Miss Illinois Blog
ONCE IN A LIFETIME? MAYBE TWICE…
August 23, 2010 | BLOG #3 | by Miss Illinois 2010 Whiteny Thorpe Klinsky
At the end of July, I had the opportunity to attend the Miracle Fair at CDW, one of the many fundraisers the company holds for the Children's Miracle Network. Not only did I have fun interacting with the co-workers at CDW, but I met an inspirational miracle family from the area and successfully drenched one of the volunteers by throwing a tennis ball at a target, causing a water balloon to burst over the head of the volunteers. I also had the opportunity to serve as the Grand Marshall of the Streamwood Summer Celebration Parade and to attend the grand re-opening of the Christos Fur Salon, and to meet Mayor Daly in downtown Chicago.
My next adventure took me to Bourbonnais for the Back to School event sponsored by Bears Care and Catholic Charities of America. It was inspiring to see the number of volunteers who gave their time and skills to provide children with necessary screenings, from vision screenings provided by Fisher-Swale-Nicholson Eye Center, to EKG testing performed by the Max Schewitz Foundation. Later that day, I was able to attend the Bears Training Camp, where I had my picture taken with Lovie Smith. A few days later, on a visit to Jewels by Park Lane, I was allowed to choose as many pieces of jewelry as I wished. I would say I felt like a kid in a candy store, but that doesn't even begin to explain the feeling! Later in the same week, I attended Bartlett's National Night Out.
Later in the month, I visited the WGN Kids' Fair, an event which also provides back-to-school preparations for children, including free school supplies and health screenings. I also appeared at the Oakbrook Terrace Relay for Life, where I walked two miles in my high heels to support a very worthy cause. I also attended the Ella Grace Chiari Foundation 5k Run/Walk in Libertyville, where I met the beautiful and charismatic Ella Grace, who overcame her battle with Chiari Malformation to finally return to a normal lifestyle. Her mother remains dedicated to providing better resources for families whose children face the same battle as Ella Grace.
On August 5th, I visited two different Dairy Queen locations for Miracle Treat Day, and I purchased an Oreo Blizzard to support the fundraising efforts for the Children's Miracle Network. That same day, I judged the Lady Gaga Look-Alike Contest sponsored by State Street Pizza and Pizza Packets. With April Strong, Miss Chicago, as my fellow judge, we selected two runners-up and a winner, all of whom were very passionate about their love of Lady Gaga's music!
I had two opportunities to participate in events to support the troops this month. The first of these was with the Heart of a Marine Foundation, as I attended the banquet following their golf outing fundraiser. Every time I work with this group, I am even more impressed by their dedication to equipping VA hospitals with the systems for treatment of traumatic head injuries and brain aphasias. Their passion for supporting soldiers of all branches of military service is limitless and unbelievably inspiring. I also had the opportunity to perform on stage with Joe Cantafio and our own Miss Illinois 2009, Erin O'Connor, at the National Guard 33 Brigade Ball.
I was able to travel to Marion in order to attend the Miss Southern Illinois and Miss River to River pageant, where I crowned the new Miss River to River, Kaitlyn Milner. I want to congratulate Kaitlyn, and also Samantha Constantine, the newly crowned Miss Southern Illinois. It is amazing to think that it was one year ago that I began the journey to becoming Miss Illinois! Later in the week, I modeled clothing by H&M in a fashion segment for NBC which was styled by Lilliana Vasquez of Elle Magazine. Along with April Strong, Stephanie Houlihan, and Lauren Murrell, we had a great time modeling our new fall fashions! Watch for our segment to air the first Monday after Labor Day on NBC.
And now, the moment everyone has been waiting for… my skydiving experience! Let my preface this description with the fact that, though I have always considered it as a possibility, I never truly thought I would ever have the courage to throw myself from a plane 14,000 feet above the earth and freefall through the air at a speed of 120 miles per hour, with my life completely dependent on the deployment of a parachute. And yet, when the Army Golden Knights contacted us and asked if I would want to jump, my answer was a resounding yes! I'm not sure what had possessed me at that moment when I wholeheartedly agreed to jump from a plane, but nonetheless, I am so thankful that I somehow found the courage. There were only a few moments when I second-guessed my decision to skydive. The first of those occurred at around 6,000 feet above the earth, as I thought we were reaching the highest point of our journey, just to be informed that we were ALMOST halfway up. The second moment occurred when I watched the first two jumpers of our group disappear over the edge of the doorway, and I felt myself moving towards the opening, with my toes hanging over the edge of the floor. After a quick terrified smile to the camera, John, my tandem partner, gave me a quick "ready, set, go," and we were falling through the sky. The moment my heels left the floor of the plane, the butterflies in my stomach disappeared, as I absorbed every detail of the scenery before me. After the parachute deployed, I had the opportunity to steer freely around the sky before coming in for a landing. As my feet touched the ground and my adrenaline soared higher than ever before, I decided that skydiving might not be a once-in-a-lifetime experience anymore. I could definitely do that again!
Now, as I prepare to leave for the Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant in Florida, I want to wish the best of luck to our beautiful and talented Miss Illinois' Outstanding Teen, Kaitlyn Wehr. As the emcee of her sendoff party, I was absolutely blown away by her poise and elegance. We are already so proud of her, and I cannot wait to watch her command that stage!