This marks the end of a very busy and nerve racking week- Thank You Hurricane Gustav! But even with all of the weather uncertainties, it still proved to be a pretty productive week. Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to be a part of Sophisticated Woman’s photo shoot. Sophisticated Woman is a magazine disributed primarily on the Northshore, and I was honored to pose for the magazine’s cover with Miss Louisiana Senior 2008, Mrs. Cheryl Chaucer. It was a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to see the finished product!
On Saturday, I sang the National Anthem for the third game of “Bayou Jamb,” a high school football Jamboree in Monroe. This was an extra special appearance, because my Parents attended the game too (They were in town this whole week, due to the hurricane). On Sunday, I helped out at the Jerry Lewis Telethon at KNOE in Monroe, which raised money for children with Muscular Dystrophy. I gave the opening remarks at the beginning of the show and then stayed to answer the phones for a while too. I love being in a newsroom! And being there for such a wonderful cause made it even more enjoyable.
On Monday, I, along with my Mom and Dad, went to the Red Cross Shelter at the Ruston Civic Center to help out and lift the spirits of the evacuees staying there. It was a really incredible experience. I spent the day listening to the stories of people affected by past and present Hurricanes, playing with children that couldn’t quite grasp what was going on, and giving hugs to many people who just needed a smile and some reassurance. It was a day that I will never forget. I can only hope that I impacted the people that I met half as much as they impacted me. Meeting them made me even prouder than I already was to be Miss Louisiana.
Now that this week is over, I am very thankful for the safety of my loved ones and very proud to be from such a passionate, resilient state. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
-Blair