Our Lady Queen Of Peace Visit

I began my week of appearances at Our Lady Queen of Peace school on Tuesday. Thanks to my dear friend, Kelly, I was able to collect letters from all of the students for Macy's "Million Reasons to Believe" campaign. I have not counted up all of the letters, yet, but we certainly had a lot based on how extremely heavy the bag was when we finished!!

I am a part of Alpha Omicron Pi, a sorority at Wagner College, and a few years ago, we "adopted" a little girl, Lauren, through the "Friends of Jaclyn" program. This makes her an honorary sister of AOII. Lauren also had a wish granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to swim with dolphins in Hawaii. Because this wish family is also a part of my sisterhood, I was delighted to be able to visit their school and share in a foundation that helped her personally. Lauren and her two sisters all attend Our Lady Queen of Peace.

I had the opportunity to host three assemblies, and talk to all of the students about myself, volunteering, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and why it meant so much to me that they all wrote their letters to Santa. Because this was my first official visit as Miss Staten Island to a school, I was very nervous, but it wound up being awesome!

The kids seemed surprised as I described how "normal" I really am. "I have two cats (Jynx and Shadow), I love to dance, and I love food," I told them. I think this made it easier for them to be more open with me and ask questions. I explained to them that I really do think children are the most important people in world, which is why I work so hard to help them! After I told them about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and what they do, I asked the children a simple question:

"Why do you think wishes are so important?"

One girl, in the second grade, hit the nail right on the head. "I think wishes are so important because they make people healthier," she said. And that is exactly it! The reason why the Make-A-Wish Foundation is unique and vital is because wishes bring people hope and joy, which makes them healthier! I followed up with another question that I, myself, was curious about:

"What would your one wish be?"

One little boy, in a kindergarten class, stole my heart - as well as everyone else's - with his answer. "If I had one wish, I would want to share all of my toys with the sick kids because I don't really need them, but I know they would make them happy," he said, in a much more "child-like" way. It's so amazing to see how children really do care about their peers and are willing to help them - at any age. This is why my platform includes getting children involved in volunteering. They have such huge hearts!

In each assembly, after I spoke, I took time to meet with the students and collect their letters. Of course, I stopped for photographs!

This girl lost her tooth while taking a group photo!

These twins have an older brother who is eligible for a wish!!

I was even able to sign a boy's cast! It's much more difficult than it looks. I've never done it before!

To end my day at Our Lady Queen of Peace, I joined the Pre-K class for some Christmas songs and questioning. My favorite quote? "When I go home, I'm going to tell my mom and dad all about you!"

It was a great way to begin my visits to schools on the island. Thank you, again, Kelly for all of your help! I couldn't have done this without. And to all of the faculty and students, especially the principal, Ms. Signorile, thank you for warmly inviting me into your school and for your participation!