As hard as it is to believe, it is already October. Here in the northeast, the trees are starting to turn and the apples are ready for picking. As we move into a new season, some states are getting ready to host their state pageants this month. Nebraska, New York, and Tennessee will hold their pageants in October. Best wishes for successful events to those coordinators!

Coordinator Updates

We are happy to announce that Will Clark is the new State Coordinator for Ms. Wheelchair Tennessee. Will has served on the MWTN Committee for the past 3 years and is taking over for Sofia Maneschi. We thank Sofia for her many years of service and welcome Will to the Ms. Wheelchair America family.

We have heard from Dawn Peterson, MWLA State Coordinator. She would like me to extend her heartfelt gratitude for all of the prayers and donations made on her behalf. With your support and generosity, we were able to collect $1,260 and we will be sending that to Dawn to help her as she and her husband rebuild their lives in Louisiana. Thank you so much to all who contributed to this fund.

Surveys

Have you completed your pageant survey? Each year, following the national pageant, a survey is sent to all state coordinators and state titleholders. The MWA Executive Board reviews these surveys at the Annual Fall Meeting. Your comments and feedback are crucial to the success and future growth of the program. We rely on your insights and suggestions to help us make improvements each year. If you haven’t sent your survey to Denise, please take a few minutes to do that now. And ask your titleholder if she has completed hers. We like to hear from you!

Mentors

Did you know that each state coordinator is assigned a MWA Executive Board Mentor? Your mentor acts as a support and resource for you as you plan and hold your state pageants. Mentors can provide answers to questions, fresh ideas when you need them, and a shoulder to lean on when things get rough. All Independent Delegates are mentored by the Executive Director. Other states are divided among the Board Members. If you are uncertain who your mentor is this year, please contact Denise for a complete list. Your mentor will be contacting you in the next month to discuss your state program, if he/she hasn’t already.

Recruiting…..

In order to maintain official recognition by MWA as a participating state, your state pageant must comply with MWA requirements. That means your pageant must have:

At least 2 contestants who use a wheelchair for 100% of their daily community mobility
At least 3 judges (may have more but it must be an odd number)

Recruiting contestants can be a challenge. We know there are women out there who would make great contestants. Where do we find them? How do we spread the word about our program? Some of the creative recruiting methods we have heard of include:

1. Posting flyers or posters at Independent Living Centers.
2. Asking local chapters of organizations such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Muscular Dystrophy Association or Spina Bifida Association to include a ‘call for contestants’ in their membership newsletters.
3. Sending press releases to local newspapers and radio stations.
4. Seeking contestant referrals from local rehabilitation hospitals or outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation programs.

Remember to involve your state committee in contestant recruitment. The more connections you can make, the easier it is to find women who will benefit from involvement in Ms. Wheelchair.

Recruiting doesn’t end with contestants. Finding judges can be just as challenging. As stated above, you must have at least 3 judges for your state pageant. You may have more, but it must be an odd number. When recruiting judges, look to those who have supported your program. Perhaps a former sponsor would appreciate the chance to be involved with your state program as a judge. Or, you might want to recruit people to judge as a way of introducing them to your program prior to asking them to join your board of directors.

Your fellow state coordinators can be a valuable source of information, as well as potential judges! After all, who knows more ins and outs than those of us who regularly plan and coordinate pageants of our own? Are you willing to serve as a judge? Contact a neighboring state to offer your services! When you volunteer to judge another pageant, you might just get some new ideas to bring back to your own state program.

News from Kristen Connors, MWA 2006

As we mentioned last month, Kristen had the opportunity to visit Taipei, Taiwan for the Miss Wheelchair Love Without Borders Pageant. Here is a summary of her adventures, in her own words:

I arrived in Taiwan at 5:00 AM on Wednesday, September 7th after a 17-hour flight. I had no idea when I arrived what an amazing experience it would be. It was my first trip overseas and I have to say I was a little nervous about the upcoming week. That nervousness soon ended when Eileen, who had helped plan the trip and was going to be one of my interpreters for the week, met me. She led my mom and me out to the accessible van and driver that were at our disposal for the entire stay. We drove from the airport to Taipei City where all of my appearances would take place.

When we arrived at the hotel Eileen handed me my schedule for the week. I was going to be very busy. My first day included two press conferences and TV and newspaper interviews, along with a welcome dinner with my host, members of the Eden Social Welfare Foundation. All of this on about 4 hours sleep but I was so excited to be there I didn’t notice how tired I was. I also met last year’s Ms. Wheelchair Love without Borders winner, who is an incredible woman. Although she didn’t speak English, we got along very well.

In the days that followed I visited with the President of Taiwan, whose wife has a disability. He met with us for about ½ hour and I feel he is truly a man who wants to change the lives of people in his country who have a disability. I also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Vice President of the Legislator. The press was everywhere we went and every day there was a story about the pageant in the newspaper.

On my last night there, I spoke at the Ms. Wheelchair Love without Borders Contest. I had the chance to meet with the 12 finalists and presented them each with a gift I brought from the states. It was interesting to see the differences and similarities between the two pageants and I was honored to have the opportunity to attend. The winner is a special young woman who I know will further the cause of disability issues in Taiwan.

We did have some time to sightsee. We visited the Palace Museum and went up to Yum Yum Mountain, from where you can see all of Taipei City. It was a beautiful place, but I have to say that it was the people of Taiwan who made my trip so special. They are a very warm and caring people who did everything they could to make my trip a pleasant and fun experience. I could never thank them enough for their hospitality. I learned so much from each one of them and know that this was an experience of a lifetime that I will never forget. I came home with many beautiful gifts and memories and a little jetlag as well. It was quite a way to start off my reign as MWA 2006.

Finally….a note from the ED

You might have noticed that the bits and pieces of this month’s newsletter focus on planning a state pageant. Perhaps that is because the Ms. Wheelchair NY pageant is only 3 weeks away and I am up to my neck in pageant prep myself! This will be the third pageant that the MWNY committee has planned in the past 12 months and I think it’s safe to say that all of the MWNY committee members are feeling a little “pageanted-out.” Burn-out can happen to all of us if we’re not careful. How do we avoid that stressed out, “I’ve had enough and I just can’t take anymore!” feeling?

The answer to that question will be different for all of us. Perhaps you refuel your “Ms. Wheelchair batteries” by holding regular committee meetings that end in a fun gab session where everyone vents and shares experiences. Or, maybe you keep in touch with other state coordinators and participate in the coordinator activities at the national pageants. For myself, it is all of those activities, combined with remembering that feeling I had when I was an independent delegate at my first MWA pageant five years ago. When I wheeled into the room where all of the contestants were gathered that first night, I felt like I had entered a room of 26 women who were just like me. That feeling of positive energy kept me on a natural high for the entire pageant week and many weeks to follow. Now, whenever I start to doubt my ability to keep my state program up and running, I just think back to that first night of the national pageant and remind myself that there are women out there who still have yet to experience that positive feeling. The only way they can experience it is if our state programs continue to prosper and grow.

State coordinators are the backbone of the Ms. Wheelchair America program. By supporting each other, and taking care of ourselves, we help enforce our strength and integrity. So, be sure to schedule something for yourself to recharge your own “Ms. Wheelchair batteries” in the months ahead. I will be “recharging” this weekend by participating as a judge at Ms. Wheelchair Nebraska. What will your recharge be??!!