Queen for a Day on NBC6

I had the priviledge of interviewing with Tony Segreto of South Florida's NBC6 prior to leaving for Miss USA. He produces the Spirit of South Florida each Friday and featured us the night of the pageant. I am quite impressed with his piece and encourage each of you to take a look!

http://www.nbc6.net/spiritofsouthflorida/11349376/detail.html

Miss USA

I'm too tired to post words, so I'm just going to post a few captions for now.

WOLFIE!

Surprisingly, they were a good band...

At Breakfast

Since the camera guys were cool, we asked them to be in our picture, too.
Chanel (HI) has a great version of this picture...I put my poncho on backwards by accident and my face is covered by the hood. I can't wait to see it.

International Tennis Championship!

On February 4, Super Bowl Sunday, I sang the National Anthem on national and international television. After spending a week of appearances related to football, tennis was a welcome change. Unfortunately, the match was rained out and had to be continued the next day. However, I had a great time despite the weather. A very special thanks to Jeff Klein for opening the doors for this amazing opportunity and to the ITC committee for inviting me to their event. Congratulations on a wonderful tournament!

You can see more pictures at YellowTennisBall.com.

Art Deco Weekend Parade on Miami Beach!

Invited by my friends at Pollo Tropical, I rode in a small parade on Miami Beach celebrating the neighborhood's Art Deco history. The night was windy, but it was worth it! Especially for the fair food! I had my favorite fair food--corn dogs--and shared a plate of butterfly fried potato chips. I also met my favorite Miami DJs, Paul and Ron of the Paul and Young Ron show on Big 105.9 Miami's Classic Rock.

Between appearances...

...I've been working hard on Queen for a Day and preparing for (and to be!) Miss USA. I've been having lots of meetings for potential funders, volunteers, and board members. You can also see me on the Just for Men commercial airing now!

Part of my preparations includes new pictures! Special thanks to Kari Stenholm for my new commercial headshot. And special thanks to Heather Forrester for my new pageant headshot.

Queen for a Day is currently benefiting from the 14th Annual Mercedes Benz of Miami Tennis Invitational in Pinecrest. Fila of Merrick Park generously provided a kick-off event on February 5th. Attendees were treated to appetizers and cocktails, plus 25% of sales from the event benefited QFAD. Over three weekends, QFAD offers tournament attendees an opportunity to bid on an array of silent auction items. The auction will end on the final day of the tournament, February 25.

2 days later, Tel-Air will host a send-off party! E-mail the pageant for more information.

Now I'm just waiting for my evening gown and interview suit!

Super Bowl!!!

What a great year to be Miss Florida USA in Miami! I tried to get invited to as many events as humanly possible. Of course, with Miami traffic, it was a miracle I made it to this much.

Monday-- Jim Brown Celebrity Gala. I should probably know who all I met, but most of the celebrities were before my time. I did recognzie Bernie Cosar!

Tuesday-- attended a press conference in Boca Raton for an announcement regarding FAU, UM, and the Schmidt Family Foundation's $75 million donation for a new teaching hospital (QFAD related); Charles Fazzino signing at Park Sports Club, Seminole Hard Rock Paradise.

Wednesday-- Jim Brown Celebrity Golf Tournament, Charles Fazzino signing at NFL Outlet store. Seen here with Troy Drayton, retired Dolphins player.

Thursday-- NFL Celebrity Bowling Tournament. Trying to bowl a strike...

Friday-- Big 105.9 "Illegal" Tailgate party (invited by Pollo Tropical); Pairings party for the NFL Charities Celebrity Golf tournament.

Saturday-- NFL Charities Celebrity Golf Tournament. Seen here with Bill St. Clair, Hall of Fame 1964

Sunday-- sang National Anthem at the International Tennis Championship in Delray, telecast on the Tennis Channel and CBS Outdoors.

Whew! Then I parked myself on the couch at home Sunday night and watched the game in my pajamas.

I had so much fun! This week made me realize that I don't know what I will do when I'm not Miss Florida USA anymore! I truly enjoyed everyone I met and I have some wonderful memories. And my golf game is much improved.

SocialMiami.com Interview

Queen for a Day
Jenna Edwards Helps Serve an Ace in February

Many little girls dream of being a queen, even if only for a day. These dreams become more significant when the little girl is fighting cancer. Now, because of the charity Queen for a Day, many young girls who are in the midst of fighting this deadly disease have the opportunity to actually become a queen -- a beauty queen that is -- under the guidance of the current Miss Florida USA, Jenna Edwards. SocialMiami.com took Jenna to lunch at Casa Toscana in Miami’s burgeoning Upper East Side to learn more about her and the organization that she and her mother founded more than six-years ago.

“After winning Miss Teen All America in Mississippi,” Jenna said while enjoying Casa Toscana’s homemade lasagna, “I learned that many pageant winners use their titles for philanthropic causes. This inspired me and I had the idea to give my tiaras to some of the girls at a local hospital and throw a tea party. The effect this act had on the kids was wonderful and inspired me to build Queen for a Day, a non-profit organization that provides quality of life services to pediatric cancer patients. Today we have 20 chapters and have aligned with numerous pageants and pageant winners who donate their tiaras to the cause.” There is even a “Heroes” program for young boys, which is inspired by local firefighters and policemen.

The most amazing aspect of Jenna’s desire to give is not that she merely does it, but how hard she works to be able to do it. Where many adult pageant winners use their title to make money for themselves, Jenna has chosen to use her title to garner support for her non-profit. In order to achieve this worthy objective, Jenna holds down two part-time jobs, which allows her the freedom to devote the necessary time to the less fortunate. But she prefers not to focus on herself and keeps the attention on the young people that she helps.

“Children cannot be treated like adults,” she said. “They get lost in the treatment and need the opportunity to be a kid again. Their bodies react best when they are able to be a kid and their treatments are combined with play. That is what we help to accomplish. We help them smile.”

During the last three weekends in February, Queen for a Day will participate in an amateur tennis tournament to be held at the Coral Oaks Tennis Club. The tournament is expected to draw more than 400 players with proceeds going to the charity. “We have some wonderful sponsors that have already committed to the event and silent auction, including our title sponsor Mercedes Benz of Miami, and Bacardi and American Airlines,” Jenna said. “We have a lot of momentum and expect more than 700 spectators and participants to come out and support us.”

To learn more about Queen for a Day, become a sponsor, or sign up to participate in their tennis tournament, contact 305-546-4459.

Pictures from the Grand Am experience

Hyper Sport Racing announced a new sponsorship from SuperCuts the day we were there, so we posed next to the logo on the car. McDreamy and McGiggly...

Forecast for 2007?

If my New Year's Day was any forecast for 2007, it will be a fabulous year! After spending New Year's Eve with some of my favorite people at Carlton's Restaurant in Hallandale Beach, I spent the day on the beach in perfect weather. I came home with a bronze tan and slightly sticky from the salty air. I then worked out and spent the evening in good company eating home-made fried chicken, biscuits, collard and turnip greens, and black eyed peas! It's a Southern tradition to eat greens and black-eyed peas. Greens represent good luck and money and black-eyed peas represent good health. The fried chicken and biscuits were a little extra, but very appropriate.

Lots of things are happening for Queen for a Day! On January 18, Carlton's Restaurant is hosting a Juan Carlos Pinera fashion show to benefit Queen for a Day and St. Jude's. For $150, guests are treated to a 4 course dinner, VIP cocktail, the fashion show and the after party which will feature Rudy Perez and Chelo. Telemundo is sending it's top 3 shows to cover the event and Aventura Magazine is the official print media sponsor. The charities will benefit from the luxurious silent auction and world-class media coverage. Queen for a Day is extremely grateful to Carlton's for working so hard to help children with serious illnesses.

In February, Queen for a Day will benefit from the 14th Annual Mercedes Benz Tennis Classic in South Miami. We are in the process of working with several high end sponsors for a kick-off party and product sponsorship. Once things are finalized, we will make an official announcement. The tournament takes place over the last 3 weekends of February, with an awards dinner on the final night. We also hope to invite cancer patients in South Florida to a mini-camp the final day.

More exciting news...I was invited to the Grand American Road Racing testing trials in Daytona Beach by Hyper Sport Racing Team. FYI, Patrick Dempsey co-owns, co-drives for the team so yes, I met him again (and was able to do more than giggle like a school girl this time). He is incredibly humble and even more attractive in person. In his car, I noticed one of those Staples Easy Buttons installed on the dashboard. I immediately asked what function it held, if any. He said it was more of a joke, but when they pass someone, they push it and it says "Boy, that was easy." I really want one of those buttons... This weekend, the team announced SuperCuts as the newest sponsor of Hyper Sport Racing. I have been a fan of Nascar for a couple years and this was my first experience with the Grand Am circuit. Needless to say, I am a fan of this circuit, too! A very, very special thanks to Ben Kwitek for the invitation and the VIP treatment, to Joe Foster for arranging the garage passes, Erich Spangenberg for the accomodations, and Morgan Ortagus for chaperoning the weekend. More pictures to comes...

I also gave an interview to SocialMiami.com for Miss Florida USA, Queen for a Day, and our upcoming events. It should be up soon, so check it out!