Interesting Facts: Red Belt in Tae Kwon Do; certified in both First Aid and CPR; loves to listen to the whales singing while swimming in the waters of Maui; you can hear me on sound track of Wes Craven’s movie “Music of the Heart” starring Meryl Streep; performed with fiddler Mark O’Connor at the Democratic Convention in
Los Angeles 2000.
Marketing Plan: My goal, predominantly, is to be a positive example to my community and country. Actions always speak louder than words. As Miss California’s Outstanding Teen, I will meet with hospital/hospice administrators of private and national public health services to propose my plan in bringing live music to their patients’ bedsides and to demonstrate the power of music therapy for their critically ill. I will lead communities to help raise monies for this service through pledge drives. This exposure and promotion of my efforts as Miss California’s Outstanding Teen will be noticed by the donors and trustees of organizations of which I will be seeking in calling attention to my platform.
Legacy: My desire at the end of my service as Miss California’s Outstanding Teen is to be able to witness my generation of peers begin to commit a portion of their life in providing service to an organization or to another individual who is in need of comfort, whether it be with their talents, their time, or their hearts.
Why I should be Miss California’s Outstanding Teen 2007: I believe that I am an example of what I want all Teens in America to know – that they have the power to make a big difference for the better in their own communities. The goodness in their hearts and in their efforts can help people in need and when encouraged, those efforts can inspire other teenagers to do the same in their own communities.
Platform
Compassion for the Convalescing
It is often said that there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. Every one of us is getting older each day. Most of us will leave this world or rehabilitate in a peaceful manner with family lovingly attending our bedside. But there are many people, young and old, in hospitals, hospices, and private homes, who are in distress and discomfort during their convalescence. Music has proven to be therapeutic in providing comfort and relaxation to the critically ill and their families. Through the media which I will have available to me as Miss California’s Outstanding Teen, I plan to present to our society the beauty in serving others who need peace and comfort.
Our society and culture, often run by a vibrant younger generation, seem to forget the elderly, the sick, and our injured Soldiers. The critically ill are an image we don’t like to think about because it reminds us of our own vulnerabilities. As Miss California’s Outstanding Teen, I plan to help raise funds and to partner with the already-established organization, Compassionate Harps. I have already raised over $500 in public and private donations for Compassionate Harps by running in 5K/10Ks in our local area.
Compassionate Harps presently provides live therapeutic harp music to help ease pain and lessen anxiety for the critically ill and dying in hospitals, hospices, and homes in both San Bernardino and Orange Counties. Compassionate Harps trains professional harpists to give service with their instrument at the request and comfort level of each patient. When harp music is played live, the melodies, tone, volume and intensity can be adjusted according to the needs of the ill person. It has been proven by hospice nurses that patients who have received therapeutic harp music exhibit less anxiety, sleep better, and require less pain medication. The harp has a wide range of pitches which can be felt throughout the body. It has a universal significance with its unique effect, the glissando, creating an ethereal sound. This dynamic of harmonics cannot be experienced through taped music.
With the funds I raise and the contact I make with the media during my reign as Miss California’s Outstanding Teen, I plan to document via video and to meet with and show hospital administrations and humanitarian organizations, especially Veterans hospitals throughout the state of California, the benefits of serving those who have served us. The funds would be provided to train more musicians in every city who wishes to participate in this wonderful community service.
I have seen for myself Compassionate Harps’ powerful and loving service given during the bedside passing of my dear family friend and of my great grandmother. I also have knowledge of the comfort a Compassionate Harpist provided an 18-month old baby receiving chemo treatment. Because of the ability the harpist had in creating a peaceful atmosphere, that baby was able to relax enough for her nurses to administer another painful treatment without fuss.
I believe every lonely, uncomfortable, and/or distressed patient, especially our Veterans, should be provided a tranquil and soothing environment at times of great stress during their convalescence. I also believe that having a charitable heart can be very contagious. As Miss California’s Outstanding Teen, I believe I can inspire my peers to “catch” the desire to help others in need.
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