Who Run the World? Girls!

Even though Beyonce is one of my favorite artists, I don't particularly like this song - it is super catchy though! I am so excited about an upcoming opportunity presented to me that will help me reach more girls who can run the world!

Does anyone remember having one of these? I still have mine in my room at home.

On Friday, October 28th, I'll be a guest panelist at the 2011 Empowering Girls Symposium. Even though this isn't until October I get excited just thinking about it! I'm very passionate about female empowerment and mentoring young women. Beginning this fall, through the Leadership Scholars Program at USC I'll be starting a leadership program for young girls called FABULOUS - the name was inspired by my mom Laverne who is never anything less than FABULOUS. FABULOUS will cover many of the topics that the Empowering Girls Symposium as well as leadership, community service, education, and health. Hopefully if I become Miss Black USA 2011 this is something that I will be able to carry across the country!

 xoxoJordan Addison, Miss Black South Carolina USA 2011

The Road to the Crown!

Time is quickly approaching for me to head to the 2011 Miss Black USA Scholarship Pageant in our nation's capital of Washington, D.C.!!! I am so grateful to have this opportunity to be your Miss Black South Carolina USA 2011, I have been afforded multiple opportunities and have been able to meet some great people along the way. Serving this state and the amount of love I have been able to give and receive has been phenomenal. There is no one word that can describe the mix of emotions that I feel. I am excited to meet all of my sisterqueens! We are an accomplished and talented group of young women that I am proud to be a part of.

I have an awesome opportunity in front of me my being able to be Miss Black USA 2011! Being Miss Black USA 2011 will allow me to take my gifts across the United States in order to spread the history of this dynamic organization, provide encouragement to young women, while also earning a scholarship in order to further my education. 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent each of you! I have truly seen the power of prayer throughout these months. I am still accepting love offerings to make my trip to Miss Black USA 2011 possible. Under "My Links" to the left, click on Donate to Miss Black SC USA 2011 and enter any amount for your donation, all amounts are greatly appreciated.

Special thanks to Fokas Photography for doing this fantastic shoot of me! You can find their website to the left listed under my sponsors.

 
If you are interested in attending any of the Miss Black USA Events, tickets can be purchased here.

Again, thank you for your continued support. Feel free to email me directly at missblacksouthcarolinausa2011@gmail.com if you have any questions. 

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" - Psalms 37:4.

xoxoJordan Addison, Miss Black South Carolina USA 2011

Busy, Busy Bee

The end of the semester is a busy time for any college student - end-of-the-year events and banquets, going away dinners, tons of papers, and the dreaded exams. Being a full-time, working, college student and a title holder is no easy task! While it's not easy, it is definitely a fun and worth-while adventure along the way.

Those of you that keep up with my Facebook and Twitter pages, you know that I have been ripping and running all over the state in the past few months. Here are some updates of what I've been up to. The title of each event will take you directly to the Facebook album for that event.

Charleston Black Expo
The Charleston Black Expo was a great way to meet and interact with people from all over the Charleston and surrounding areas. Great way to make connections and just have a great time with food, friends, and entertainment.

Charleston Kid's Fair
The Charleston Kid's Fair is such a fun event for children and families all over the city of Charleston! This event is organized by the Jewish Community Center and has tons of events and fun things for children and families to enjoy. I went to this event every year when I was younger. Mayor Joe Riley even attends and greets everyone!

Reading at C.E. Williams Magnet School
I was able to go and read to the 6th graders at CE Williams and had a fantastic time. They had some great questions for me about college, life, and what it's like to be Miss Black South Carolina USA 2011.

Grand Strand Forget-Me-Not Ball
The Grand Strand Forget-Me-Not Ball is one of the galas of this type that benefit the South Carolina Alzheimer's Association. The Grand Strand Ball is held in Myrtle Beach, S.C. I had the honor of presenting the Professional Caregiver of the Year Awards and the Personal Caregiver of the Year Award. It was a grand time!

 MCAS Beaufort Air Show
I attended the MCAS Beaufort Air Show and had an awesome time. Myself and Miss South Carolina Teen USA, Keyla Childs, were able to interact with various military personal, play some games, meet families, and meet the Blue Angels - what an honor! It such a fun day!

Hopefully these pictures help you to see how busy the end of the semester has been. The approaching summer is bittersweet for me; I absolutely love summertime and I am so excited about the upcoming Miss Black USA 2011 Pageant, but I cannot believe that at the end of this week I will be a junior in college. Where has the time gone?

Be sure to add my Facebook and Twitter pages for daily updates!


PS - Add these dates to your calendar. Ticket purchasing information is coming soon!

 

xoxoJordan Addison, Miss Black South Carolina USA 2011

Forget-Me-Not

For my platform as Miss Black South Carolina USA 2011 I have chosen Alzheimer's disease Awareness. I believe that this a disease that is overlooked in general, but especially by my generation. As a young person it's sometimes easy to forget about the older generation of baby boomers and their needs; which is why I saw this as the perfect fit for my platform.
 

By selecting Alzheimer's disease Awareness as my platform I knew that I would be able to work closely with various organizations to bring awareness to the disease, raise funds for research, and educate others while also learning more about it myself. Already with less than three months of working very closely with the South Carolina Alzheimer's Association I have been able to learn so much about the services that are available to those affected by this disease.

Volunteering at The Welcome Wagon Conference held by the Midlands Chapter of the SC Alzheimer's Association. AT this conference for caregivers, attendees learn more about resources available to them and their loved one. 

What a great turn out they had!

One thing that few people know is that my paternal Grandmother has Alzheimer's disease. That is a large part about why advocating for this cause is so important to me. I want to be able to better understand what she is experiencing while also learning about the services available for her and the rest of my family. This disease is extremely difficult for people to accept, deal with, and talk about; you're watching someone that you have known your entire life transform before your eyes while you disappear from their memories.

It is my personal mission as well as for my title that I do whatever I can to assist with this great cause! I have some great opportunities coming up where I'm volunteering and working closely with the South Carolina Alzheimer's Association. One in particular that I'm very excited about is their upcoming Forget-Me-Not Balls!! At each of the four balls happening across South Carolina there is going to be an auction, dancing, food, and fun all for an extremely deserving cause! I'll be participating in three of the four balls - what an honor!

In the Grand Strand and Charleston Balls I will be presenting the Caregiver Awards which are nominated by people from those areas. For the Midlands Ball I am "Dancing for the Stars" with Lexington County Sheriff James Metts. There are ten teams and each team has a fund raising goal of $2,500. Click here to vote for me and Sheriff Metts and help us win while also helping to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. 


xoxoJordan Addison, Miss Black South Carolina USA 2011

Getting the Ball Rolling

Me wearing my sash and holding my crown during a photo session in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

 
The past few months have been such a whirlwind with getting used to my title - Miss Black South Carolina USA 2011. I've been doing a lot of planning, emailing, calling, and researching. It's been sooo much work, but so exciting, too! :) During these months of planning, emailing, calling, and researching I have been able to meet some great people who are on board with my vision for the year. It's so exciting to find people who want my help and want to help me in return. I am excited to get my blog up and running in order to keep you in the know with weekly updates about what I'm up to as well as things that catch my eye!

It's only fitting that my first post discuss the Miss Black USA Organization. :)

The Miss Black USA Pageant and Scholarship Foundation, Inc., was founded in 1986 by Karen Arrington. The first Miss Black USA Pageant was held on June 6, 1987 in Washington, D.C. where twenty-one contestants competed for the coveted title. Tamiko Gibson, Miss Black Maryland a 21-year-old professional model, was crowned Miss Black USA 1987.

The Miss Black USA Organization Logo

The Miss Black USA Pageant and Scholarship Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit corporation, recognized under the 501(c)3 code of the Internal Revenue Service. It's mission is to provide educational opportunities to high achieving women of color while developing the mind, body, and spirit. The organization celebrates scholastic achievement and promotes education and leadership by providing scholarship opportunities to its winners.

The organization is also driven by community service. They are committed to addressing health and education, which are two leading social issues in the African American community. The Miss Black USA Organization has partnerships with The Heart Truth Campaign as well as The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The winner of the title "Miss Black USA" will use her title to promote these worthy causes as well as her own civic platform during her reign.

The Heart Truth Campaign Logo

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Logo

I'm excited that these opportunities are in front of me for the taking! This is going to be an awesome journey and I'm grateful for all of the people that are taking it with me - especially those of you who will be keeping up with my blog! :)

Be sure to check my Facebook page and Twitter account for daily posts as well as to know when I've posted something new on here. Also feel free to leave a comment with any suggestions for the blog or requests for posts about certain topics!

xoxoJordan Addison, Miss Black South Carolina USA 2011