2010 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Newsletter

Hello Everyone

The following is a link to the 2010 Take 25 Newsletter on behalf of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children where there were 3,532 events hosted in over 1,386 cities!!!!!

http://www.take25.org/res/pdf/2010%20Take%2025%20Campaign.pdf

The newsletter also includes an article on the Georgia program partners which was hosted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation with supporting organizations including the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the Georgia Mason's Child Identification Program, and Miss Black Georgia USA 2010, Kimberly Jones!

I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the campaign and making a difference in keeping our children safe. Please join me and all of the other 2010 Miss Black USA delegates in the campaign by raising awareness of the issues surrounding missing and exploited children and making child safety a national priority!!!

Miss Black USA 2010 Updates!

Greetings, everyone! The moment we've all been waiting for is swiftly approaching. I wanted to update everyone on the dates, times, locations, and ticket information for the 2010 Miss Black USA 2010 Scholarship Pageant where I, along with the other state delegates will participate.

Miss Black USA 2010 Pageant
August 7-9, 2010
Washington, DC

Official Hotel:
Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center
201 Waterfront Street
National Harbor, MD 20745
(301) 965-2000
www.nationalharbor.com
$159.00 plus tax

Tickets:
Pre-Sale Ticket Dates: June 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010
General Public Ticket Sale Dates: July 1, 2010

Miss Black USA 2010 Pageant Events, Dates, Times, Locations, and Prices:
Miss Black USA 2010 Preliminary 1 (Evening Gown and Personal Fitness): Saturday, August 7, 2010, 12:00 pm, Gaylord National Resort, Pose Lounge (18th floor), Tickets $20

Miss Black USA 2010 Preliminary 2 (Talent and On Stage Q&A): Saturday, August 7, 2010, 8:00 pm, Suitland HS, Annabelle Ferguson Auditorium, 5200 Silver Hill Road, Forestville, MD 20747, Tickets $20

Miss Black USA 2010 Final Night Pageant: Monday, August 9, 2010, (5:30 pm Red Carpet) and (7:30 pm Showtime), Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20009-4442, (202) 328-6000
VIP Seats: $100 (Red Carpet, Premium Seat)
General Admission Seats: $40
Balcony Seats: $25

Miss Black USA Prayer Breakfast: Sunday, August 8, 2010, 8:00am, Gaylord National Resort, Tickets $40

Miss Black USA 2010 Teen Pageant
The Miss Black USA 2010 Talent Teen Pageant (Ages 13-18 years old) will also be held Sunday, August 8, 2010, 5:30 pm, Gaylord National Harbor Resort, Tickets $25.

Visit http://www.missblackusa.org/ to purchase tickets for the events! Go under the "Shop" tab and you can find access to online ticket sales.

I will keep you all updated with more information as I receive it. Addtionally, I'm still graciously accepting donations in any amount. Every little bit counts, and I truly appreciate all of your help thus far. I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend!

Georgia's Missing and Exploited Children's Day

Hello, again! On May 22, 2010, I visited Georgia's Missing and Exploited Children's Day event in Decatur, GA. It was hosted by the Bureau of Investigation, and the purpose of this event was to get more children fingerprinted and identified in the program's system. Children were fingerprinted, weighed, and measured for their height. They even left voice recordings to assist with their identification. There were a lot of fun games and activities for the children to participate in. It is important that parents get their children identified, and for more information, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.com, or www.take25.org.

Martha Shipp Scholarship Program

Hello! I was blessed to give the words of encouragement at Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church in Columbus, GA on behalf of the Martha Shipp Scholarship on May 16, 2010. This scholarship is given every year to deserving high school students in the church's community. I attended a morning service and offered a few words about my great-grandmother, Mrs. Martha Shipp. I also spoke about how students should stay on the path to knowledge and success, while informing them of a few of the tips I've picked up along my own way. I wish the best of luck to all of the recipients of the scholarship, and I am thankful to have been chosen to speak on behalf of such a prestigious honor.

The Girls Circle

Greetings!

I must say that I had an excellent time with the lovely young ladies of The Girls Circle on May 15, 2010. I visited Columbus, GA, where a lot of my maternal family resides, and spent the entire day with a select few young ladies. We started off our day discussing life in general; coming up with different ways to deal with the pressures of our peers and being ladies in our everyday lives. I shared a few stories about how I was faced with tough decisions and how my choices ultimately changed my life. During that portion, we also assessed the advantages and disadvantages of acting on our first instincts, and we discussed the values of thinking things through before acting. Of course we talked about our educations and how we should plan for the future (education is key!).

The young ladies participated in an exercise I use with all of the students I speak with. I ask the students to write down on the unlined side of an index card where they don't want to see themselves ten years from now before we begin our session, and then as we're closing, they write down on the lined side of the card where they do want to see themselves ten years from now. This allows the students to realize that when you actually write down where you want to be, you can get there even faster, because you've already committed to that goal. It also helps you think about where you don't want to be and ensure that you'll never be there. I make them place their goals on the lined side as this shows them structure; writing down where they don't want to be on the unlined side shows them what can happen when you don't plan and organize accordingly. I really enjoyed this particular session because I felt there was such a need for me to meet those young ladies. If anything, they definitely taught me to always remember that no matter what age you are, problems will find themselves at your feet. However, we have to keep in mind how our decisions today affect our tomorrows.

After our discussion, we had a mini photo shoot (which is always fun for me lol), and then we ventured out for lunch. We also celebrated Miss Jaquana Bales' birthday by bringing her a cake and singing to her in the middle of the restaurant. I definitely plan to visit these young ladies again, and I encourage each and every one of you to mentor someone in your community... you never know whose life you may change!