Greetings!
Today I had the opportunity to stop by and volunteer at a local Dairy Queen.  August 11th is national Miracle Treat Day where a percentage of proceeds go towards the Children's Miracle Network (CMN).  Not only is this an amazing beneficiary but CMN share's a national partnership with the Miss America Organization.  As my first opportunity to help out and volunteer with this cause as a Miss America local Titleholder, I had the privilege of having a fun-filled and rewarding day.  Meeting individuals as they came in to support this cause and others who came in just for a satisfying treat and being able to inform them of the wonderful benefit they were contributing to by purchasing a treat on this day.  It was fun to see children and their parents enjoy delicious ice cream but also the satisfaction in their eyes and on their faces when they knew they were giving something back to children in need.
 I look forward to volunteering more with CMN throughout my year of service and was blessed to be able to participate in this wonderful and delicious event! :) 

Greetings!
I am extremely excited and honored to be named Miss Heart of the Lakes 2011.  I don't think I can put into words what this opportunity means to me and what I hope to do with it. I thought I would start by letting everyone know a little bit about me, which I hope this blog will also help with throughout my year of service to the Miss America Scholarship Program.  I think the item I would like to begin with is talking about  my personal platform of Breast Cancer Prevention and Awareness which has been a major part of my life for the past 5 years.  Over those years I have raised now over $5,000 to support research and aide for those impacted by the disease.  I choose to support a variety of organizations throughout the years including, Susan G. Komen and the National Breast Cancer Research Foundation.   I think breast cancer prevention is extremely important and a topic that is commonly missed in spreading awareness about the disease.  I think that as a young woman it is important now to become aware of this disease and what I can do in my daily life to help guard myself against this devastating disease.  In creating my platform I have used my education to help develop a presentation.  I graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2010 with  degree in Biology and a minor in Theology, and loved my experience there.  I was involved on campus through student organizations, a resident adviser in the residence halls, and a member of campus ministry.  In one of my student organizations I had the opportunity to present a presentation regionally to 2,500 Midwest colleges on the topic of creating their own breast cancer awareness week on their campus.  This is one of the presentations I still do, but through my years of involvment with my platform have learned the importance about spreading preventable measures.  I also enjoy hearing and  sharing the moving and inspirational stories of the women and men impacted by this disease.  I hope with my year to continue to raise funds for breast cancer research, speak to multiple communities about breast cancer, and serve as an ambassador for the Miss America Organization and the Children's Miracle network.
I cannot wait to share more of my year as Miss Heart of the Lakes with you!
Take care,
-Caitlyn  Thompson

Miss Heart of the Lakes 2011