Where to begin?

Life was certainly a whirlwind while at Mrs. United States and hasn't slowed since. First of all, many congratulations to Shannon Ford, Mrs. Florida, who was crowned Mrs. United States on finals night, August 4th. She, the top twelve, and ALL 54 delegates were honestly some of the most accomplished and impressive women I've ever met in my life, and I am truly blessed to know and to be among them. As for life since then, in summary, we returned home from the national pageant in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 6th to spend Sunday the 7th sleeping since our flights home were changed to include a lovely redeye. On Monday I was off to Upper Darby to catch a Janet Jackson concert with my sorority sister, Jess. The rest of the week included a quick visit from our UK friend Mark, followed by meeting former Philadelphia Eagles' player Vince Papale (subject of the Disney film Invincible), and hubs' 30th birthday bash that Friday.


The week after I generally had some opportunities to rest at home! I devoted the extra time to preparing myself for going back to school (read: lots of laundry), squeezed in an appearance at Pride in the Park to support my aunt's anti-bullying efforts as a part of her campaign for Allentown School Board, then kicked off the new school year with teacher in-service the following week. Mid-week I met with my friends at Allentown Beverage to discuss the planning of a local pageant initiative, Miss Lehigh Valley Bud (yes, the beer), which will benefit local charities including one of my favorites, No Kill Lehigh Valley. I am currently serving as their pageant guru and will likely end up officially titled as contestant and production coordinator in order to ensure a well-run inaugural event, projected to be held around June 2012. That Friday I drove out to Williamsport for the Williamsport Welcomes the World block party celebrating the Little League World Series and met some great people, among them those devoted to service as a part of the Williamsport Kiwanis Club.

This past week I met my new students, previewed what's ahead for this year, and administered summer reading exams. Throughout, I've been communicating with local Zumba instructors and the facility managers where they conduct their classes to plan a series of Party in Pink Zumbathon events to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure through the month of October. Additionally, I was asked to serve as my school's Gay-Straight Alliance Advisor so I've been locating resources and developing activities for our first meeting to determine the initiatives to which we will commit this year.

Our Labor Day weekend will be spent the happiest of ways...celebrating the union of our dear friends Nick and Amie as they marry on Sunday...therefore we will be traveling to Massachusetts for the ceremony rehearsal and dinner on Saturday and the wedding and reception itself on Sunday, then we'll head home on Monday. I am honored to be a part of Amie's bridal party and am looking forward to being a part of their life together as a married couple.

Now I realize the preceding rundown includes A LOT of information but I tried to keep it as concise as possible. There is so much to share that short of starting a book I wouldn't know where to begin. I have many upcoming events that will be added to the Calendar of Events on the Mrs. Pennsylvania United States website, so please bookmark the page if you're interested in following my whereabouts. I should be back to regular posting as the events occur and I get fully acclimated to my back-to-school routine!

Dream Big/Do Good,
Kate

MBOBB, Worthwhile Style, All-Star Game, Car Show, & VEGAS, baby!

Last post I discussed the Kickstarter campaign for More Business of Being Born...I am happy to report that Ricki and Abby have reached their goal and will be able to properly and independently promote and distribute their films to educate women everywhere about birth options! I can't wait to receive my documentary DVDs and see my name rolling in the "Special Thanks" section of the credits...not to mention all of the fabulous information I am positive each episode will contain about empowering women to take back their birth experience.

I am also happy to report that my Worthwhile Style fashion event was very well-received by the community, and we reached over 100 people, many of whom were unaware of Valley Youth House and/or the work they do. The event boasted local celebrities Jaciel Cordoba and Eve Tannery, morning anchors for WFMZ 69 News, who modeled fashion designer Pamela Ptak's latest creations. We were also honored and humbled by the presence of Marlene "Linny" Fowler, community philanthropist, whose generosity across the Lehigh Valley has made countless programs and opportunities possible. My two favorite moments of the night included the Valley Youth House client spotlight on Marie Acevedo Smith, who spoke about her experience in VYH's "Supervised Independent Living" program, and when Pamela and I were able to take our closing runway walk hand-in-hand for a final pose in front of a very appreciative audience.

The day after I attended the Lehigh Valley Men's Senior Baseball League and Men's Adult Baseball League All-Star games at Coca-Cola park, home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. This year's event featured not only a blood drive but also a breast cancer awareness fundraiser, so I was delighted to take part in bringing more visibility to the league's efforts.

Another worthy cause to which I devoted some time was the PennMustangs Mustang Muscle Car Show held at Haldeman Ford Lincoln on Lehigh Street in Allentown. While a car show might not at first seem like a likely place to raise awareness for a cause, PennMustangs founder Ric Reppert, with whom I went to high school, made the Nicole Reppert Foundation the beneficiary of all proceeds of the event. The Nicole Reppert Foundation was created in memory of Nicole, who died from injuries sustained in a house fire. The Foundation works to educate the community about fire hazards and fire safety. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet the owners of the vehicles which were on display in the show, as well as helping to raise money for such an important cause.

Last but certainly not least, I am preparing to leave for Las Vegas in just short of two weeks for the Mrs. United States national pageant. My state costume just arrived today and I will picking up the rest of my wardrobe on Saturday, so I am VERY excited! Pictured is a teeny-tiny preview of the costume...needless to say, it will fit in well in Vegas! Following is the press release concerning the competition...

SALISBURY TOWNSHIP RESIDENT TO COMPETE FOR MRS. UNITED STATES TITLE

KATE MACK of Allentown, Pennsylvania will be competing for the title of Mrs. United States at the Mrs. United States National Pageant®, which will be held at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, July 31- August 4, 2011. Kate is honored to be participating in the celebration of the pageant’s 25th Anniversary.

Kate A. Mack's mantra to "Dream Big" has been a guiding force from the time she achieved her goal to dance professionally in 2005, to her crowning as Mrs. Pennsylvania United States 2011. Such ambition extends to lighting the way for others to fulfill their dreams, as Kate supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Valley Youth House, Women in Art in PA and additional organizations that support the needs of the underprivileged. She and her husband/teammate, James, believe the purpose of life is a life of purpose, and thereby work tirelessly to enrich the lives of others with hope and joy.

About to begin her seventh year of teaching, Kate's current high school English assignment at her alma mater reinforces her priority to nurture the lives of youth, particularly through education attuned to students’ interests and skills. She obtained both her B.A. in English and her M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Lehigh University in just five years, while working two jobs, interning and volunteering. She uses her own story and experiences to inspire her students that anything is possible with a little courage and effort.

Described as "the premier event of its kind" by The Las Vegas Sun newspaper, the Mrs. United States National Pageant® is a spectacular event. Since 1986, the Mrs. United States National Pageant® has assembled annually in Las Vegas Nevada to celebrate the achievements of married women.

Mrs. United States is no ordinary beauty pageant - it is extraordinary. It believes that married women should be recognized for their ability to integrate intellect and beauty. The Mrs. United States Pageant contestant is confident... intelligent... successful... beautiful!

To learn more about the Mrs. United States Pageant, visit the official website at www.mrsunitedstates.com. To learn more about the Mrs. Pennsylvania United States Pageant, visit their website at www.mrspaunitedstates.com.

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Note to the Press: For more information/press passes, contact Kaitlyn Pieri, Director of Administration, at 724-785-4648.

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I believe that is all for now!

Dream Big/Do Good,
KAM

I'm a BACKER...of More Business of Being Born

If you are friends with me on Facebook and/or you follow me on Twitter, you know I often post articles on the importance of empowering women to take control of their birth experiences, which means education, education, and more education on birth options and the research that surrounds them. What sparked my interest in such issues was essentially the documentary of filmmakers Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, entitled The Business of Being Born. It asked the pertinent, tough questions of the current medicalized culture of childbirth in the United States and got me thinking intensely about plans for when our time to have children comes.

Three years later, Ricki and Abby are back with More Business of Being Born, a series of four films that continues the conversation. Through a Kickstarter campaign, Ricki and Abby are raising the remainder of the funds needed to complete the project. Today I pledged my support by purchasing my copies of the new films as well as securing my very own FILM CREDIT (!) to be rolled in the "Special Thanks" section at the conclusion of each segment (How cool is that??). Please check out the project by clicking on the video here, and if the cause moves you in any way, please consider becoming a backer yourself.

Again already?!?

Yes! REMARKABLE! I promised a post later in the week and I am delivering.

This week I am in full prep mode for my Worthwhile Style: Show Your Compassion with an Evening of Fashion runway show and event. The flyer is posted above along with a handy ticket-ordering link if you're interested in attending. Online sales will be shut down on the morning of Friday the 8th, so save yourself $5 by ordering in advance!

Today's entry will catch me up on all events I've attended or to which I've contributed thus far, starting with just about two weeks ago at the Star of Bethlehem Festival for Kids. The festival included various stations dedicated to the arts and sciences as well as related presentations from community groups. I am pictured here next to the festival's welcome banner, petting some sort of reptile from the Lehigh Valley Zoo prior to their "Birds of Prey" demonstration, and posing with the O'Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance. The day also included martial arts demonstrations, a cardboard cityscape painted by the children, arts and crafts, science exhibitions, and a multitude of other enriching and fun activities for children.

Nearly a week later on Thursday night I was a celebrity bartender for a benefit to "Save Baby Myah," a beautiful 11-month old girl who was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, a form of Leukemia. I was thrilled to be a part of this event and meet the generous donors who will be collecting cord blood upon the birth of their baby that will be used to treat Myah's condition. All tips and 10% of food sales were contributed to the fund established to cover the cost of the procedures, since insurance does not cover the collection of cord blood for a non-family member.

Finally, I made a second appearance at the SteelStacks Farmers' Market to support the importance of the Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign and its contribution to the health and wellness of our communities as well as to discuss the beneficiaries of my fashion event with others. Photographer Jeff Heller was kind enough to snap this shot of me in front of the blast furnaces directly adjacent to the market. If any of you haven't been to SteelStacks, the atmosphere created by the history of the steel structures combined with the modernized use of the space is something you simply must see!

I CAN'T WAIT until my next post, when I'll get to tell you all about Worthwhile Style and its success. We hope to see you there and if not, remember that there is a 50/50 drawing for which you need not be present to win! Tickets available above!

Dream Big/Do Good,
KAM