"Day of Dance" and Cascade High School Rodeo Fundraiser

I had an action packed weekend in Great Falls- and got plenty of excercise! I started off my morning by emceeing the "Day of Dance" which is a part of the Red Shoe Initiative. This raises awareness for heart disease and teaches people that dancing can be really great for your health. Being the master of ceremonies was fun and I especially enjoyed doing it with registered nurse John Jackson. He is a wonderful man who cares a lot about his patients and people in general. He and I made sure to jump in at any free moment we had to learn some new moves. There were different types of dancers that would do an example of their genre, then invite the audience out to try it. I learned hip hop, zumba (which probably was my favorite), hawaiian, ballroom, jitterbug, and native american circle dancing. I really enjoyed the circle dancing because it was a good workout and very ryhthmic and soothing. I liked emceeing a lot because I literally had to go "off the cuff". It is always fun and builds confidence in speaking skills to do this. I felt like the Day of Dance was very entertaining for everyone involved. Many people learned how to reduce their risk of heart disease by excercise that doesn't feel like excercise- dancing! Thank you to Lacey Gallagher, who made this event fun, organized, and successful. I am attaching the Day of Dance article in the Great Falls Tribune. -http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20090301/NEWS01/903010311

Later that evening, Jody and I made our way down to Cascade for the Cascade High School Rodeo Team Fundraiser. I would like to thank Monica Gruel for inviting me. I am so proud of the team for looking for ingenious ways to keep heading down the road. It goes to show that even in tough economic times, young people can still rodeo and maintain our traditions. Sometimes it just takes a little fundraising! Jody, Virgil, and I had a good time meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends we have met in the rodeo family. One of the pictures above is me with some raffle tickets. I sold 50-50 tickets to help out the team and I truly believe I am getting good at sales! I have come down to this simple equation for sales. It's not "will you buy some?"- it's "how many?" Selling is something that rodeo queens must get used to doing, and must learn to love it. I always like to consider it a great way to mingle with people and joke around. A lot of these people may see you at events and rodeos but may never get to chat with you. I like to meet new people so it is good for me. Also, it felt amazing to raise money for the next generation of rodeo stars from Montana! The night ended on a good note. I had another opportunity to help the rodeo team by having a dance with me auctioned off. That was fun and I can't believe how much it went for- $300!!! That night Jody and I went back to her house to crash! It definitely was a long day, but so worth it. Thank you to Jody for letting me stay with her. It is always fun, productive, and relaxing.

Heads up to everyone!!! I will be posting some pictures and descriptions of my auction items on my blog so everyone can get a preview of what is to come! That should be up within the next few days. I also would like to mention I had my first online sponsor donation through the website. Thank you so much to Janelle Q. for doing this. My year will be better because of your assistance.