The Taste of Columbus

Sunday evening I traveled to Columbus, Nebraska to make an appearance at the "Taste of Columbus." All procedes were being donated 50/50 to the Paws and Claws, a non profit in Columbus, and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

Visiting while Columbus people enjoyed the great food!

There was a large crowd of 700-900 people from the Columbus community who came to support the city and Paws and Claws. The event consisted of tastings from Columbus eateries. My main duty was to help raise money for Paws and Claws. I sold raffle tickets, and I must say nearly every person bought a ticket in support of the cause!

Signing autographs and visiting!

I was also surprised with an autograph picture from "Fred," a youtube star from Columbus Nebraska. He wrote me an autograph picture, so of course I had to do one in return! Fred is now a junior in high school, has had millions of views of his youtube videos, and has contracted with Nickelodeon to make a movie and sitcom.

It was a pleasure to be invited by Columbus to attend one of their largest fundraising events. The food was amazing and the company even better! This was my last appearance as Miss Nebraska USA, in my sash anyways :-), so it was great to go out with a bang!

Sending my best,

Belinda Wright

Miss NE '10

Tiara Talk

Here is an interview I just did. You can access it at Tiara Talk.

1. What encouraged you to try out for Miss Nebraska USA?
I had an internship in Kansas City and I met a former Miss Kansas and Miss Missouri and they both encouraged me to do Miss Nebraska USA. I was also continually mistaken for a former Miss Kansas while I was in Kansas City. This made me curious about the pageant. I looked up the details about competing for Miss Nebraska and what the job entailed and discovered that it was the perfect fit for me!

2. As they announced each placement (T.15, T.5 and the winner) what were you thinking as you were getting closer to becoming Miss Nebraska USA?
Each time I made the next round I became more and more excited that I had a real chance to represent the state of Nebraska for a year! I had worked so hard and realizing I could reach my dream was an amazing feeling!

3. What has been your most memorable moment yet as Miss Nebraska?
There are so many memorable moments I don’t know how I can choose just one! The most unforgettable moment was being chosen as Miss Congeniality at the Miss USA pageant. It was such an honor to be chosen by 50 of the most amazingly talented, smart and beautiful women in the United States who are now some of my very best friends.

4. What was your favorite part of competing at Miss USA and who was your roommate?
My favorite part were the different events that we did while were at Miss USA. This was a great way for us girls to get to bond with the other contestants. Whether it was the Ceasers Palace pool party or the Sushi Samba Karaoke we had a blast and were able to get to know each other before we got down to business with rehearsals. My roommate was Miss West Virgina and we were the perfect pair!

5. What was going through your head when you were announced as one of the finalists for Miss USA?
It was a whirlwind of emotion. I had to catch my breath and immediately couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face. It was such a huge accomplishment to move on to the next round of Miss USA and have a chance to be the next Miss USA.

6. During your reign, you got the opportunity to be one of the camp counselors for the Miss Teen USA Fantasy Camp what was that experience like?
This was one of my favorite experiences as Miss Nebraska USA! I was so honored to be chosen to be a camp counselor at the Miss Teen USA Fantasy Camp. It was great to work with the Miss Universe Organization, former Miss USA contestants and of course the campers! We had a blast and were able to watch the campers self esteem grown an enormous amount over one week! We helped them in all aspects of the pageant and the campers had a great time. It was exciting to go watch my teen compete at Miss Teen USA. I can’t really complain about beach time and being on Atlantis Paradise Island for a week, to sum up the experience in one word: Heaven!

7. What words of advice would you give to a girl who is going to compete in a pageant for the first time?
Look at the pageant as a chance to grow and enhance your strengths and weaknesses. Make friends along the way, because the girls you are competing with can teach you so much and may become your life long friends. And if you win, get ready for the ride of your life!

8. In a little over a month, you will give up your title as Miss Nebraska, what will you be doing once your reign is over?
I plan to graduate with my bachelors with a clothing and textile design and journalism degree in December and begin graduate school in the spring focusing on marketing, advertising and communication. After a finish graduate school I am excited to begin working in the entertainment and fashion industry in collaboration with journalism.

Race for a Cure

With my neighbors from Scotia who traveled to Omaha for the Race!

4:45AM my alarm went off, to my surprise I was up right away and was on the road heading to Omaha to volunteer with the 17th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It was a chilly morning, but with all of the excitement in the air it didn't faze the 22,500 people from celebrating the day. But I still had 5 layers on to keep warm! That 22,500 crowd in Nebraska is the most Nebraska has ever had participating and making history!

With the Nebraska weatherman!

The Nebraska Affilate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure raises funds to support the Komen Promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all the energizing science to find the cures. Susan G. Komen for the Cure was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at age 36. During the race you can walk, run or stroll to help end breast cancer forever.

Volunteers helping with the event.

It's breast cancer awareness month and this means women need to go get their exams and we need to raise awareness and find a cure. Get involved with their wide arrangement of events that you can find at their website: Susan G. Komen.

You may be asking why I didn't wear my sash? This was a day of survivors; meaning I was there to volunteer and did not want to take away any attention from the amazing women who have survived breast cancer. Those people are who made the event so special. Their stories are inspiring and ones to look up to.

All the best,

Belinda Wright

Miss Nebraska USA 2010

The End is Near...

6:00AM wake up call is not usually how I like to start my weekends. But today I didn't mind because Amanda Soltero and I were heading to Kansas City to Vanbros and Associates to shoot the cover of the Miss Nebraska program book with Will Patterson, our official photographer. It was a sleepy ride, but we made it to Kansas City 3 hours later no problem!

With Will Patterson, our AMAZING photographer for the Miss Nebraska pageant.

We went straight to Pinkie Couture Hair Salon to get our hair done then decided on wardrobe and make up. The shoot went quick and we got some amazing shots! I'm excited to see the finished product! We also took our crown head-shots to go in the Miss Nebraska Hall of Fame...brings a tear to my eye, I can't believe how quickly this year has gone!

Will taking Amanda's crown portrait photo.

It was bittersweet leaving Vanbros for the last time. We had 3 bootcamps there, and Vanbros has become one of my families. It's also sad knowing that Amanda and I have 3 weeks left to represent Nebraska. It has been nothing short of an amazing year. But no worries, you will hear much more in my farewell speech that I'll be working on next week!

Amanda and I at the end of the shoot. Love her!!

Needless to say, Amanda and i had a great Saturday afternoon! Visit Miss Nebraska USA website to find out more about the upcoming pageant and to see our covers in a couple weeks!

Chow everyone, have a great weekend!

Belinda

Hope Center for Kids Gala

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending the 3rd annual Hope Center for Kids Guild Expresssions of Hope 3rd Annual Gala at the downtown Hilton in Omaha, Nebraska. The event started at 6PM with hors d'oeuvres then the dinner and program at 7:30PM. There were around 800 people, marking the largest crowd and doubling the audience since last year's gala. This was amazing news for the Hope Center for Kids, meaning more donations and funding would come their way. It was an honor to be recognized along with the Governor, mayor of Omaha and many other influencial people in Nebraska.

With Nicole Panneton, Mrs. Nebraska 2010.

The evening was a touching one. We heard testimonials from kids who have attended the Hope Center. Shocking facts that Nebraska has the highest millionaires were capita but also the highest rate of poverty in the African American community is not something Nebraska should be proud of. North Omaha is where a large majority of this poverty lies. And the Hope Center is there to help bring up the statistics and change the gangs, drug rates and high school drop outs. Out of kids that utilize the Hope Center, 80% of them attend college and 92% graduate high school. This blows other statistics of them in the same demographic out of the water!

With the mayor of Omaha.

The entire focus at the Hope Center is simple; it's purely "Hope." The mission of the Hope Center for Kids is to break the cycle of hopelessness for Omaha's inner-city youth by providing tangible hope through faith, education, employment and collaboration.

At cocktail hour.

Michael and I before the program.

This is a program I am excited to get more involved with. Hearing the success stories that the Hope Center has made for inner- city kids going through countless struggles is truly inspiring. To sit back and not help is something none of us can do. No matter how small the task is, volunteering to give back not only helps our society but impacts lives.

With more people from cocktail hour.

Please visit the Hope Center for Kids Website and discover more about this amazing nonprofit organization and see how you can help!

All the best,

Belinda Wright

Miss Nebraska USA

Mavericks

With the campers.

With Mrs. Nebraska and Miss Douglas County.

I was asked to help out with a program, at the University of Nebraska Omaha, that helped young girls aged 5-10 years old with self confidence. The girls learned a dance with the UNO dance team and performed during half time of the UNO volleyball game. Along with Mrs. Nebraska and Miss Douglas County we helped the girls become more comfortable with public speaking. The girls had some fun showing us their talents, this ranged from a fun dance to singing or cheering.

The second day we had a tea party and then picked a girl that we thought had what it takes to be Little Miss Maverick. Emily won, but any of these girls could have been chosen. They grew an incredible amount. I really think this program helped with the girls' self esteem. They all left feeling more confident with themselves than when they came.

Best regards,

Belinda Wright

Monday Night Live

Tonight Amanda Soltero and I were asked to judge the University of Nebraska- Lincoln Homecoming skits. This took place at the Leid Center and it was packed to capacity of excited UNL students. Husker spirit filled the theater as we watched dances, skits and steps. The creativity put into these was amazing. We couldn't stop laughing. The winner did a knock off from the America's Got Talent show, check it out here. This group went last and I've never heard a louder applause! It was fun for Amanda and I to be apart of this experience. We are both UNL students, Amanda a freshman while I'm a senior anticipating graduation in December.

Go Huskers!

Belinda

Miss NE USA