Miss Washington 2011 – Brittany Henry
What a thrilling, joyful, exhilarating, experience the last few days have been! Overnight my entire life has changed and I am taking in every moment!
At the Miss Washington Awards Banquet on Saturday night I expressed how grateful I am to have been chosen to represent ALL of the title holders from the class of 2011 and this sentiment will not soon change! All of the other contestants are so beautiful, talented, intelligent, accomplished and it is the greatest HONOR to represent all of them!
I have MANY MANY goals for this year as Miss Washington but these are the most important ones that I will hold onto throughout the year:
1) To cherish every moment as Miss Washington and never lose sight of the honor it is to be in this position. I forsee moments where this job will be trying and I want to always remember how lucky I am to be in this position and savor every moment, good and challenging.
2) To use the “power of the crown” to share my story with as many children in our state as possible! Many of you have heard me mention before that there are 40,000+ low-income children in Washington State. As a young teen I battled depression and low-self esteem issues directly related to my family’s financial status and challenges at home. I can only imagine how much it would have meant to me seeing someone DEMONSTRATE to me what possibilities lie on the other side of a college education. Having been one of those children myself, It’s very important to me to share the accomplishments that I have made with all of these children who are living in similar situations.
3) Rick Brinkley said in his speech to the Miss Washington contestants, ” As Miss Washington, it’s the memory they have of you that will change their life OR change the value of our program in their eyes.” As the Face of the Miss Washington Organization I want to honor this remarkable program with every moment of my reign. I plan to show the community through their interactions with me, how influential this program is for the development of strong, confident, and committed women for our society.
My goal for this blog is to bring you along this amazing journey with me every step of the way! I will share with you the experiences, events that I will be involved with, my preparations for Miss America, my feelings and emotions throughout this journey and I’m sure many random other things as well. I want YOUR INSIGHT! Please comment and ask me questions, share with me things that you want more information about, particular experiences you might be interested in etc. I am YOUR Miss Washington and I want YOU to be involved all year long!
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
