Mrs. International Finals (Day 2)

The Mrs. International final was amazing this evening. I was so surprised to see Sarah Bertrand (Miss Teen Illinois International 2010) who I competed with two years ago for the title of Miss Teen International. She looked beautiful and it was great to reconnect. I am so proud of my sister titleholder, Jessica Cassidy, for her 1st runner

up placement. She is such a class act and I am honored to reign with her. At the end of the night the coveted Mrs International crown went to Sarah Bazey, Mrs. Minnesota International. Congratulations Sarah...your story & platform are amazing.

Chicago Here I Come! (Day 1)

Today was, hands down, one of the most eventful, fun, and exciting days of travel I have ever experienced. Our day started at 6 am, when we all hauled our 10 pieces of luggage to LAX. Mom, Papa, Kara and I spent the morning in the Admiral's Club chowing on delicious muffins and bagels. Our flight was canceled due to maintenance issues. After about an hour we were booked on another flight and we were off! After boarding

the plane I was pleasantly surprised to be called to the cockpit to meet the Captain. He asked to take a picture with me and wear my sash and crown. Once we landed in Chicago my Papa took a nasty fall in the airport. He just had back surgery so after a call to his surgeon, we were told to go straight to the emergency room, do not pass "GO", do not collect $200. Circumstances put aside, we had a blast in the hospital with the patients, nurses and doctors. By midnight Papa was given the thumbs up to be released and we were on our way to Skokie.

We were dead tired but our adventure was not quite over. With very empty bellies we searched relentlessly for a food establishment and were so grateful when the neon pizza signs glowed our way. Kara and I spent a good 30+ minutes rehearsing in the middle of the pizza parlor while our pizza was in the oven. What an eventful first day, can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

$10,000 donation to Luggage of Love from the Scott Foundation

I want to thank the Scott family for your generous donation of $10,000 to Luggage of Love. I am beyond words with your generosity, love, and support. So many children will benefit from your donation and it is people like yourselves who truly are making a difference in the lives of our foster youth. Simply put I am speechless.

Make-A-Wish grant of luggage for Tori's trip to Paris

Today I met the most inspirational young lady. Tori Sather is living with brain cancer. At an early age Tori found herself having mood swings and tripping all the time for no reason. Since the age of 5 her brain tumor had went undiagnosed until she was in her teens. Finally they found the culprit of all of Tori's troubles...a tumor the size of a softball. At the age of 15 Tori underwent surgery to remove the tumor. During the surgery, the left side of Tori's body became paralyzed. Since then, she has spent

countless months recovering in the hospital. She never gave up on her fight to gain feeling and mobility on that side of her body. Today she is mobile and continues to fight on. I am so inspired by Tori and all that she has gone through. She is a beautiful and strong person with a heart of gold. I adore you and your outlook on life. I hope you have the most amazing time in Paris and that you and your mother enjoy your luggage.

A pallet of luggage packed with love from Girl Scout Troop #60477

A HUGE thank you goes to Girl Scout Troop #60477 for stopping the Luggage of Love office to help ship out a pallet. You ladies were great worker bees and I had a blast watching you palletize this shipment from start to finish. From decorating the luggage tags, putting them

on the luggage, separating the luggage, stacking it on the pallet, and shrink wrapping it...YOU DID AMAZING! The children at the shelter will love getting luggage wrapped with care from you. I've loved getting to know each and every one of you and please come back to help and visit anytime!

Fellow Casa Pacifica resident and friend of mine, Cristina Miranda, Sr. Youth Advocate, was interviewed by NBC News during her internship at Capitol Hill! Please click on the link below to watch what amazing strides former foster youth around our country are doing today. So proud of all your accomplishments Cristina! Keep up the good work. Click here to watch the video

Meadowlarks Award Luncheon

The Meadowlark Service League ("MSL") is a non-profit organization of women dedicated to raising funds for a variety of local charitable organizations and programs. They have given over $2,500,000 to worthy organizations since their inception in 1971. This year was their 40 year anniversary, and they awarded $233,000 to deserving, non profit organizations and scholarships to local graduating high school seniors and continuing college students. One of the conditions of the grants is that all recipients must be located in Ventura County and the money must be spent in Ventura County. I am honored that the Meadowlarks once again included Luggage of Love as one of their recipients this year. Thank you to all of the ladies who work countless hours to raise these funds, it is greatly appreciated and I am humbled beyond words. Your grant money will help the many children in transition in Ventura County so they do not have to put their personal belongings into trash bags.