Mary and I. She is looking beautiful in gold! 
Some of the performers and I Next, I attended the Hillsborough County School Board meeting to join Dr. Judith Rainone in presenting the Hillsborough County Schools Anti-Bullying/Harassment Awareness Month proclamation. This is aimed at ending all bullying and harassment and urges all schools, departments and individuals to launch an ongoing campaign to raise awareness about bullying and harassment prevention and intervention among youth and adults who influence them. It has been an honor to assist Hillsborough County in battling the ongoing issue of bullying.
Immediately after the meeting, I drove to the Ryan Nece Foundation's Good Samaritan Thanksgiving Celebration event. I had a wonderful time meeting the families, volunteers and supporters throughout the evening. Over 75 volunteers were able to feed over 1,000 people and distribute over 1,200 boxes of food and personal items to 400 families. Thank you to Ryan for allowing me to be a part of such a fantastic event and Mari Wilensky for attending with me. 
With Ryan NeceLater that week, I was invited to be a part of the Great American Teach in at Seminole High School, Seminole Middle School and Bauder Elementary School. I love speaking to many different ages of children about bullying prevention and sharing my story. It is an epidemic that all students experience, no matter what age, so it has been vital for me to educate them. Thank you to Mrs. Harrah and Skyler Harrah for making this day possible for me :)
The next morning, I had the pleasure of giving another "Stop Bullying Now" presentation to Valrico Elementary School. This particular presentation was covered by Channel 8 News Tampa and the Tampa Tribune, which the kids were very excited about :) This was also the day where my favorite question of the year was asked...."So, what KIND of castle do you live in, Miss Florida?". Of course, I had to tell them about my CAMARO (which the guys loved!) and explain to them that because of the amount of traveling I do, I don't get to visit my castle very often ;) Thank you to Regan Whitehurst for arranging each session! 
The following week, was my Miss America support party, held at the beautiful home of Michael Nutter and Ron Jackson in Winter Park. Thank you to Jennifer McKenna, Allison Walsh, Michael and Ron for organizing an incredible afternoon for me and helping to assist me in my Miss America journey. Your kindness and willingness to help me is appreciated more than you know.
The next day, I traveled to Washington D.C. (for the very first time!) for 48 hours of business! First, I visited Florida House, which was founded in 1973 by Rhea Chiles as Florida's "embassy" in our nation's capital. It is owned by the people of the state of Florida and we are the only state to have such a facility that serves as a "home base" for tourists as well as the business community. Being a ninth generation Floridian, I always enjoy learning more information about my great state, which Florida House had much to offer. Thank you to Bart Hudson for taking the time to meet with me. (Pictured below with Fernando The Flamingo!). 
Fernando!Next, I met with SPAN USA (Suicide Prevention Action Network USA) a part of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. It was unbelievably wonderful to meet with the wonderful individuals who are a part of this organization. We discussed my platform very much in depth, especially legislation that could potentially effect it. Thank you to SPAN USA for the great support!
Visiting the SPAN USA headquarters 
I love this shot, beautiful! The next morning, I met with Florida Senator, Bill Nelson. He and his staff were so very welcoming and I had such a nice time discussing everything from Florida facts to bullying. It was also pretty cool to see all of the NASA and space exploration photos and to hear the interesting stories behind them. Thank you Sen. Nelson for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with me.
Next, I had the honor of visiting National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Every day men and women are putting themselves in harm's way in risking their lives to preserve our freedom. I was greatly moved and humbled during my visit with them as well as their incredible families. Holding the hands and looking into the eyes of our wounded warriors is an experience that I will never forget. I am proud beyond words to be an American and grateful for the selfless sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. This was by far, my favorite day as Miss Florida. 
Hey! Where did my sash go? :) When I returned home from D.C., I visited my favorite radio station, 933flz at Clear Channel Communications in Tampa to film a short video for their "Shut It Down" anti-bullying campaign, and audio for PSA's that aired throughout the following weeks. It was awesome getting to know the crew, we had such a blast filming that day. Thank you to Tommy Chuck for allowing me to partner with 933flz to stop the spread of bullying!
With Froggy and the amazing interns! 
With MJ, who I have grown up listening to. I'm a big fan!The following day, I was joined by Miss St. Petersburg, Brittany Wardell, Miss Pinellas County Outstanding Teen, Mahallie Griffin, Miss Largo Outstanding Teen, Haley Muley, My beautiful little Mary Katherine Fechtel, Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen and my Miss Florida Sunshine Princess, Kayla Fisher for the St.Petersburg Santa Parade! It was great to be back in the host city of the Miss Florida Pageant and visiting with fans and friends from all over. Mary Katherine, Kayla and I had the privilege of riding in a carriage that looked exactly like the one in "Cinderella"! All three of us felt like absolute princesses and had a wonderful time together. After the parade, I had a delicious and fun filled lunch with the beautiful Fisher family, Mary Katherine and Dixie Fechtel. What a way to begin the Christmas holiday season! Thank you to Robert Danielson for organizing our participation in the parade.
Next, I participated in the All Children's Hospital Radiothon on behalf of the Children's Miracle Network. It is always a pleasure to visit and work with All Children's. They have incredible people who work within the hospital and within their guilds. Below is a photo of me doing a radio interview with US 103.5 fm! Thank you to Crissy McWilliams for always inviting me to participate :) 
Next, came the day, which officially gave me the rush that..."I am going to compete in the Miss America Pageant in a month!". My Miss America send-off party was held at the beautiful Red Rose Inn and Suites of Plant City, Florida! I can't even begin to explain the feeling I had looking around the room, taking the afternoon in, and realizing the amount of love and support I had surrounding me at my send-off party alone. It was then that I realized no matter what the outcome of Miss America may be, I have these and other phenomenal people in my life and for that alone, I feel blessed beyond words. Thank you to Al Berry, The Madonia Family, Sandee Sytsma and the FANTASTIC committee, Mary Sullivan, the Miss Florida Board of Directors, Mary Katherine, Ann Marie Griffin, David and Carry of Regalia, LaVoyce Porter, the local directors and local titleholders in attendance and of course to my beautiful family, Mommy, Daddy and Alek ( I absolutely have to thank you three the most!). It was the perfect day of encouragement and celebration as I was approaching my departure for Las Vegas very soon! :)
With Mary Katherine Fechtel- Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen, Former Miss Florida's Allison Walsh, Kylie Williams and Mari Wilensky, the amazing Mary Sullivan and our fabulous Miss Florida Board of Directors!As soon as my send-off party had concluded, Mary, my mother and I rushed to get ready for 93.3flz's Jingle Ball concert held at the St.Pete Times Forum! I was invited to be a guest in the Metro PCS "Celebrity Club" where I was interviewed on the jumbo-tron by Katie Sommers and also spent time with the other awesome 933flz DJs. It was great to also meet a few of the performers as well. Thanks again to everyone at 933flz! :)
With Mike Posner 
Being interviewed by Katie Sommers. My final highlight before departing for the Miss America Pageant, was my Studio 10 interview with Holley and Jerome! They were so excited to learn about my Miss Florida experience thus far and also about my Miss America preparation and details about the pageant. Being a broadcast journalism major, it is always fun for me to be on set and learn something new each time I walk into a news station. Thank you to Bill Doniel for joining me that morning!
Watch out for my next blog entry very soon! :)Love,
Jaclyn
