it takes a village

On Saturday I leave for Hot Springs and all I can think about is "the village." You know, like, "it takes a village."

My thankfulness cup is flooding..serious OVERFLOW.  My heart is bursting at the seams.  Some AMAZING people have gotten me to this point and I just want to cry when I think about the sacrifices they've made for me.

There is LITERALLY a village of incredible gifts from God (people) who have helped me get to this point and I swear I would be so lost without them.  There is absolutely positively no way that a girl could get to Miss Arkansas on her own and I can't help but think that my village is the best village ever.  Praise the Lord for all of you humans!

I mean y'all, this pageant thing is amazing.  To someone who totally doesn't understand, I try to explain it just like sports:

There's a "team" (or two) that you're on...team *insert titleholder*

There is day in and day out preparation.

There is a public platform.
There is the amazing responsibility of being a role model.

There is a mind-game to be won.  Mind over matter.

There is competition...kind of ;) because you love them so much.

There is celebration when you win.

There is growth when you don't.

There are amazing friendships that you carry with you forever with people who "understand" in a way that no one else can.

There are mentors.

There are countless, selfless volunteers.

There are dedicated historians.
There are sometimes critics, too.

There is even a literal ring for the winner (hahahah insert Super Bowl comparison)...I love this specific comparison so much.

It's kind of one in the same! -- and kind of totally not all at the same time.

So that being said, a village is ABSOLUTELY necessary to prepare the "team." See?

I can't help but share this simple shout out to all of the people who got me to this point.  We are TWO FULL DAYS from Miss Arkansas Arrival and I can't wait another minute to scream it from the mountaintops that I am so lucky to have the squad of guidance and love and support that I do at this point.

No matter what happens, "my" crew will always be the reason that I keep coming back.  I stand on the shoulders of people who are holding me up and boosting me on.  They are a main part of the reason I do it year after year.  It's incredible what empowerment does for a person!

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 2

^^^  THANK YOU to each and every single person who has lived this out and showed me what this means.  ^^^

I WISH that I could specifically name every single one of you, but time won't allow.  One day I'll be able to say exactly why and how God has used you in my life and just how much of a blessing you are to me.  I know you know who you are -- every family member, friend, coach, director, sponsor, "cheerleader," etc...all I can say is thank you for believing in me.  I LOVE YOU!!!

It's go-time for Miss Arkansas 2016, team!!!!  Let's go give God His glory, and let's go have fun!

XOXO-
Mag

Reflecting: My Platform

As I prepare to leave in two weeks for the Miss Arkansas pageant, I am spending a lot of extra time reflecting.  So much preparation goes into a pageant, y'all.  Who knew! One thing that I've really been reflecting on as the pageant approaches is the importance of my platform.  I decided to write another blog about it, simply because I am continually amazed at how powerful philanthropy is in a community setting.  I have grown to believe this even more just since the last time I was at the state pageant in 2015.

When I created my platform, Giving Is a Gift, I never knew what that phrase would grow to mean to me over my time as an advocate for philanthropy.  I've learned so much about why giving really is a gift, and how much one person really can do to help others.

The past 365 days have been very humbling.  I've been able to be a part of multiple "movements" for incredible philanthropic efforts and they have made an insane impact on my desire to advocate for giving in general. During that time, one unique "giving" opportunity arose when I was selected to serve an amazing philanthropy, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, as Philanthropy Chair for Chi Omega at the University of Arkansas.  Receiving this position was definitely exciting, as I looked at it through an optimistic lens.  I had really high hopes for what over 400 young women could do for this cause in one year's time.  Additionally, I was thrilled to be able to directly relate it to my Miss Arkansas platform.

When I stepped into my role, our chapter had raised over $27,000 the year prior.  A huge accomplishment for us!  I set a goal of $40,000 for that upcoming year, and I really looked at that number as a huge challenge, secretly hoping we would actually be able to pull it off.  After setting our goal high, I began to think of ways to empower the group by looking at former success stories, brainstorming new events, and researching numbers from other chapters.  Once all of the ideas were on paper, I began to plan events and get things in order with the help of some amazing friends and advisors.  Months later it was the end of our first semester, and we had already matched our previous year's fundraising amount.  I say this not to boast, but to prove a point that with a little bit of strategic planning and encouragement, a group of people can really do some amazing things.  (Not to mention the quick shameless plug for the value of Greek Life when sometimes the media can tend to only highlight its negatives.)

That summer, I spent a lot of time deciding how we would make $13,000 more the following semester to reach our goal.  After lots of consideration, I decided to do an event called #OneDayOneGoalXO that would be completely social media and marketing driven, and would encourage donors to give, on that day, through an online link. After doing the math, my team and I realized that we could do something amazing – like $30,000 amazing.  I presented a speech to the chapter and hoped for the best.  Long story short, a few days later we actually did it. I cried the entire night, in awe that we’d raised $30,000 by 7:00pm.  It was moving for me to see what people were saying on social media about how good it felt to be a part of something like this campaign.  After a few more events, we were able to announce that together we’d raised a total of $72,535 in 2015. It was amazing to see everyone’s joy because they knew that in the long run, they had changed multiple children's lives for the better.  It was definitely a group effort and nothing that I ever could have done without the encouragement of my sisters and advisors.  But WOW, was I shaken up by the ability of this group to do something so amazing for kids in their community who needed a bright light in their life like Make-A-Wish.

It’s things like these that give me a renewed appreciation and drive for promoting community service as a titleholder.  I will never stop encouraging Arkansans to find a community service that they love, and commit to do something amazing and unexpected for it.  And in return, I hope that my family and friends will continue to remind me of the importance so that I won't ever grow tired of this important piece of societal success. Ultimately, everyone should have the opportunity to know that being proactive in service will make them feel encouraged and fulfilled. I have personally benefitted by that humbling and empowering fact, and I hope that all of y'all will, too!

Check back soon for more updates as the 2016 pageant gets closer and closer.  I think I speak for most contestants when I say that this time is always the best part of preparation because you're able to spend a lot of time reflecting on all of the goodness that this organization provides.