A Grand Piano in My Backyard :)

On Friday, I was honored to be the special guest at Scottish Rite Park's monthly Ladies Luncheon in Des Moines.

We had a wonderful meal, which I was happy to see included fresh spinach salad with mandarin oranges, a meal of chicken with a side of parslied pineapple, and melon for dessert :)


After eating, I had a few minutes to share with all 75 guests a little about myself and my platform and then played two piano pieces and my talent selection for Miss Iowa, Liberace's version of Chopsticks.


They loved it!



The best part about the day was being able to perform on a baby grand piano. This was a rare opportunity for me, as I have become accustomed to playing on keyboards and upright pianos. The women at Scottish Rite Park said I am welcome to come back and play on their piano anytime. Since their residence is just couple of miles from my apartment in downtown Des Moines, there is no question I will be back to take advantage of that opportunity!

More to come soon,
Jennifer

Touching Lives in Iowa City

Thursday, I headed east for a jam-packed, but fun-filled afternoon.

First, I stopped at St. Jude's Elementary in Cedar Rapids to practice a piano/vocal duet with my princess, Carmella. We were scheduled to perform later in the afternoon, and wanted to make sure everything was just right :) During that time, I also set up a school visit to St. Jude's for next week. I will be presenting my Snacking Smart from A to Z cookbooks and eating lunch with Carmella. She has been my princess for the past three years, and what fun we have had!

Next up was Iowa City, where I volunteered for the fourth year in a row at the Star 102.5 Children's Miracle Network Radiothon. Miss Muscatine, Elizabeth Davidson and Miss Henry County, Abigail Carr were both answering phones as well. We were able to witness a couple of interviews with CMN miracle children.



I met a woman who lost her daughter to cancer, saw a boy whose dad saved his life with a kidney transplant, and witnessed in action the child life specialists who make patient stays at the hospital as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. It was great receiving calls from first-time donors. I speak from experience when I say they will be calling back next year. What a joy it was to be able to help.

From there, I visited the Oaknoll Reitrement Community in Iowa City, where I met my princess Carmella and her mom Kim. We performed We are One from the Lion King 2. Carmella has been taking voice lessons for three months now, and she has such a beautiful voice. It has been incredible seeing her blossom.

I performed one of my favorite Lorie Line pieces, Nevada Skies, and finished with Liberace's rendition of Chopsticks, which I will be performing this year at Miss Iowa. The residents loved it!



Afterward, one of the residents, Mary, shared her talent with us. She taught piano for 50 years, and though she does experience health challenges on a daily basis, her fingers can fly.

After our performance, Kim, Carmella and I headed to Applebees for a quick dinner. Carmella's mom is very health-conscious, and we mentioned how much we like Applebees for its tendency to offer more nutritious options than the typical dine-in restaurant. More and more eateries are doing this, which is exactly what we need in Iowa and across the country today.



I cannot wait until next week. I have several more fun appearances planned!

Hugs,
Jennifer

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Mrs. Obama has started a movement! First, she initiated her "Let's Move" campaign, and we now have a month dedicated to National Childhood Obesity Awareness.

I was reading an article in the most recent American Dietetic Association Policy Initiatives and Advocacy Report: On the Pulse, which said "House Resolution 996 designating September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month was passed by the House last week. Reps. Marcia Fudge (D.-Ohio) and Kay Granger (R.-Texas) introduced the resolution as a way to help bring awareness to the health of children around the country at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. The month will promote healthy eating and physical activity."

What I love about this resolution is that it was introduced with bi-partisan support. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, you cannot argue that childhood obesity is an issue that deserves even more national attention and focus. As Rep. Fudge said on the House floor: "Dedicating at least one month out of each year to bring awareness to this issue of childhood obesity will help maximize the effect of programming, messaging and campaigns all aligned with the sole purpose of eradicating childhood obesity."

To raise awareness about the issue of childhood obesity prevention through my platform work and involvement of Miss Iowa, I have selected the color yellow for many of my publications and wardrobe, because it represents the color of the obesity awareness ribbon. My Snacking Smart from A to Z cookbooks are yellow, and I will wear lots of yellow during Miss Iowa, because it is a constant reminder to me of why I am running for the job of Iowa's Official Hostess.

What great news this is!

My First Time in Mt. Pleasant

Wow! Today I visited Van Allen Elementary in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and I have to say, the city of Mt. Pleasant is home to some of the most hospitable people and enthusiastic children I have ever met.

Classroom by classroom, I visited students in grades 2 through 5 to deliver more of my Snacking Smart from A to Z cookbooks and to talk with students about the importance of healthy snacking. Many of them were surprised to learn that I did not know much about nutritious eating when I was their age; in fact, I told them that I frequently ate fruit roll-ups, ice cream, and candy bars without thinking of how it would impact my performance in school, sports, and life, for that matter.


We discussed several of the snack ideas included in Snacking Smart from A to Z, but we also addressed unhealthy snacks and how they can hinder performance. I asked students to think of food as fuel, and their bodies as engines. I told them that if they filled their bodies with unhealthy foods, it was similar to filling their engines with fuel caked with dirt and junk that would not allow it to function as well.


We talked about their goals and dreams. I heard about students who wanted to be doctors, lawyers, police officers, football players, and actresses. In each case, the students helped each other identify ways that healthy eating and physical activity could help them achieve their dream, or be important to them in their future job.


I was thoroughly impressed with the great ideas all of the kids came up with when we talked about ways they could help their family members become healthier. Some even had suggestions for how to keep their pets healthy! There is never a dull moment :)


During lunch, I was fortunate to receive a tour from Valerie Unkrich, a professor at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant. Iowa Wesleyan, along with the Iowa Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (IAHPERD), is a huge sponsor of my platform this year, which allows me to distribute so many cookbooks. I am so grateful for their support. Valerie attended many of my classroom sessions today and was so fun to spend time with throughout the morning.


I handed out several hundred of my books today, and was happy to hear many students say they were going to try some of the snacks, and even help their parents with the grocery shopping to make sure they got some healthier snacks in the house.


This was such a rewarding and impactful day; for both the students and me.


I can't wait for the next adventure!
Best,
Jennifer

Adventures in Eastern Iowa

On Friday, I had the wonderful honor of visiting Wilkins Elementary in Marion, Iowa, to distribute more of my Snacking Smart from A to Z cookbooks to all of the first graders in the school. I began each presentation with a discussion about the MyPyramid food groups and the impact of added fats and sugar on nutritional value. Then, we combed through several of the recipes in my cookbook, and sampled fresh fruit kabobs, which is the recipe under the letter "F" in Snacking Smart from A to Z. The kids loved it! Some of them even said they had ideas for how to make their own fruit kabobs at home, which is exactly what I like to hear.






Later in the morning, I visited Summit Pointe, a retirement community in Marion, and performed several pieces on the piano for about 30 of the residents. They were able to hear a special preview of my Miss Iowa talent, Chopsticks, and I also played two of my favorite Lorie Line pieces. What a great day!




Stay tuned for more updates next week!
Jennifer

A Wellness-Filled Day in Decorah

Today I was a special guest in the Decorah Community School District. Decorah High School’s Health Life Skills Management Class planned and organized a school-wide Health Fair, which was a day-long event that included over fifteen breakout sessions on health-related topics featuring a wide array of speakers. I kicked off the day at 8 a.m. this morning as their opening speaker, and delivered a presentation I call “Extreme Makeover: YOU Edition.” I shared with all 600 high schoolers the incident that led to my passion for wellness, discussed the importance of nutrition and exercise, and finished by sharing six steps every student can take to transform their lives and give themselves an “extreme makeover” of sorts.



After speaking at the high school, I headed over to the elementary and visited every K-2 classroom to make a quick presentation about healthy eating and activity and gave each student a copy of the healthy snack cookbook I created, “Snacking Smart from A to Z.” They loved the book and were very inquisitive about my crown. So cute!


Later in the morning, I visited the entire middle school to lead another assembly. The kids were very attentive and shared lots of great statistics with me on fast food and school lunches, in addition to asking some thoughtful questions. I was very impressed with this group!

Finally, I trekked over to the 3rd and 4th grade wing of school to deliver more cookbooks. The students ate them right up! I talked with a couple of fourth grade classes while they were eating in the cafeteria, and the students were cheering so loudly and with such excitement that I wondered if they would ever quiet down! Boy, wouldn’t it be nice to hear that every day :)


What an honor it was to visit so many students – and at all grade levels – in one day. I handed out nearly 1000 healthy snack books in this one visit, and it makes me so excited for the job opportunity of Miss Iowa. There is no doubt in my mind that I am ready, and this program is so greatly needed in our state today.

Thanks for reading!
XOXO,
Jennifer

A Quick Update

Happy May! They say time flies when you are having fun, and I have found the truth in that this spring. Miss Iowa is almost here, but I just wanted to update you on a few of my recent endeavors.

Miss Iowa Orientation
On Saturday, April 24th, all of the Miss Iowa contestants met in Bettendorf for the annual Miss Iowa Orientation. We started off the day hearing from Cathy Herd, Miss Iowa 1992, who was first runner-up to Miss America and a double preliminary winner – both swimsuit and talent. Not only was she a fantastic representative then, she is an unmatchable resource for young women wanting to prepare for the job of Miss Iowa. Here we are pictured with her.


We also were able to meet our hostesses. I am so thankful to have been paired with Margie this year. She was my hostess last year as well, and I would not trade her for anyone! We are going to have a great time together in just over a month :)

Miss Iowa Bridal Fashion Show
The day after orientation was the first-annual Miss Iowa Bridal Show, which ended with a fashion show highlighting the latest wedding styles from David’s Bridal in Davenport. Several of the contestants volunteered their time, and I am quite certain I speak for all of them when I say we thoroughly enjoyed having our hair and make-up done, being surrounded by wedding vendors, and modeling gorgeous gowns. What a fun way to raise scholarships for the Miss Iowa program! A special thanks goes to Tim Heim, who worked so tirelessly to make sure the day went off without a hitch.

Snacking Smart from A to Z
A new and improved cookbook will be hot off the press in just a few days! For the past year, I have used my own printing resources to distribute thousands of healthy snack cookbooks to elementary students throughout the state. Thanks to a partnership with IAHPERD, I will be able to distribute several thousand more before the summer. Numerous schools across the state have already signed up to participate. In some, I’ll be leading assemblies; in others, I’ll be in the classroom, and a few are letting me showcase my project in the cafeteria with students so that I can talk with them about their food choices. Each cookbook features 26 recipes – one for every letter of the alphabet – that can be used as a healthy snack. Nearly all kids age 6-19 snack – 98%, to be exact – and my mission is to provide them with an abundance of delicious and nutritious ideas for nibbling between meals. An enormous part of living a healthy lifestyle depends upon the choices we make as individuals, and equipping youth with the tools to improve those choices will directly impact their overall nutrition. Copy and paste this link to view a copy! http://missmuscatine.com/SnackingSmartBrochure.pdf

Afton Elementary
On Monday, May 3rd, I had the pleasure of joining Dr. Ed Thomas from Graceland University in Afton, Iowa. I served as a volunteer PE teacher for the day and worked with students from Kindergarten through 6th grade on medicine balls, agility ladders, and obstacle courses to demonstrate that fun that comes with physical activity. Below are a few pictures from the day.










More to come soon!
Love,
Jennifer