Send off party for Miss KS (MAO)

 What fun! I attended a send-off party for Jennifer (Miss Butler County) and Emily (Miss Augusta) this week. Erin Houston, Miss KS Teen United States 2007 was also in attendance. The girls modeled their wardrobe for the Miss KS pageant (being held in Pratt next week), demonstrated their talent, and completed an on-stage interview question. 

What was so inspiring was to see the local support these gals have. The mayor was there, as well as several other key constituents. These girls truly have the backing of their community! Good luck you two!

Better Speech and Hearing Month

May is Better Speech & Hearing month sponsored by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA).

If you or your child doesn't already have a portable music player or something similar, chances are that you will purchase one soon.. It's great that we can enjoy music through advances in audio technology, but at what price? With the increasing popularity of MP3 players, millions of adults and children across the U.S. are at a newfound risk of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. Listening to headphones at high volumes for extended periods of time can directly result in lifelong hearing loss. The loss may occur painlessly and gradually over time and – this is important! – Noise-Induced Hearing Loss often goes unnoticed until it's too late.

More than half of high school students in the U.S. report having at least one symptom of hearing loss according to a 2006 poll commissioned by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. But it's not too late to curtail further hearing loss entirely in younger kids who are just starting to use portable music players and similar devices. It's critical that children learn good listening habits, and that parents set guidelines for headphone usage, monitor noise levels, and watch for warning signs of hearing loss. Here are three simple steps you can take to protect your children's – and your own – hearing.

1. Keep the volume down. A good guide is half volume.

2. Limit listening time. Give your hearing "quiet breaks."

3. Upgrade your earbuds, which sit inside the ear, and frequently come with the purchase of a portable music player, to earphones that fit outside the ear and block out unwanted sound. You can also upgrade to earphones that fit snugly into the ear canal and do the same thing.

Susan G. Komen For the Cure

Did you know that over 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2008? An estimated 40,480 women will die from breast cancer. 

My involvement with Susan G. Komen For the Cure stems back 10 years. My grandmother, aunt, and mother are all breast cancer survivors. Every year, the entire family walks in the Race for the Cure to support increased fiscal resources for breast cancer research and increased awareness. I am also on the education committee and volunteer regularly to disseminate information regarding breast cancer screening, treatment, and resources.

I've included a link to the donations page. Together, we can beat this disease. My goal is to work steadfastly to increase awareness and funding so that by the time my children become concerned about their own breast health, we not only have a cure for breast cancer, but also a way to prevent it.

Chisholm Trail Days, Caldwell, KS

From 1883 to 1887, the end of the Chisholm Trail was in Caldwell, KS. Annually, citizens in Caldwell celebrate their rich history with their Chisholm Trail days. My family and I were guests this year and had a wonderful time! The children loved the gunfight show and I fired the gun for the starting of the annual relay race. I also had a guest role in the theater production "Wild Women or Gentle Tamers: Women of the Wild West." For this role, I dawned a saloon girl costume and had a few lines! It was fun! A line from the play reminded me of what a powerful role women have in society. We are wives, mothers, friends, sisters, employees, employers, and many other. Each one of us will leave our mark on history!

March of Dimes

Many of my volunteer efforts focus on the March of Dimes. I was the keynote speaker for "Fund the Mission" at the annual Celebrity Chef Auction. I attend numerous March for Baby rallies and was the chairperson for a March for Babies walk team (appropriately names "Kansas Queens"). Most recently, on Monday the 28th of April, I spent the morning volunteering at the March of Dimes golf tournament in Wichita.  A chilly but sunny day for golfing!

My involvement with the March of Dimes stems from personal experience with prematurity. Kody, our 4 year old was born at 36 weeks, even after excellent prenatal care. He was not terribly preterm and seemingly healthy (6 lbs 5 oz., 9s on his Apgars) but at 45 minutes after his birth, he was taken to the NICU and placed on oxygen via a nasal cannula. An hour later, he was on a ventilator where he remained for 11 days. You can imagine the feelings of helplessness we experienced. Not being able to hold or nurse my baby...not being able to comfort him when he seemed anxious or in pain. We found out that he had pneumonia. He was given surfactant to help keep his lungs inflated. Little did I know at that point that March of Dimes' funding was the impetus for surfactant research. 

Kody is now a healthy, active 4 year old. Research funded by the March of Dimes helped to save our baby's life. Because of this, I continually give back to this organization through my time, effort, and energy.

From www.marchofdimes.com: 

"Today more than 1,400 babies in the US will be born prematurely. Many will be too small and sick to go home. Instead, they face weeks or even months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). These babies face an increased risk of serious medical complications. . . Despite decades of research, scientists have not yet developed effective ways to help prevent premature delivery."