Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has sprung and over here at Abbie’s Helping Hands we have been very busy with all kinds of different activities. First, here is the fleece I picked for our blanket for Smile Train:

We are making the blanket right now and are going to deliver it to the Smile Train auction in a week or two!

I was proud to help a friend of mine with a charity that she is very passionate about, and that helps kids and families that are homeless. One Meal One Love delivers meal packs and gloves, jackets, coats, and supplies to people on the streets of St. Louis. It was an honor to get to help my friend Faith and it really opened my eyes to how children can be in another sort of crisis beyond just having to go to shelters or need medical care, but not having a home of their own.

I have also been doing other volunteer work not necessarily through Abbie’s Helping Hands, but for other causes that are important and special to me. My brother and I spent some time at our local USO recently talking to the soldiers and workers there and we brought snacks and supplies for all the servicemembers who come through this wonderful facility every day.

I also started a new group that helps kids and families who are staying at Ronald McDonald houses while the kids are getting treatment at nearby children’s medical facilities. It’s called Cookin’ Crowns and my friends who are interested in pageants all get together and cook meals there. So far we have done two breakfasts and next time we are going to try dinner!

I am really proud of what this group is doing and how it has brought together all of my different friends from all different pageant systems to benefit kids and their families.

I also got to help out with little girls (Squee! I love them!) at a Princess Tea benefitting Children’s Miracle Network. I dressed as Sofia the First to help my friend Katelyn Lewis, the hostess, who is competing to become Miss Missouri this summer! She did a great job and all the little girls had so much fun.

Finally I also participated as a buddy in a wonderful program called the Miss Amazing pageant. Young women with different abilities get to spend the day learning about confidence and leadership and presenting themselves in interviews and on stage. I had an awesome buddy, Madison, and I am so proud to have her as a new friend.