Happy New Year to all of you! It’s hard to believe that we are embarking on another year. As we all get back into the swing of things, please take some time to make note of the following updates and information.

Coordinator Updates

There were no state pageants held in December, but Florida will host their ceremony January 21. We wish Eileen O’Brien, the new MWFL State Coordinator, good luck with her first pageant. The Ms. Wheelchair Arizona pageant originally scheduled for January 28 has been re-scheduled for April 8.

The Ms. Wheelchair South Dakota program has a new coordinator. Monica German has resigned to devote more time to her studies. We wish her well and thank her for her work in South Dakota. We are pleased to welcome Vicki Nisich as the new coordinator for MWSD. Vicki has served as titleholder, coordinator, MWA Board Member and has also helped judge on the state and national levels. Welcome back Vicki!

The new MWA website is completed and should be up and running by the time this newsletter is distributed! The address is the same, www.mswheelchairamerica.org. There may be some difficulty accessing the site as the final changeover is completed, and we appreciate your patience as we complete this process. One new feature offered by the website is the opportunity for each state coordinator to receive e-mail directly from the national site using an “e-mail blind.” For those of you not familiar with this process, this is a means of keeping coordinator e-mail addresses private, while still allowing you to receive e-mails directly from the MWA website. This feature will help with communication while still protecting your privacy, and gives you control over who has access to your e-mail address.

Swap and Share

We have received a request from Michelle McKeever, the MWIL coordinator. She has asked for ideas from other coordinators related to publicity and advertising state programs. Her exact question was:

“We in IL are wondering how other states advertise and is there a company that other states use to send out press releases?”

So - coordinators here is your chance to help out. Please send your responses to Denise at: mwny01@yahoo.com. She will forward them on to Michelle, and all ideas will be shared in next month’s newsletter.

If you have a question you would like to see in future versions of “Swap and Share,” just send it to Denise.

News from Kristen Connors, MWA 2006

Happy New Year to all of you! The holidays were quite busy but I’m ready to move on into the new year. In December, I was invited to speak to a group of about 50 people at MetLife Insurance. Their Local Inclusion Action Team is committed to involving people with disabilities. This was a nice fit with my platform of breaking down attitudinal barriers in the workplace for people with disabilities.

Ms. Wheelchair America was once again invited to attend festivities for the Tournament of Roses Parade in California. Hats off to Ruthee Goldkorn, the MWCA State Coordinator, for all she did to help with the arrangements. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend due to a last minute family emergency. I have heard that Ruthee and the MWCA contingency braved the heavy rains, wind and raw weather on New Year’s Day to view the parade. Thanks again Ruthee.

In January I will be attending Ski for Light in South Dakota. I will tell you all about it next month!

Little Rock, Arkansas July 31 - August 6, 2006

Ms. Wheelchair America 2007, “Women of Strength,” will take place July 31 - August 6, 2006. We all remember those dates. Here is a reminder of other important dates as we mark our New Year calendars.

April 15, 2006 is the last weekend to hold a state pageant to select a titleholder for the national pageant. The first half of the entry fee and paperwork will be due to MWA on May 22, 2006. The second half of the entry fee and paperwork will be due to MWA on June 23, 2006.

This means that coordinators will need to collect the money and paperwork from titleholders at least one week in advance of these deadlines. These deadlines are set in stone and there will be no exceptions granted.

Finally….a note from the ED

Welcome to 2006 and Happy New Year to all. Many new things are happening with MWA- the new website, new states, and new additions to the coordinator newsletter. The MWA Board Members appreciate all of the feedback we receive from the coordinators and are continually working to improve the program based on your input.

The new “Swap and Share” item in the newsletters is one of those “new” things that we are trying out. This comes directly from coordinator input (thanks Ruthee and Crystal!). Please let me know if you have a question for this section, or a suggestion to share with others. We all have ideas to share. I know I am always happy to hear about new fundraising ideas or promotional outlets. Perhaps you have a fantastic contestant recruitment strategy. Or maybe you have a sure-fire method of ensuring media coverage of your events. Whatever it is, I’m happy to help pass it along to all.

Here’s to an amazing 2006!