This Saturday, December 12th, CMN at The Medical Center and Country's Barbeque are hosting the 10th Annual Reindeer Run for Kids. This is a one-mile fun run for kids and benefits CMN at The Medical Center in Columbus, Georgia. In the past nine years, this event has raised over $50,000 for local children.

I am excited to be volunteering at this event, as I always enjoy the time I spend around those involved with Children's Miracle Network.

For more information on the event, contact Jennifer Joyner at 706-660-6548. I hope to see you there!

CMN Radiothon

This morning I worked the Children's Miracle Network Radiothon in Columbus, Georgia. The radiothon benefits children at Columbus Regional Medical Center. It was quite an early morning, as I volunteered from 6-8 a.m. at the radio stations. I was in charge of answering phones and recording pledges from callers. Unfortunately, we only had 3 donations during my two hours of work.


We need many, many more donations to make this event successful! There are so many children at The Medical Center who need your help. The radiothon continues from 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. today and tomorrow (Tuesday, October 20 and Wednesday, October 21). Please call 706-320-8888 with your pledge!

Jule Collins Smith Museum

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon celebrating the 6th birthday of the Jule Collins Smith Museum in Auburn. It was so much fun! The theme for the day was "Elvis," and the event was complete with Elvis art, birthday cake, Aubie, and even an Elvis impersonator (with full band!).

I spent most of the afternoon making various glitter mosaics with the kids that were in attendance. We were given a sheet of paper that had one of several pictures printed on it: Patsy Cline, Elvis, Aubie, and others. We then added glue and covered the pictures with glitter. Being Miss AU, I of course made a picture of Aubie! One of the little girls that was working beside me suggested that I give the picture to Aubie! How cute! At the end of the day, another little girl gave me her mosaic as a present. It was a picture of Elvis with green eyes and bright red lips. A little bit strange, but so cute none the less!!

No birthday party would be complete without cake, and they went all out for the museum. Six local stores took place in a cake decorating contest, with each cake being decorated as a tribute to Elvis. One cake had blue suede shoes, one had a picture of Elvis, others had music notes and profiles of Elvis. I had the honor of announcing the winner: Gourmet Tiger! Their cake was a 3-tiered peanut butter cake. Yummy!

After eating some cake, I posed for pictures with Aubie and mingled with the kids that were left. It was quite an exciting afternoon!

Miss AU 2010

I can't believe how fast this year has flown by! It seems like just yesterday I was crowned Miss AU 2009. It's hard to imagine that I have been in this position for almost 9 months. It has been one of the most amazing experiences, opening doors and giving me opportunities that I would not have otherwise had. But, I will soon have to give up my title to another fabulous representative for Auburn.

Interest sessions for the 2010 Miss AU Pageant are being held this week in the AU Student Center. There are 2 sessions this Thursday, October 15th at 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. They will be in Room 2326. For those who cannot attend either of these sessions, the first mandatory contestant meeting will be on Monday, October 26 in Room 2222 of the AU Student Center.

I highly encourage everyone to come check out what the Miss AU program has to offer. It has been an amazing year for me, full of service to Auburn and the surrounding community. Being Miss Auburn University is an opportunity unlike any other, and I will remember these days as some of my favorites at Auburn.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at freinka@auburn.edu. I hope to see everyone at the contestant meeting on October 26th. War Eagle!!

Miss Georgia Pageant

On Thursday, Michelle, Amanda (my sister), and I went to a preliminary night of the Miss Georgia Pageant. We were there to support Miss Atlanta Rachel Evans, a former Miss AU. Rachel was the 4th runner-up to Miss Georgia last year, so we had a feeling she would do well at this year's competition.

The show started with a high school drumline coming down the aisles of the auditorium. They made their way onto the stage and played throughout the contestant introductions. It was interesting... There were 35 contestants is the Miss GA Pageant, and a bunch of girls in the Outstanding Teen Pageant as well, though I'm not sure how many.

The swimsuit competition started with Chasity Hardman, Miss GA 2008, singing and dancing to "Single Ladies." Loved it! There were also two body builders from a local gym that stayed on stage throughout the preliminary swimsuit competition. The girls came out in sarongs, which they then handed to one of the body builders. They were only on stage for a few seconds, much less time than we spent on stage at the Miss AL Pageant.

The talent competition was full of singers. There were a couple of piano players, and one or two dancers as well. Not much variety in the talent competition, but some girls with some definite talent! Rachel sang "Lately" in a navy liquid-beaded dress and did very well (totally should have won talent!).

In the evening gown competition, there were some great dresses, mostly Sherri Hill selections. Several girls wore dresses that I had considered wearing for the Miss Alabama Pageant. They must have gotten them from Lasting Impressions in Columbus! Once again, they were only on stage for a short amount of time, so it was difficult to judge their poise and grace.

Unfortunately, Rachel did not win the talent portion of her preliminary. She did however make Top 10! Overall, it was fun and entertaining night in the pageant world.

AU Summer Enrichment Program

Today I visited the students at the Auburn University Summer Enrichment Program. I met with the kids in the "Cloud Room," where they are learning about the season of winter. From 9:30 - 10:00 a.m. each day, the students have an optional recess time. I went to the class and encouraged all of the children to come play on the playround and get active. Many of the kids decided to come outside where we played games such as freeze tag, hula hoop, and Miss AU Says (a form of Simon Says!).

The visit was not only a lot of fun, but it also allowed me to promote my personal platform, Preventing Childhood Obesity. Through my platform I encourage children to live healthy lifestyles by eating right and being active. Recess time at the AU Summer Enrichment Program helped me to instill a love of physical activity in the kids.

I ended the visit by walking the kids back to their classroom. I posed for pictures and made many new friends. I autographed a picture for each child, hopefully making an impact on each young life. It was an exciting, fun-filled morning!

Children's Miracle Network

Children's Miracle Network (CMN) is a non-profit organization that raises funds for 170 children's hospitals around the country. Donations to CMN are used to fund medical care, research, and education that save and improve the lives of over 17 million children each year. CMN is a unique organization in which 100% of all donations go directly to local hospitals. Donations to CMN stay local, supporting children in the surrounding community.

CMN is the national platform of the Miss America Organization. Each contestant at the local, state, and national level of the pageant supports CMN through fundraising efforts. As Miss Auburn University, I have had the opportunity to support Children's Miracle Network at The Medical Center in Columbus, Georgia. This hospital provides care for children in Lee County, Alabama.

I have had the opportunity to support Children's Miracle Network in several ways over the last few months. As a contestant in the Miss AU Scholarship Pageant, I participated in Hope for the Holidays, a talent show featuring all of the contestants in the pageant. At the show I performed a baton twirling routine to a Mariah Carey Chirstmas song mix with two of the other contestants. All proceeds from the event went to support CMN and the Miss America Scholarship Fund.

After winning the title of Miss AU, I took a tour of the high risk nursery at Columbus Regional, The Medical Center. Mrs. Jennifer Joyner, CMN Director at The Medical Center, explained to me how CMN is helping to meet the needs of the hospital. Currently, the hospital is renovating the NICU, adding new beds for the infants. These Omni Giraffe Beds cost $35,000 each and around 10 are needed to complete the nursery. The beds offer more access to each child, allowing the doctors and nurses to provide much better care. Replacement parts for the older beds in the nursery are no longer available, making the need for new beds even more pressing.

I have also helped in various fundraising efforts in Auburn and Columbus. Each Spring IHOP holds its National Pancake Day during which they offer a free short stack of pancakes to every customer. In return for the free meal, customers are encouraged to make a donation to CMN. I was able to participate in National Pancake Day at two IHOP locations, one in Auburn and one in Columbus. I greeted customers, told them about CMN, and encouraged everyone to support the cause.

I also participated in Miracle Friday at The Medical Center. This is a one day fundraiser within the hospital. Doctors and staff throughout the hospital form groups and donate "baskets" of items to be auction off on Miracle Friday. The "baskets" are much more than just that - they are extravagant packages full of beach trips, spa days, and other amazing goodies. The day also included a bake sale, with which I was able to help out. Lunch was provided by Country's Barbeque, and I was able to also help by selling lunch tickets. All in all, over $30,000 was raised for CMN through Miracle Friday.

In conjunction with Miracle Friday, another CMN fundraiser was launched. In honor of his 50th birthday, Scott Resmeyer, owner of Country's Barbeque in Columbus, kicked off Scott's Ride for Miracles. Over the course of 2 weeks, Scott rode across 48 states on his motorcycle. He visited children's hospitals around the country and raised money for CMN in the process. I was present to cheer Scott on as he launched his ride from The Medical Center.

In April I held my own fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network and The Miss America Scholarship Fund. The Miracle Mile was a one-mile walk around the Auburn University campus. Students and community members came out to support the cause, and I was able to raise over $1,300 for two great organizations. We started the day with an event kickoff, complete with the AU Cheerleaders and Aubie. After the walk, refreshments were served and door prizes were awarded. Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen, Avery Cooper, also came out to support the cause. It was a great event!

Children's Miracle Network is a great organization that makes miracles happen everyday. It is an honor to support this organization as Miss Auburn University!