 years. They focus on sports training and competition to prove that no disability is too great to overcome. I participated in this weekend in memory of my Uncle Buddy, who had Down Syndrome. Uncle Buddy never let anything get in his way, and he was known for being a joker in the family. I am sure he would have gotten a kick out of the weekend!
The weekend started off with a 5K Run to the Plunge. Now, I am not a great runner and I will be the first to admit it! I actually just recently started running 5Ks, and my involvement with them has been less than a year. I started off HATING to run, now I would say I don't love it, but I dislike it less! :) I enjoy participating in 5Ks because it allows me to be active, but also give back and learn about so many great organizations. My friend and I joke that we are part of "Team Jog" because we are not the fastest runners, but we always manage to finish, even if it is at a jogging pace! This was my first 5K for 2012, and surprisingly I did pretty well and actually cut my time by 6 minutes!
I started this month by participating in an awesome charity weekend for the Special Olympics Delaware...the Polar Bear 5K and Plunge!! Special Olympics Delaware is a fantastic organization, and has been changing the lives of Delawareans for 40 years. They focus on sports training and competition to prove that no disability is too great to overcome. I participated in this weekend in memory of my Uncle Buddy, who had Down Syndrome. Uncle Buddy never let anything get in his way, and he was known for being a joker in the family. I am sure he would have gotten a kick out of the weekend!
The weekend started off with a 5K Run to the Plunge. Now, I am not a great runner and I will be the first to admit it! I actually just recently started running 5Ks, and my involvement with them has been less than a year. I started off HATING to run, now I would say I don't love it, but I dislike it less! :) I enjoy participating in 5Ks because it allows me to be active, but also give back and learn about so many great organizations. My friend and I joke that we are part of "Team Jog" because we are not the fastest runners, but we always manage to finish, even if it is at a jogging pace! This was my first 5K for 2012, and surprisingly I did pretty well and actually cut my time by 6 minutes!
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| Run to the Plunge 5K |
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| Ice Sculpture Contest |
Then Sunday was the Big Day...the Plunge! This was my first Plunge, and I was a little nervous; I am not a fan of the cold!! The water temperature that day was 47 degrees, which apparently is the warmest to date...although it didn't feel like it!! I participated in the plunge with my friend Marisa and Miss Brandywine Outstanding Teen, Sammi Ponsell (it was her first plunge too!) We did lots of jumping jacks and dancing in place right before our coats came off to warm up..it didn't make much of a difference, lol! When it was finally time, all of us sprinted into the ocean and very shortly sprinted back!! It was COLD!! It took me about an hour before I was able to feel my toes again!!
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| Rocking my Plunge Sweatshirt! |
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| Marisa, Sammi & I with the Polar Bear |
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| Me and the Turtles! |
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| Getting ready to Plunge..SO COLD! |
Some of my friends and family thought I was nuts to get into the ice cold ocean in February. But I would do it again in a heartbeat and am looking forward to next year! The energy that day was amazing...3,685 Polar Bears participated and over $650,000 was raised to benefit the Special Olympics Delaware! I am so proud to be part of this great contribution!
Until next time,
Melissa Kirk
Mrs. New Castle County United States 2012
February 3, 2012
Coffee for a Cause
Today I had the pleasure of supporting fellow pageant sister, Nicole Ortiz who is representing the state of Delaware at Miss International 2012. She hosted an event at the Java House Cafe in Middletown, Delaware to promote and raise funds for her personal platform, “No Body’s Perfect.”
Having overcome anorexia and bulimia herself, Nicole is committed to educating the community about eating disorders and destructive decisions is a very personal endeavor.
Nicole hosted a full house tonight and was busy making delicious coffee drinks in between photo ops.
So excited for Nicole as she continues to promote her personal platform a the system platform, American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement and wish her the best as she prepares for this year's competition.