Youngstown Boys & Girls Club

Fresh from the wonderful excitement of the Coronation Ball and well wishes from friends and family, we headed home to Maryland after the week of national pageantry. I will never get over the magic of that experience, no matter what!

On the way home, I was looking forward to stopping in for a pre-arranged appearance at the Youngstown, Ohio, Boys and Girls Club. This was partly a sentimental stop for me, as my Mother’s parents were both born and raised in that area, and my Godmother, Great Aunt Rose Marie was going to have us as guests at her birthday dinner that evening!

I had a wonderful time Tuesday morning at the Youngstown Boys and Girls Club, speaking to young girls about my own self image struggles fueled by stick skinny models and pop culture media, eating healthy, exercising regularly, and knowing that healthy is beautiful no matter what size it may be!

The children were enthusiastic and all filled out pledge cards for the American Heart Association’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation, pledging the small changes that they would make in their lifestyles today, to better their heart health for the rest of their lives.

It was a heart-warming visit all around. Now, I’m back home, setting up my calendar of appearances to promote my platform and our wonderful International pageant system.

Juliana McKee