Jade Monfils at the Scottish Rite Children's Hospital

I was excited to go to the Scottish Rite Children's Hospital and bring a craft to do with the kids. I chose to have the craft be "inspiration boards" where you find pictures in magazines that piece together your ideal future, and cut them out and put them on a piece of poster board. I got the idea from "The Secret", this technique helps you visualize what you want, so that you can make it happen. Also I thought that since the kids are stuck in hospital rooms, these "inspiration boards" might help brighten it up some, and since they are small they can transport them easily. I invited my friend Ashley (Miss Fort Worth) to come and join me at this event, and we had a great time!

Houston Training Update with Pageant Sponsors

Pageant preparation takes time and dedication, I was excited to go down to Houston and San Antonio to meet with a number of sponsors of the Texas International pageant. On my stop at Valerie Hayes (the best interview coach- www.valeriehayes.com) I met up with Bonnie Hubert my sister queen and the Mrs. division winner. On this trip I also met up with Sheila Ybarra (www.pageantfaces.com) who gave me my sponsored make-up lesson, and in San Antonio I met with my personal trainer Kris (www.bodiesbykris.com). I am so inspired by these professionals and motivated to better myself, not only for the upcoming pageant but also in life!

The S.M.A.R.T. Girls program

Yesterday I went to my local Boys and Girls Club to meet some prospective students for my 12-week summer class. The program that I have developed is called S.M.A.R.T. Girls (Which stands for skills mastery and resistance training) and the classes will be held once a week at the Boys and Girls Club. It is important that in gang prevention that the female counter parts are not forgotten. A lot of times young girls also have a need to belong and will turn to other things such as drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy, and abusive relationships. My goal with this program is to educate these young ladies about the dangers out there such as STD's, AIDS, and female victimization. Giving them the knowledge, so that they can make smart decisions. Also educating them about the importance of career goals and being active in their community. I want for them to have confidence so that they do not have self esteem issues, which is why diet, exercise, and etiquette are all part of the curriculum. I cannot wait to get this program rolling!

Jade Monfils at the Carrollton Bea's Kids

I stopped by the Bea's Kids after school program in Carrollton. Once there I helped the elementary school kids with their writing and math homework. 5:00 is when all the teen and pre-teen kids come, and I was able to talk to them and share with them my personal stories of high school and college. I let them know that everything that they do today reflects what will happen to them tomorrow. I talked with them after my speech and got the "low down". I now know that Facebook is not cool, but MySpace still is.... haha. As you get older you get more out of the loop. I am glad that I can still communicate with these kids on a personal level and hopefully have an impact on the choices that they make!

Jade Monfils Emcees the 19th Annual Dallas Asian Festival

Saturday was the 19th annual Asian Festival held at Dallas City Hall. There were over 60 booths, and different performances on the main stage. May is known as Asian-Pacific Heritage month and I was fortunate enough to have been asked by the Greater Dallas Asian Chamber of Commerce to Emcee the day's events with Chris Flannagan, one of Dallas's own WFAA Channel 8 newscasters. Although the day was scheduled for thunderstorms, most of the morning was okay and there was a very large turn out to see all the performances. Cultures from all over Asia were recognized, from India, Thailand, China, and Japan. I finished the day by drinking one of my favorite Asian drinks........ bubble tea, which is a flavored tea with tapioca "pearls" on the bottom, it is drank with a wider straw!

Jade Monfils at the AHA Go Red Luncheon

One of the best things about the International Pageant system is their dedication to the community and helping their queen's champion their own personal platforms. The pageant has their own platform with the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign. Heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans, women included. The "Go Red" initiative is targeted at women and educating them about prevention of heart disease. Simple steps you can take in your life include eating lean foods, exercising daily, and limiting your amount of alcoholic intake, and of course no smoking! The fun thing about the luncheon was that AHA gave seminars on how to live healthy, one of them was with Chef Chamberlain who has two restaurants locally. He taught us how to cook lean beef so that it tastes good, but without all the extra oils and fats. I even got my BMI tested at one of the booths that were giving out free screenings. Luckily I am at a healthy BMI of 20 and an athletic body fat. It is pretty intimidating getting your body fat measured, but it is essential in preventing heart disease. One of the most touching stories that I heard during the event was from a woman who at 30 years old, was diagnosed with heart disease. She was an active cheerleader and athlete, didn't even smoke or drink, and had just had a baby. One day in January 2005 her heart collapsed and she had to have a heart transplant. She got a second chance, but many other women do not. Her daughter now 7 came to the stage and gave her flowers. Everyone in the audience, myself included, was trying to fight back tears. Heart disease can be prevented, you need to have annual check ups and keep your body healthy through exercise, making smart eating choices, limiting alcohol intake, and no smoking! Please educate those that you care about, because it can be prevented and not have to take another life too soon!

Jade Monfils at Coppell Relay for Life

I attended Coppell's annual Relay for Life that benefited the American Cancer Society. This was a special day because a dear friend of mine detected a small lump in her breast this year, she is a cancer survivor and has had the lump replaced with a radioactive particle. The relay started in the evening and ran all night until morning. These cancer survivors are all heroes..... they have triumphed over their cancer and are living the life that God intended for them. It was a pleasure to honor those that have both survived and also those that have passed on. I also got to spend the day with other extraordinary young pageant women that compete in the Texas America pageant on July 5th! Best of luck to them, you guys will be great!

Jade Monfils greets the troops at DFW airport

I have been wanting to greet the soldiers at DFW airport for a very long time now. I am a little ashamed that it has taken me so long to do it, but this past weekend I had a great time! Miss Fort Worth, Ashley Johnson, was there bright and early to greet the incoming soldiers from Iraq. Many of them have been traveling for more than 20 hours just to arrive at DFW, just one stop on their way home. It is important to show them our support and to let them know that they are not forgotten. It was really emotional to see the faces of loved ones, after not seeing our soldiers for such a long time, it definitely brought tears of happiness to my eyes! There were several girl scouts troops there to greet them, and were so sweet to bring the soldiers my favorite....... girl scout cookies...... having been a Brownie and a Junior, I know how important giving back is to these little girls. I also ran into a huge group from JCPenney there, after talking to them and telling them that I work for JCPenney too, everyone was excited and now they want to write a story about me for the company paper. It was a great day and I was so glad that I got to share the experience with a fellow queen and the real heroes of our country!! :)

Jade Monfils at the Boys & Girls Club Alumni Mixer

The Boys & Girls Club of Dallas has gotten a program together that unites former B&G Club members. It is really nice to see how successful many of their alumni have turned out and to see what an impact the organization has had on their lives. After talking with several of them, their stories were very similar. Many of them said that before the B&G Club they had no motivation and didn't have goals to work toward. The club helped them set goals and motivated them to get off the streets. I got to meet the 2001 "Youth of the Year", her story was great because after being in the club, she now works as a social worker and helps to give back to the community that gave to her. I had a great time meeting all the different people who all share a common bond!

Jade Monfils at "Circus Day" for Isabel's Community Outreach

This past weekend I was able to take part in "Circus Day" at Isabel's Community Outreach in East Plano. The circus themed day had a raffle, face painting, cotton candy, and games. I was honored to have my own autograph table, and was touched when I was told some of the little girls came specifically that day to see me and dressed in their best! What is great about Isabel's program is that she started it 4 years ago for the Hispanic community, many of these women were uneducated and coming from abused relationships, the outreach program teaches them skills that they need to be able to survive on their own. The program has now grown to include men, and children from all different backgrounds. This very special circus day was a day for all of the students and their children to forget about their problems for one day and just have fun! I am so proud of all the women in the program, especially those that are now moving on to college to further their education!

Jade Monfils at the Easter Egg Hunt

One of the best things that I remember as a child during Easter was of course the Egg Hunt!! I got to help out with the Dallas Arboretum's Easter Egg Hunt. There were children from babies to 9 years old, all there with one mission......... to get the most eggs! The morning started off with arts and crafts, breakfast, and then I got to start the egg hunt. It was a great setting with all the flowers to set the mood for Spring!

Jade Monfils at the Texas Tough Relay Race

This weekend was the 1st annual Texas Tough Relay Race held at the Cotton Bowl. It is a 3 part series of events, the other events include swimming and biking. The running relay portion is a 5K, and people can run as individuals or as a team. One of the groups that I met ran as a benefit for a young boy named Conner. "Team Connor" was sponsored by Children's medical center. My duties were at the finish line, it is always great to see people who set a goal and accomplish it. The finish line is a great place to see that in action!! :)

Miss Texas International Pageant 2009

This past weekend was extremely tiring as well as exciting! I drove to San Antonio to compete with 68 other extraordinary ladies in the Miss Texas International pageant. This pageant combines 3 divisions including Teen, Miss, and Mrs. On the Friday that I arrived we had orientation, where I got to meet several of the other contestants. All of us were from different areas of Texas, it was really interesting to see where everyone else was from and hear their own personal stories. The International pageant system in known for being platform based, so it was inspiring to hear about each lady's individual platform that it close to each of their hearts. On Saturday we had our personal interviews in the morning one on one with the judges.
I was so honored to meet Miss International 2008, Janya Altman, she was one of the five judges! After the interviews we all piled into a Hummer limo and rode to the Riverwalk Mall, where we signed autographs and took the riverboat tour. Afterwards we went to dinner at Augie's Barbed Wire Smokehouse. Then Sunday was the big competition day! We had rehearsals all morning and the pageant started at 5:00 with on-stage interviews. At the end of the night, awards were presented and I was so honored to receive the Miss Congeniality award (just like the movie, I was in San Antonio!!) since it was voted on by all the other contestants on who they felt displayed the true feeling of pageantry over the weekend. :) I also won the Community Service Award, Fitness Award, Evening Gown Award, Fashion Wear Award, and the top title of Miss Texas International!! I am so honored to be representing the great state of Texas in the upcoming Miss International Pageant July 24th and 25th in Chicago!!

Jade Monfils at the Dallas Bea's Kids

Bea's Kids is an after-school tutoring center that has 4 locations in the Dallas metroplex. The 3rd location that I attended was their Dallas branch, this location has fewer kids, but they didn't lack any personality! When I arrived it was mostly the younger group in 1st- 3rd grade. One of the tutoring methods at this location is if the kids have questions they raise their hands. This is so that they try to do it themselves first, and then the tutors can check/show them how to do a problem correctly. The children were being very competitive in their game show like vocabulary quiz, but in the end they were all winners! I gave all of them signed autograph cards, and they didn't want me to leave. They were so sweet, when I was driving off 2 little girls said they wanted to go with me! I said "Don't worry, I'll come back and help with you with your homework again".

Jade Monfils at the Billiard's Ball benefiting the Boys and Girls Club

I was so honored to attend the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas's annual Billiard's Ball. It is the one of the organizations biggest events of the year. It was an honor to be in the presence of such established people, Dallas's own Mayor Leppert, former Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, and many others. But the real enjoyment was raising over $3000 in sponsorship money for the kids. I had my own table, situated near the entrance, which had different sponsorship levels. An individual could buy 1 hour of tutoring for one child for $25, all the way to a college scholarship for $5000. It was amazing to realize that to keep one child in the program for one year costs roughly $1250 in the city of Dallas. The volunteer coordinator Carolyn was amazing she invited me to stay for the dinner, that was hosted by 102.9's Victoria Snee. I look forward to partnering with her as well as others to promote my platform on an even higher level this year!!

Jade Monfils Judges Oratorical Contest for Boys & Girls Club

I was asked if I would be able to be a guest judge for the Mesquite Boys and Girls Club's annual Oratorical contest in honor of black history month. There were 3 age divisions; 6-9 years old, 10-12 years old, and 13-15 years old. Many of the children recited memorized lines from the likes of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Nikki Giovanni just to name a few. While many of the children we nervous, I still give them credit for being able to get up in front of a large audience! There were 3 definite stand outs in each age division. They gave great introductions, maintained eye contact, and wonderful vocal projection while remembering each line word for word! At the end of the night I congratulated each contestant, and ate a wonderful spaghetti dinner provided by the club.

Jade Monfils at the Farmers Branch Bea's Kids Location

After partnering with Bea's Kids, an after-school tutoring center that provides a safe environment for students to go to when school gets out, I was inclined to attend another one of their locations in Farmers Branch. While there, I was in the 4th and 5th grade classroom helping them with homework. One young lady was having trouble with math (my favorite subject!) even though it has been years since doing storybook problems, it all started to come back to me! She shared with me her love of all things Hannah Montana! Once the younger ones left, I spoke with the high school students and helped them do a group crossword puzzle on U.S. Presidents (which was actually a lot harder than I you might think!). The young kids were so funny, they said "Please don't go to any of the other Bea's kids. We want to feel special because you only came here". I let them know that they were special anyway and gave them an autograph card to remember the day by. :)

Jade Monfils at the Chinese Lantern Festival

For Chinese New Year, this is the year of the ox. New Year in China lasts for weeks, as the whole country celebrates. Chinese citizens are given a month off with pay, and many factory workers that live at the factories, hours from their rural homes, go back to their towns to spend time with their families. This is actually one of the only times that workers get to go home during the year, so it is a huge deal. For the end of the New Year celebration a Lantern Festival is held, where people parade with lanterns through the streets. Dallas got to have a mini Lantern Festival that was held at the Crow Collection of Asian Art in the downtown arts district. Dallas has the largest arts district in the U.S. and the Crow Collection is an organization that I have been working with for years. What is really interesting about the Crow Collection is that it started out with Trammell and Margaret Crow who were collectors of Asian Art. With their first trip to Southeast Asia, Trammell Crow was hooked, they collected so many artifacts over the years that they decided to share it with the public. There is no charge to view the museum, the Crow family only wants to be able to share their love of Asian art with the public, which I think is wonderful! At the festival, I got to meet the owners of the current exhibit, that had flown into Dallas only for the day. Also there were a ton of crafts for the kids, they were making everything from lanterns to kites, and sampling sticky rice balls. Later on in the day, there was a dragon dance outside and a traditional Chinese dance in the gallery. It was a great day for the young and the young at heart!

Jade Monfils supports the Fresh Air Fund

I was contacted by Sara who works for the Fresh Air Fund, it is a not-for-profit organization that has been taking inner- city children from New York City to summer camp or to host suburban/rural homes for 130 years. I believe in this type of organization for the fact that they are giving 8,000 children a year an opportunity to see how it is outside the city life, that otherwise they might not be able to see on their own. Kids these days need options and alternatives, so that they can be a positive benefit to society. If anyone would be interested in being a camp counselor or hosting a child for the summer please visit www.freshair.org, and if you would like to make a donation click on the links!

Miss & Mrs. Dallas in the Dallas MLK Parade

I was introduced to Mrs. Dallas 2009, Lee Pettyjohn. We will both be competing in the Texas International Pageant in March, in San Antonio. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., one of the parades was held in Dallas. The day started out so cold, but as we gained momentum it began to warm up! It started at Dallas City Hall, and ran to MLK blvd. in downtown. This was the first parade that I have made an appearance in, and it was so exciting seeing all the smiling faces out to celebrate the birthday of such a historic figure. In addition to the presidential inauguration, the feeling of joy was definitely a presence in the streets of Dallas!

Jade Monfils Guest Speaker for Bea's Kids

Bea's Kids after school program gives young kids tutoring and a safe place to be during the peak hours of violent juvenile crime (between 3:00-6:00 pm). Once a month the North Dallas chapter invites a key speaker to talk to the youth as a "Wednesday's Winner". I was honored to be the January speaker, and talked to the kids about my "path to success" and the importance of education and staying in school. I also talked about setting goals and believing in yourself. When I got there everyone was writing a letter to President Obama, and what they wanted to see him change. The kids there ranged from 1st grade through high school juniors. There were several volunteers there helping them with their homework which ranged from math to writing. Helping kids become positive impacts on our future is something that I am so passionate about, which is why it was so rewarding for me to speak to these children and share with them my experiences!