knew that I wanted to be involved. I called the St.Louis CMN, and was so lucky to have called just in time to be a volunteer. The radiothon took place at Children's Hospital in St.Louis. Children's hospital is a beautiful place for children and families who need care. It is so heartwarming to see the benefits of the Children Miracle Network taking place before your eyes. For an entire afternoon, I answered phone calls as many generous St.Louis citizens called and donated to the CMN. One of the best parts of this day was to meet the children who have been helped by the CMN. These
children are truly heroes, and their stories of hope are amazing. Another exciting part of the day was being interviewed for my first time on the radio. It was nice to spread the message of how the Miss America Organization is partnered with CMN and I had fun trying to get people to call in! Any time I get the chance to work with the CMN it makes me feel so proud that I have helped make to an impact in the lives of these children who have been through more in their short lives then I ever have in mine.
A few days after participating in the radiothon, I attended Moye Elementary's Family Reading Night. This was a blast! The theme of the evening was "bedtime." All of the students arrived in their favorite pj's and were eager to be read to. I had my own reading station in the hall equipped with an air mattress for the students to lay on while being read to. As an education student, getting the chance to read to students, and promote literacy with families is something very important to me. I loved spending time with the students! The most requested book to hear was " Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?" Many of the students said "NOOO!" as we came to the end of the story they realized that princesses are real people just like them , and they enjoy many of the same activities that other children do :)
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April is alcohol awareness month. I urge all of you to think about your choices and decisions. Take the time to become educated about alcohol education. Please visit my website of http://www.thinkb4youdrink.com/. Here you can find many links to learn about alcoholism, and find tips on how to avoid this from happening to you. Remember, "glasses can change your life.. especially if emptied quickly."
God Bless! Have a wonderful Easter!
Until next time,
Jamie Lynn Johnson
Miss Southern Illinois 2010
