LOST IN LOS ANGELES

Have you ever wondered how you could give back to the Miss Alaska program? Or maybe you've wanted to help, but can't find the time? This is your chance to join us in our annual K Larkin Memorial Alumni Scholarship Fund. We are inviting all past contestants, titleholders, volunteers, parents, friends, fans, and anyone who loves to give!! Last year, with the help of so many generous donors, we were able to raise more than $650 in preliminary award scholarships. This year the K Larkin Memorial Alumni Scholarship Fund is determined to double that amount!! We look forward to this continued tradition and the opportunity to honor such an incredible woman that K Larkin was! Some of you may have never had the pleasure to get to know K, but remember that this is still an opportunity to support this organization and what it does for so many young women today. In this year's program book you will see a page similar to last year's only we will list all 2008 contributors as wel...

The Susan Boyle phenomenon ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY ) is what educators call a “teachable moment.” Just look at the reaction of the audience of the British television program as Boyle steps on stage. Boyle’s is a face that you wouldn’t notice twice walking down the street, a newspaper said, certainly not one to raise expectations. But when she opened her mouth to sing jaws drop en masse. Remember the adage about not judging a book by its cover? Well, the audience in the auditorium (and no doubt also the viewers at home) prejudged Boyle based on her appearance. And appeared stunned by the quality of what they heard. “It wasn’t singer Susan Boyle who was ugly on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ so much as our reaction to her” was the headline above a piece by Tanya Gold in the British newspaper the Guardian. “Is Susan Boyle ugly? Or are we?” Gold wrote at the start of her commentary. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/16/britains-got-talent-susan-boyle Ca...

I spoke with Jenna yesterday & it's official! I'm the Director of Queen For A Day in both the Los Angeles & Orange County Chapters! I will have a Co-Director, maybe, and I'm just so excited! I am waiting for the official paperwork to sign, and then I'm off! I have so many ideas that I want to do & make a positive experience for all involved. So now I'm going to start getting my volunteers together, start getting donations, getting paperwork started, etc ... If anyone in the Los Angeles & Orange Counties would like to volunteer or donate, please contact me at btwilinski@gmail.com with your name & number!

This is just to let everyone know I will be going home hopefully Wednesday until the 18th to attend a funeral of a family friend who died in an avalanche & also the State Meeting for Miss Alaska. I'm flying standby at the moment ...

I just applied to be the Director of the Queen For A Day in California. Don't know what it is? Queen For A Day was founded by Jenna Edwards (Miss Florida 2004). QFAD hosts parties at hospitals with pediatric oncology/cancer units or out-patient clinics. When Queen for a Day comes to the hospital, we give the patients a reason to be a kid again. We host tea parties for girls to be pampered with makeovers, manicures, and their very own coronation ceremony. Each patient receives a real tiara donated by beauty queens across the nation! When a child smiles in the mirror after her makeover and laughs, she has defeated her illness. The Queen for a Day crown symbolizes victory as she is a champion over her illness. For the boys, we encourage the qualities of bravery and courage through the Heroes program based on firefighters and police officers. We invite local heroes to attend the ...

I've gotten addicted to twitter. Have you heard of it? www.twitter.com/alaskaqueen So now I'm part of the twitter generation along with facebook, myspace, & all the emails I have for different things. Funny thing is that with all the different ways to reach out, we still only have a select few we actually talk to!