Miss America Serves Day 2018

Today is Miss America Serves Day, and I want to take a moment to share why I care so deeply about the work of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

Before I was six years old, I had two friends diagnosed with leukemia. In both cases, their families were told that they would not live more than a few months due to the stage of their cancer. I played with my friends in hospital rooms instead of at parks. We brought them toys so they might have something to enjoy between treatments. Even at five, I knew there was something fundamentally unfair about the fact that these friends of mine were experiencing such pain. Miraculously, both boys made a full recovery - thanks in large part to the stellar care they received in their children's hospitals.

Over the years, I have known more and more children who have been treated by these incredible Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The work they do to care for every child, no matter their ability to pay for treatment, is vital in a world where many families cannot afford pricey procedures. No family experiencing the trauma of a sick or injured child should have to worry about facing a mountain of hospital bills on the other side. Children's Miracle Network Hospitals generously open their doors to all families and children who need care, and they rely solely on fundraising to provide this care.

Dance Marathon came to UCSB during my first year on campus (read about year one here!). For four years, I volunteered with this organization to raise money for our local CMN Hospital, Santa Barbara Cottage Children's Hospital. Dancing alongside my friends and classmates for 12 hours straight while raising over $80,000 for the hospital was an experience I'll never forget. On top of that, I was able to meet countless children and families who had directly benefitted from the work of Cottage Children's. Hearing these stories makes it all the more real - these hospitals deserve all of the support in the world.

This year for Miss America Serves, we took part in a statewide "Sweat for Service" campaign. Based on the donation amount, I would film a workout doing burpees/pushups/crunches/jumping jacks and post on my social media sites. During week 1, Khryste Warden-Ranghiassci donated $50, so I completed 50 burpees for her (watch here). In week 2, Justine Wickham donated $50, and I did 50 jumping jacks (in Times Square, you can see it here!) Thank you for your generous donations in helping me reach my $100 fundraising goal - and it's not over! You can donate here through April 13 at midnight to help Team California reach $10,000.

I also had the opportunity to tour UCSF Benioff Oakland Children's Hospital with a few of the Northern California Titleholders. Abdur, our tour guide, led us through each wing and shared the stories of children who have been treated through their program. One story he told us was especially impactful. The "Beads of Courage" program was organized so children facing multiple procedures could better share and their experiences with other people. For each procedure, a child would get a bead corresponding to a certain color that represented the treatment. At the end of their time in the Children's Hospital, they would have a rope of beads that shows how much they had endured as a patient. We saw photos of children with hundreds of beads and it pulled at my heart - how much courage and strength these kids have to face such pain and suffering. It's truly remarkable.

As a contestant in the Miss America Program, I am raising money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals so children, like my friends, can receive state-of-the-art care in a facility dedicated to serving children. The national partnership between CMNH and Miss America allows all of us to serve as spokespeople for the programs offered and help publicize the need for support. I would be so appreciative if you would be able to make a donation to my fundraising page, so these children have the chance to work towards their own dreams.