Hello Ladies!
Now that the dates have been announced for the 2014 Miss, Teen and Mrs. Texas Intl pageants I bet you are wondering what's next? Well, AFTER you have done your research (See previous post on Research) Its time to decide what City/County/Area you want to represent! I knew right away that I wanted to represent Dallas, So I didn't hesitate to reserve my spot in the pageant. I didnt want anyone to snag the Miss Dallas INTL title before I did! Contact Rachel Hedstrom at TexasInternationalpageant@gmail.com to lock down your city!
Next, I started to develop my platform in the Dallas area. I have been with my platform for 7 years, So for me it was easy. But for some of you, you may be starting from scratch, and THAT'S FINE! You want to find a non profit organization that has meaning to you. My family has a history of Heart Disease, which is why I chose American Heart Association. Any organization will work, as long as you are passionate and truly care about its cause and purpose.
An ideal organization has a local branch that you can volunteer at, but is also a national organization. (For when you compete at Nationals) Send Press releases to local papers informing them of your new title and platform. ALWAYS ALWAYS send press releases along with pictures to newspapers and magazines after every appearance.
Develop a 30 second "elevator speech" as to why you chose your platform, this will be handy when at appearances and asked.
If there aren't very many events to volunteer at with your organization, then CREATE your own.
Go into schools and speak to children, host a charity dinner, run or fashion show.
I held a charity Dinner as Miss Dallas last year and raised several hundred dollars!
Have a goal in mind for your platform, whether it is to raise money, spread awareness, gain more volunteers, host a benefit, or open a new chapter, its ALWAYS important to have a clear and precise goal to convey to the judges during interview.
Some Awesome Organizations are:
Make A wish Foundation
http://wish.org
Big Brothers Big Sisters
http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.9iILI3NGKhK6F/b.5962335/k.BE16/Home.htm
American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org/
United Nationals Childrens Fund
http://www.unicef.org
Feeding America
http://feedingamerica.org/
Save the Children
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm
Humane Society
http://www.humanesociety.org/
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/
Special Olympics
http://specialolympics.org/
Wounded Warrior Project
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
Boys and Girls Club
http://bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx
The Above Non-Profits are extremely successful and have a national impact. Any one of these would make an excellent platform. BUT AGAIN, you want something that you truly care about, so spend time figuring out what that is, Your platform can literally be ANYTHING.
You can reach out to the organization of your choice by sending an email or stopping by their local office. In the past, I have done BOTH! Its important that they know you want to help! The more you stay in contact with them, the more they will call you when they need someone! If any of you want help on a more personal level on how to develop your platform., feel free to email me at MissTXINTL2013@gmail.com
God Bless,
Samantha Riddle
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