CMN Telethon

Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in the annual Children's Miracle Network telethon.  It was such a great experience to be able to support such a great organization!  Although the telethon itself was a fun experience, the trip to the telethon wasn't! 

My little sister Courtney, Miss Empire Rose, and I were in and out of a terrible thunderstorm on the way to Albany.  At one point we were travelling 40 miles per hour on the Thruway.  It was miserable!  I feel very fortunate that we made it to the telethon safely.

Once at the telethon, we were greated by some pretty amazing pageant girls!  Katie Birchenough, Kim  Cantoni, Heather Shaffer, Courtney Sheridan and I all participated in the telethon.  After we signed in we were given some pretty cool Children's Hospital t-shirts and participated in some phone-training.  Now, I have never been a part of anything like this, and to be quite honest I was very nervous about answering the phones.  We completed our training and were brought to the studio.  We had to wait outside though until they were not live and could switch the volunteers out.  During this five to ten minute wait however, we were entertained by a lovely mascot who was there to support the Children's Hospital.  He enjoyed pointing at our sashes and crowns, practicing his "pageant wave" and comparing his tail to my hair.  The mascot was a lot of fun! 

I have never been inside a television studio and the experience was so great!  I loved being under all the lights and watching the hosts interact with the camera and the volunteers.  We all finally settled into our seats and waited for the calls to roll in.  However, my phone never rang.  It turns out my phone wasn't working!  It was just my luck that I get the only phone that happens to stop working as I sit down to use it!  Even though my phone didn't work, I still had a great time.  During the telethon there were stories told of children who had benefited from the services that the Children's Miracle Network offers.  As if the stories weren't touching enough, the children themselves were in the studio answering phones and supporting the organization.  It was so amazing to be able to see the children who benefit from the fundraising.  I feel very fortunate to have been able to participate in this experience.