Miss Buffalo 2012

Congratulations to Lonna, Miss Buffalo 2012! Being that the National Chicken Wing Festival is in my hometown Buffalo, NY  and I, a former Miss Buffalo, it was nice to be able to support the girls competing. Boy, is it different watching, I think I was just as nervous as the contestants were!Katie Martin my Executive Director helped shared emotions as we watched the competition. Calista Amering my Executive Director was a judge, the girls were so talented! I know she had a tough time! Congratulations to all the girls on a job well done! I hope to see you all at Miss Greater Rochester! Competing for my crown of course :)

Living a Purposeful Life

Just a week week ago, I participated in the Women's Appreciation Weekened at the New Covenant Baptist Church in Buffalo, NY. I performed " Somewhere Over the Rainbow" during their opening day ceremony and presented a workshop to their " Young Vessels" on living a purposeful life. I used my crown to tie in the importance of the four points which include service, scholarship, style and sucess along with positive attritubes that can lead them into a purposeful life. Each child made a crown and listed their four favorite attributes. We had so much fun creating crowns with positive attributes that each child had at least three crowns to take home with them!

Uno's Pizza Throwdown

I had such a fun oppourtunity to judge a Pizza Throwdown to benefit Wilson Commencement Park in Victor NY! Are you jealous?! I would be!! :) The students at Wilson Commencement Park created fabulous, creative and tasty recipes to compete against UNO's a family restuaunt chain. Boy did the students have great expertise in what would taste great on pizza. Chicken, Shrimp even Broccoli to top their Pizza's and get this there was even a healthy option that consisted of many vegetables! Take a look at the fun pictures of me and the other local judges :)

Monroe County Fair

I had the wonderful oppourtunity to judge the junior division of the Monroe County Fair Talent Show! What a hard job I had to judge such talented and brave youngsters! Good Luck to the Top 10 winners as they compete at the State Fair!

Why Hello There!

Hi there! Im sure you have been wondering what has been going on with our Miss Greater Rochester?!
Well just a week ago I finished up my degree requirements for my Master's Program!This included submitting a Capstone Project 60 pages or more on a issue we find most important to us concerning the school system. My Capstone took a further look on the connection between arts in education and academic sucess.As dancer and teaching artist, I have experienced first hand the positive effects of having the arts contritube to the success of former students.Now that my Capstone is completed I will be student teaching in just a few weeks! Whew! Im so happy I made it through. It was tough let me tell, you but I did what I do best. PERSERVERED!

My Performance at Miss New York 2011

Hello again!

Wow, time has flown by! It has been almost a month since my last post! Well let me update you...
Pageant week was a amazing experience. The people of Staten Island were so hospitable and we truly felt like we were home! I had so much fun visiting the historic places in Staten Island, it is truly is a beautiful place! The Miss New York 2011 competition was also a amazing experience and a milestone in my life. I literally put my all up there during preliminary night! I made it to top 10 during finals night and I never felt better. The title of Miss New York 2011 went to Kaitlin Monte a beautiful, and talented young woman and guess what? She's from Rochester New York! It is so wonderful to have a Miss New York from our area.  I have worked so hard these past few months and all that practice has paid off. My year is just beginning and I cant wait to share what I will be doing in the next few months! Stay tuned :)

Miss New York Preperation

Ah what a bitter sweet moment as I finished my last Miss New York Preparation ever!  I have worked so hard in these last few months traveling over 600 miles making appearances in my community, making strides to get kids active and educated about healthy living. I have been tried and tested with time management and organization skills as I enter my summer semester of my Master's Program in Education. I have remained  dedicated and continued to practice, practice, practice all phases of competition and I feel really good about my preparation. As a former athlete, dancer and future educator I know the end result of perseverance and practice...Perfection! :) This past Saturday I along with Co- Executive Director Calista Amering and Co- Executive Director Katie Martin met at St. John Fisher College in Rochester and perfected everything down to my walk. I am so ready and willing to leave my heart out there for all to see as I compete for the opportunity of a life time one last time. I will be sure to keep you updated of the road that lies ahead!

Your's truly,

Miss Greater Rochester 2011

Chelsea Propohet

Golisano Children's Hospital

This past Tuesday I along with our own Miss New York 2010 Claire Buffie, and Miss Buffalo 2011 Desiree Wiley visited the Golisano Children's Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Here we participated in arts and crafts with the children and showed support to the Rochester Region's Children's Miracle Network Hospital. It was so nice to have and opportunity to get to know the children at the hospital especially after all the time and energy I have put into raising money for the Children's Miracle Network. We are so fortunate to have a CMN hospital right in our own backyard!

Sponsorship

I would like to take a moment and thank all the sponsors that have joined the "Chelsea Train" :) It truly means so much to me!

Buffalo Gym
John Smilie Photography
Exclusively Hair on Transit
Bikram Yoga Williamsville
Naila Ansari and James Washington- Choreography

and the list is continuing to grow!

B.O.O.S.T at St. Louis School

Presenting my program “B.O.O.S.T” at St. Louis Elementary started off informing the class what B.O.O.S.T. stands for and how we can continue to live a healthier life. Becoming Optimistic Outgoing and Self­-trained for a healthier live is the key to keeping children on the right track for the future. I presented the food pyramid to the class and we brainstormed healthier options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We also talked about the importance of physical activity and used two volunteers to show how I personally like to use dance as a form of physical activity that is also a lot of fun! By then end of my presentation the 5^th grade class at St. Louis was on the right track to live a healthier life!

Lilac Festival 5k

On the closing day of the Lilac Festival, I along with my best friend ran my first ever 5k! With a background of Track and Field, you would think I wouldn’t be nervous to run in a race but I had butterflies in my stomach! After the race began I used the 3 mile race to parallel my quest for the job of Miss New York and loved both the ups and the downs of the long stretched road ahead. The focus and determination helped me to finish the race in just 32 minutes! Not bad for my first time! I was so exhilarated and proud of my finish I did a happy dance at the finish line! J I am thrilled to have promoted my platform of a healthy and active lifestyle and lead by example in one of Rochester’s most acclaimed races!

Quest Elementary

I had such a fantastic time reading to the kindergarten class at Quest Elementary! Mrs. Pilion is great and the students were just as wonderful! The young boys and girls were so inquisitive about my journey to Miss New York and about the appearances and preparations I’ve made along the way. Mrs. Pilon’s class has become my adopted classroom and I will be “skyping” the class during pageant week to tell them all about it!! Pictures to follow soon!

You Are What You Eat!

So I was watching "The View" this morning and I saw Wayne Brady perform this song and I said to myself we need more songs like this for children! It's so catchy! You Are What You Eat Music Video

Miss New York 2011 People's Choice

Hey there! The Miss New York 2011 Pageant is a month away! I can't believe how much time is flying! My mission as Miss Greater Rochester is to truly make a difference in my community. I am proud to say I strive to live my platform of inspiring young boys and girls to reach their greatest potential both with and without the crown. Having the chance to do what I feel I am meant to do, mentor young kids! Thank you so much for for your support~ I would love to encourage you to vote for me as Miss New York 2011 People's Choice ! All donations go directly to the Miss New York State Organization and the Empire State Education Scholarship Fund. Each vote is a dollar, how cheap is that :) Vote now!! Also take a look at all of the contestants competing for the job of Miss New York in June!Miss New York 2011 Spring Workshop

Miss Greater Rochester 2011 Appearances

Boy time is flying fast! I have had so much fun thus far as Miss Greater Rochester and am thrilled with the opportunities and experiences I've had. In case you missed it, here are some of the past appearances I've made:

March 24- Interview by the Challenger News Paper and WUFO am
April 4- Miss Greater Rochester Fundraiser -Great Northern Pizza
April 11- Miss New York Workshop
May 6 Ad Page Campaign
May 7 Western New York Conference Division of Young People- Presenting my B.O.O.S.T Program
May 12 Boys and Girls Club-Presenting my B.O.O.S.T Program
May 14 Lilac Festival Parade
May 14 CMN Fundraiser at Walmart
May 14 CMN Bachelor Auction
May 15 CMN Fundraiser at Walmart

And here is some of the fun yet to come:

May 17 Boys and Girls Club
May 19 Quest Elementary School-Reading my children's book to the kindergarten class
May 19 Boys and Girls Club
May 22 Running in the Lilac Festival 5K
May 24 Boys and Girls Club
May 26 Boys and Girls Club
May 27 St. Louis School Rochester-Presenting my B.O.O.S.T program to the 5th grade classes
May 31 Boys and Girls Club
June 4 Day of Dance/ Children's Miracle Network Penny Drive
June 13-19 MISS NEW YORK PAGEANT
July- Willie Hutch Jones Sports Clinic
August- Tentatively "Let's Move" First Lady Michelle Obama visit's to Zion Dominion Global Ministries Church
September- "Little Miss" Mall Pageant

I would love for you all to join me at these upcoming appearances! Please let me know if you have any other ideas or upcoming events I could attend. My mission as Miss Greater Rochester is to truly make a difference in my community. I am proud to say I strive to live my platform of inspiring young boys and girls to reach their greatest potential both with and without the crown. Having the chance to do what I feel I am meant to do, mentor young kids, as Miss Greater Rochester...well that is just a huge added bonus! 

Thank you so much for following me on this amazing journey. I hope you will join me in all that is yet to come!

Children's Miracle Network Walmart Fundraiser

May is for Miracles.I devoted this weekend to the Children's Miracle Network. I used Walmart to set up my fundraisers by requesting sidewalk space to raise money to provide comfort, treatment and hope for the millions of sick children across the nation. I had the help of two beautiful "Tiny" title holders, Lauren and Marin, who both needed the help of the Children's Miracle Network and were infants of NICU or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

 I would love for you to support the Children's Miracle Network as well. You can donate through my page here.Chelsea's Children's Miracle Network Donation Page Every penny counts! 

Children's Miracle Network Bachelor Auction- Corning, New York

Saturday night I attended my first Bachelor Auction. All proceeds collected are donated directly to the Children's Miracle Network. I helped escort the lovely Bachelors for the night along with Charlotte Booth, Miss Finger Lakes 2011, Amy Valenti, Miss Finger Lakes 2010, and Stacey Minchin, Miss New York International 2011. Boy, were the Bachelor's determined to raise money! They did everything they could to impress the ladies for a high bid! The Auction raised a little over $3,000 for the Children's Miracle Network! 

One of the Bachelor's were so intrigued by the crown he wanted to see how it felt to have it on his head! Is this our next MR. New York?!
 

Lilac Festival

Hey there! I had the chance to be in the Lilac Parade for the Lilac Festival in Highland Park. Rochester is known as the Flower City and it is easy to see why this time of year. The Lilacs are in full bloom! I had the best time waving to the parade goers and being apart of one of Rochester's greatest sources of pride, the Lilac Festival If you weren't able to make it here are some pictures from the parade below. 

Oh and don't worry. You have ten whole days to make it to this year's festival! I'll be back on the closing day running in the festival's 5K on Sunday March 22nd. 

Boys and Girls Club of America- S.M.A.R.T. Girls

I am so excited to lead the SMARTgirls program at my local Boys and Girls Club of America. SMARTgirls is a health, fitness, prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program for girls ages 8 to 17. The program is designed to encourage healthy attitudes and lifestyles that will enable early adolescent girls to develop to their full potential. I am thrilled to bring my BOOST Program to these young girls! This week we focused on physical activity and how to incorporate it into their everyday routine. After our 15 minute brainstorming session we focused on movement. Just like the other workshops I've done thus far, the fitness dance routine is full of cardio pumping exercise mixed with everyday active movement to make physical activity fun. These movements range from infusing steps from the latin crazed Zumba to jumping rope and traditional dance steps. Stay tuned to see what I have in store for next week's session! :)

Western New York Conference Division of Young People- B.O.O.S.T Program

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of promoting my platform” Let’s Move to End Childhood Obesity” by presenting my BOOST Program at the Western New York Conference of Young People. Here I spoke to the youth about the importance of a healthy lifestyle that includes good eating habits and exercise. My class of 10 soon expanded to about 30 children in one classroom! These kids were so eager to move that I had to intensify the fitness routine. By the end of the 45 minute period the kids had worked up such a sweat they were literally trying to take off their uniforms. They loved to “jump rope” and count to 10 while executing their exercises. This group was like no other! They were full of energy just the way the youth of our nation should be!

Miss Greater Rochester Fundraiser

I realized I never posted about the amazing time I had raising money for the Miss Greater Rochester Organization with Amy Valenti a few Saturdays ago. Amy is the best pageant sister ANYONE could ask for and is also an amazing friend! To help raise money for the Miss Greater Rochester Organization I participated with Great Northern Pizza in Henrietta. With each customer that brought in a voucher, a 15% profit would be donated to the Greater Rochester Organization. How cool right?! I visited many businesses in the area and promoted the Miss Greater Rochester Organization. Some of the businesses that were gracious enough to hand vouchers out for me were DSW, where I found the Miss America Shoe line, and Rainbow a clothing store for teens. When visiting Rainbow I encountered two of their employees who asked, "Are you the real Miss Rochester?" They had no idea about the organization and after I was done explaining how the Miss America Organization helped me to overcome obstacles in my life and my passion for my platform, they wanted in! They were already claiming Miss Rochester 2012! So ladies watch out! :) It was an amazing experience!

Improving foods marketed to children

Check out this article I found on NPR News:

New advertising guidelines from the Obama administration could make Dig 'Em the frog an endangered species — along with Toucan Sam, Chester Cheetah and other junk-food mascots used to sell products to children that are high in sugar, fat and sodium.

"Your ability to recognize those characters is a function of how much money the food makers spend in trying to alter the behaviors of children in a non-healthful manner," says Stephen Teret, a public health professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Now the Federal Trade Commission has offered what it calls "voluntary principles to guide industry self-regulation efforts to improve the nutritional profile of foods marketed to children."

Government has a very big role to play if we are going to end childhood obesity within a generation, as the first lady has called on us to do.
- Scott Faber, vice president of federal affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers Association
The government wants the food industry to market healthy foods to kids — not the fast food, sugary cereals and salty snacks that make up so much of the food advertising market aimed at children today.

The program would be voluntary, but it still rankles libertarians such as David Boaz of the CATO Institute. He sees this program as a government infringement on companies' free speech rights.

"If the federal government decided to issue voluntary guidelines about what newsmen should say to avoid inflaming the public, I think [the news media] would be pretty upset," he argues.

And, he says, since food companies have deep government involvement, opting out of these voluntary standards is "very difficult to do."

Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest hopes he's right. She helped draft the standards, and she says although food companies have taken steps to self-regulate, right now the system is a patchwork with lots of holes.

"These standards could take us from having self-regulation be a nice idea to having self-regulation actually work," Wootan says.

The food industry says it's open to these proposals.

"Government has a very big role to play if we are going to end childhood obesity within a generation, as the first lady has called on us to do," says Scott Faber, vice president of federal affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers Association. "So these are recommendations that we'll look at carefully as we think of ways to update the standards we're already using."

The public has 45 days to comment on these new proposals before the Obama administration sends its final report to Congress.

Mock Interview

Yesterday was my first mock interview since Miss Greater Rochester. It felt so good to get back into the swing of things. Interview is the MOST important! The panel of judges was comprised of my two co-executive directors, Calista Amering and Katie Martin, Miss greater Rochester 2007, Vanria Glenn, events coordinator at St John Fisher College, Twylla Dillion and Diocese of Rohester Catholic school teacher, Peggy Martin. I received so much valuable feed back. During interview I got extremely emotional about my inspiration, growth through the MAO and why I want to be Miss New York. I learned that it's OK to be so passionate about something that it brings you to tears, just not during interview! Haha :) I think of tears as a breakthrough, and I'm happy I'm making this breakthrough now.

Happy Easter!

B.O.O.S. T

Last Saturday I made a appearance with the LOVE group at Holy Faith Bible Tabernacle Church.
What a amazing experience! The girls were wonderful and so eager to get moving! I implemented my program called B.O.O.S.T which is the acronym for Becoming Optimistic Outgoing Self-Confident and Training- for a healthier lifestyle. My aim is to educate about health,lifestyle, prevention and self-esteem enhancement.
The LOVE

Group took part in a open conversation these topics and what it means to them, I even discussed the four points of the crown and how they can become successful, service oriented, stylish in their own individual and unique way. We even started thinking toward the future about high schools and colleges, tying in scholarships. These little ladies are going to be our future CEO's and Dr.s they are so motivated!

After our conversation we were ready to get moving! We stretched and did a 45 minute cardio and dance oriented fitness routine. Boy were they tired!

The next day I received a phone call from the director of the program and she expressed how much the girls retained the information and shared the healthy lifestyle tips with their families. Specifically getting fit together! Some even inquired about involvement in the Miss America Organization and how to become a contestant when they are of age. I cant wait to work with the LOVE program again, and I cant wait for the response I get from the Rochester Schools!
Here's a peek at more pictures I couldn't fit on my blog!Click Here

Let's Move! Flash Workout Beyonce Intro

Beyoncé: "Move Your Body" [Flash Workout Routine]

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution= Amazing!

Last night I was able to catch Jamie's Oliver's Food Revolution. I'm usually too busy to casually sit down and watch TV besides CNN but I have been looking forward to the premier of this show. Food is key in fighting childhood obesity. We need to care more about what we are putting into our bodies. Here is a quote from his website:

"This Food Revolution is about saving America's health by changing the way people eat. It's not just a TV show; it's a movement for you, your family and your community. If you care about your kids and their future, take this revolution and make it your own. Educate yourself about food and cooking, and find out what your child is eating at school. Make only a few small changes and magical things will happen. Switching from processed to fresh food will not only make you feel better, it will also add years to your life."- Jamie Oliver

Here is a article about Oliver taken from SHAPE magazine:

By Jennipher Walters
Last night the premiere of the second season of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution aired on ABC. The reality TV show chronicles chef Jamie Oliver's attempts at making over school cafeterias to serve healthier — and many times tastier — fare to students. With some British charm, Jamie also shows school administrators how to make healthy meals at an affordable cost — because at one point or another they all seem to fight for tator tots and chocolate milk to stay on the lunch menu due to lack of school funding.
For anyone who's seen the show and wishes that our children had healthier options in our public schools, last night's episode in Los Angeles was particularly frustrating, as Oliver kept facing road block after road block. While only time will tell how and if that situation works out, there are a few lessons to be learned from last night's show. All of them are generally good life lessons, but they also come in handy if you're trying to make a change for the healthier in your community.
3 Things to Learn from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
1. Persistence pays offs. If Jamie Oliver quit after hearing his first "no," there would be no show and there would be no revolution. There is so much misunderstanding when it comes to nutrition and funding (you really can make cheap and healthy meals — you just have to use really affordable ingredients and in-season produce) that it takes time and a whole lot of patience to truly convince people that change can happen and should happen.
2. Take the politics out. Do you remember the Food Revolution scene from season 1 where Jamie went on a radio talk show only to be told that he didn't need to be telling others what to eat? Food is a touchy subject, and school funding is a highly political subject. When it comes to getting our schools healthier, it shouldn't be about the politics — it should be about the kids.
3. It takes a village. You say you want a revolution? To help Jamie Oliver's cause and improve the quality of food in your local schools, sign the Food Revolution petition. After all, no woman is an island!
Jennipher Walters is the CEO and co-founder of the healthy living websites FitBottomedGirls.com and FitBottomedMamas.com. A certified personal trainer, lifestyle and weight management coach and group exercise instructor, she also holds an MA in health journalism and regularly writes about all things fitness and wellness for various online publications.

I support Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution! I signed the petition immediately after watching the show. You can too. Just Click Here

John Smillie Photoshoot

Yesterday I met with John Smillie, a professional photographer in Rochester, to take my Miss New York head shot and promotional shot for ads. Can I say he takes phenomenal photos! I had so many great options to choose from! I had a really tough time deciding which images to choose. We finally narrowed it down to about five. John was so great! He was able to get the final retouched images back to us that afternoon. I am so thankful for John and so pleased with the end results! Amazing photographer hands down! Take a look at his website

Click Here

Im Back!

Ive been playing catch up with school and work but I'm back! Pageant workshop this past weekend was great! I''m so looking forward to pageant week, Staten Island is welcoming us with open arms and the Miss New York Organization has amazing things planned for us! Here is the link from

Staten Island Live Click Here