Three Weeks from tonight...

Three weeks from tonight the new Miss Illinois will be crowned! I'm thrilled to be competing, to be part of this organization, and to be representing its ideals to the best of my ability. It's difficult to put into words how much potential there is for personal growth through the lessons I've learned as a devoted titleholder and how the passion with which I am pursuing the job of Miss Illinois is stronger than ever. I want to acknowledge my family, friends, directors, and supporters for the ways they have encouraged me over the years, believing in my ability to fulfill my goals and helping me to become my best. I appreciate that so much and strive to do the same for you. I'm thankful that God has blessed me with these people and opportunities, and I won't forget to strive to bless others in return.

This year, the Miss Illinois pageant will be held in southern IL at the Marion Civic Center. If you still wish to purchase tickets, you may do so through their website: http://www.marionccc.org/calendar.html I will be contestant #23 of the "Omega" group, which means that I will be competing in the areas of Talent and Evening Gown during the first night of preliminaries (June 29) and the areas of Lifestyle & Fitness and On-Stage Question during the second night of preliminaries (June 30). On July 1, the Miss IL Outstanding Pre-Teen and Teen pageant will be held--I can't wait to support my Miss N.S. girls!! Then, on Saturday, July 2, the Top Ten Finalists will be announced and compete and the winner will be crowned!

If you would like to send me a card/gift/flowers, they may be sent/delivered to the Drury Inn in Marion (NOT the Marion Civic Center). Here is the address:
2706 West Deyoung, Marion, IL 62959. "More than Decor" is the official sponsor, if you are interested in checking out this florist/gift shop: http://www.morethandecoronline.com/ 1110 North Carbon
Marion, IL 62959
ph. 618.997.2094

*TWENTY ONE DAYS*

CMN Fundraiser at Wal-Mart

As a fundraiser and advocate of CMN, I am so thankful that many businesses and corporations are big sponsors of Children's Miracle Network. One of these sponsors is Wal-Mart, so I took advantage of this and organized a CMN fundraiser at our local Supercenter.

I scheduled my event for a Sunday afternoon, but unfortunately, the weather had other plans...For several hours, the sky went from just looking terrible to storming, complete with torrential rain. Needless to say, this was not ideal for an outside fundraiser. However, it began to clear up, and although the majority of my allotted time had passed, I set up my table anyway and made the best of it. I handed out fliers with my CMN donation website and asked people to consider making a donation. Little by little, my crown box began to fill up with bills, which is how CMN money is usually raised--one dollar at a time. I autographed a Miss Northern Suburbs 2011 photo for every person who donated.

My favorite part of the afternoon was letting many of the children try on my crown. They just loved it, and I met some of the most adorable kids! Even though the weather didn't cooperate, it was definitely worth going and doing the fundraiser for the short time that I had left rather than cancelling and giving up. Every dollar counts! And so do those children's smiles. :)


Thank you to every person who donated or stopped to talk with me and to Wal-Mart for allowing me to plan this event outside their doors. It is still possible to donate through my website: https://missamericaforkids.org/m.aspx?i=24788EEA3B471B

St. John's Children's Hospital Visit!

Last month, I had the opportunity to visit St. John's Children's Hospital (http://www.st-johns.org/childrenshospital/main/default.asp) in Springfield, IL. St. John's is a Children's Miracle Network hospital--one of three CMN hospitals in Illinois. I've been blessed to be very involved with St. John's in particular over the past couple years as a titleholder, and my visits there have deeply impacted me. I've been able to work with Dawn Kuhn, who helped to lead a tour of the hospital facilities during my recent visit. They have done so much to make their hospital as family focused as possible, and the staff that I have met have shown such a heart for caring for the kids who come to them. I was especially moved while visiting the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit again and listening to one of the lead nurses talk passionately about how much she loves her job, what it entails, and how many babies that are able to survive as a result of this wonderful unit. I really admire the patience and dedication I saw from the people who work at this hospital, which is just another reason why I support them so much.

Several months ago, I decided to paint an original watercolor to dedicate to St. John's Children's Hospital, because I wanted to give them something to tangibly show my support and hopefully to bring joy to the children and families who take a moment to look at it. My vision for this artwork was to create something very fanciful--a whimsical painting full of imagination--and I'm so happy with how it turned out. My piece depicts a little girl sailing through an ocean of clouds in a red and yellow hot air balloon (the CMN logo) and gazing in wonder at the balloon filled sky. The other balloons are in the shapes of animals, ice cream cones, stars, etc., as if it were a scene from a child's dream.

I was glad to present this gift to St. John's, and I hope that it will brighten someone's day, spark creativity in a child, and provide a much-needed rest or distraction for the minds of anxious parents. Through all the ways I support Children's Miracle Network, I hope that the halls of these hospitals are filled with ever-increasing hope, most of all. The kids and there families deserve it.

THANK YOU to our Miss IL Sponsors!

A huge thank you to our Miss Illinois SPONSORS! We appreciate your support and generosity:

State Farm Insurance

Marion Toyota

Stacy Kvernmo

Magic Dream Productions

Custom Tours & Travel, Inc.

N. P. Tassi Law, LLC

Bridal Elegance & Pageantry

Limelight Photography

Pepsi Mid-America

Mary’s Restaurant

17th Street Bar & Grill

Bennie’s

Sao Aisan Bistro

Black Diamond – Harley Davidson

More Than Décor

Dycus, Bradley & Draves, PC, CPA’s

Mackie’s Pizza

Green Door Spa

Fisher-Swale-Nicholson Eye Center

Jasone’s Bed & Breakfast - Restaurant

Boston Proper

Crain Printing

Trio Salon

Big Smile Dental

Motiv8n’U

Dan Duverny - Photography

Staci Boyer

Broadway Limo Service

Kokopelli Restaraunt

Gregory Ellenburg

Southern Illinois Miners

Karen Bloom - Choreography

The Ballot Box

Jewels by Parklane

Drury Inn - Marion

Walt’s

St.Louie’s P & R

Thirty-One

Christos Fur Salon

Michelle Holmes

Joyce’s Bridal Boutique

Fairfield Inn & Suites - Marion

Thank you to those who fight and have fought to protect America

On this Memorial Day, I want to honor and thank all of our veterans and current troops for their bravery and their service to our country. We citizens owe so much to the self-sacrificing men and women who have helped to protect our nation in so many ways. I pray that those who are in danger will make it home to their families and friends and will know how much they are appreciated. I hope that Americans will remember to pay tribute to them throughout the year--not just on holidays. Don't forget them!

~God Bless America~

Miss N.S. Fashion Show

I had the opportunity to visit my college roomates in North Carolina after I finished the semester at Wheaton College, which was a great trip. I flew back to Chicago on May 14, and I want to thank my director Kristen Hadap and her husband for picking me up from O'Hare and letting me spend time with them and stay overnight at their home.

The next day, lots of titleholders and sponsors worked together for the annual Miss Northern Suburbs fashion show on the campus of beautiful Lake Forest College. I helped my directors to set up for the event and as guests arrived, the others models and I were accessorized with beautiful jewelry, sunglasses, purses, and hair accessories from the vendors. My director welcomed everyone and to start off the event, I sang the national anthem. Shortly after, the music started and each of us had our turn to model. I modeled a trendy, silver, multi-chain necklace and a pair of Versace sunglasses.


There was also a silent auction and raffle going on during the fashion show. Also, I had the chance to speak about my platform "Using Your Talents to Serve Others," which I enjoyed sharing. It was great to see the current Miss Illinois Whitney Thorpe-Klinsky as well as my entire Miss Northern Suburbs family, including my princesses! Kalina, Cassidy, Alyssa, and Sophia, I'm so excited to have such a great group of girls to be supporting, getting to know, encouraging, and making appearances with. I can't wait to experience everything Miss Illinois week will have to offer with all of you! Love you girls! I'm also glad that my parents were able to come to watch. I love you both so much.



This event was definitely a fun and successful one. It really took a lot of planning and behind-the-scenes effort to make it happen. That being said,
thank you so much to my directors for all of their hard work, as well as the current Miss Illinois Whitney Thorpe-Klinsky, our sponsors and vendors, Lake Forest College, our beautiful emcee and former Miss Northern Suburbs Corina Harwood,and EVERYONE who took part and contributed! Your support is so appreciated.

I love the Workout Company!

For those of you in the Bloomington/Normal area, I want to give a huge shout out and suggest that you come check out The Workout Company (419 Kays Drive in Normal; 309-454-2582; http://www.theworkoutcompany.org/).

I've had the priviledge of being a part-time employee and working out at this gym for the past couple years. It is such a great place to be a part of--I love the friendly people there, the variety of high-quality equipment, the group classes that are offered, and the clean, welcoming atmosphere. I love pushing myself to be as fit and healthy as possible, and this is a great place to be as I kick it up another notch in preparation for the Miss IL Lifestyle & Fitness area of competition.

Feel free to call and ask about free trials...it's worth it! I wouldn't want to go anywhere else!

Thoughts on Music and Westminster Village

I believe in the importance and value of the arts, especially music. Music enriches life in innumerable ways--it inspires, has the ability to affect one’s emotions, and has been shown to have therapeutic qualities. Music provides a unique and satisfying way to express oneself and can be full of joy, entertainment, and profound meaning. It has been said that “music transforms language like a ‘wonderful elixir’…Music has the privilege of transcendental immediacy; poetry is transfigured by it.”

In addition, music promotes high levels of thinking, develops important skills including discipline, dedication, patience, time-management, cooperation with others, and “music can also be used to present ideas and build concepts, teach or persuade, entertain, design, plan, beautify, and create (Consortium of National Arts Education Associations [CNAEA], 1994).” It also provides opportunities for collaboration and fellowship with others and is extremely intertwined and connected with culture and society, philosophy and religion. I believe everyone can benefit, learn from, and appreciate music and will be able to do so through increasing their knowledge and experience with it through education and personal initiative.

My goal is to use music to glorify the One who has gifted me with my abilities and to use music to serve others, encouraging them to use their own talents to reach out to others in their own ways. As a pianist for fifteen years, I decided early on that I wanted to bless people by sharing music with them. I treasure the experiences I’ve had with residents at nursing homes, hospital patients, and audience members who have often thanked me with tears in their eyes for sharing my music with them. Performing benefit concerts for CMN has also been an incredible way of tangibly helping others by raising funds and awareness.

I have particularly enjoyed performing at Westminster Village, a local retirement community, for the past ten years. The residents have seen me grow up both physically and musically, so I have a lot of history and special memories there. Jim Davis was the Chair of the Program Committee who first invited me to play, and ever since, I have looked forward to putting together programs for my Westminster friends. It is a very welcoming atmosphere, and I have always enjoyed being able to speak about my pieces and current goals as well. I remember talking about my platform and Miss America aspirations as a little girl, years before I began competing, which was met with a lot of smiles and support. I feel truly blessed to have relationships with these wise people who have offered encouragement and have expressed how much they appreciate my visits.

I have also served as a Coordinator of the Senior Music Ministry at Wheaton College, which includes organizing and performing student-run concerts at Fairview Nursing Home along with my peers from the Conservatory of Music. We all have a unified outlook on performance—it’s not just about playing an instrument; it’s about connecting with individuals and giving of our time and of ourselves to the elderly patients who live there. I have seen how much joy it brings to them when we students come each month to talk with them, perform and lead hymns, and continue to build relationships with them. When I see how excited they are for the next concert, then I can’t wait to go back!

How can YOU reach out to those around you? Feel free to comment...and to take action!



“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.” ~Victor Hugo

(Work cited: Kramer, Lawrence. Music and Poetry the 19. Century and after. Berkeley, Calif. [u.a.: Univ. of California Pr., 1984. Print.)

Upcoming FASHION SHOW

Exciting news!! I want to let you know about an upcoming event that I'm looking forward to: On May 15, we will be having our third annual Fashion Show Fundraiser in Lake Forest, IL! Other titleholders and I will be modeling accessories from Elle Originals, Bella Amici and Just too Kute. This is a great way to support the Miss Northern Suburbs Scholarship Program, so please consider buying a ticket by visiting our website:
http://www.missnorthernsuburbs.com/
Tickets are only $15 per person for this 2-4 p.m. show when you order them online, or they are just $20 at the door. We are advertising this event on Facebook as well (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=191232000919455), so feel free to RSVP! We need and appreciate your support!

Thank you to all of our sponsors who have generously made donations to make this event possible!

Hello everyone!

First of all, the Miss Northern Suburbs website has been updated! Check it out to learn more about the current 2011 titleholders of our Miss Northern Suburbs family!
http://www.missnorthernsuburbs.com/2011-titleholders.html

**Photo Courtesy of Miss N.S. sponsor Fedler Studio (https://www.fedlerstudio.com/welcome.html)

"Natalie Renee’ Sherer, 22, is from Bloomington/Normal, IL. She studied at Manhattan School of Music and is currently a Junior at Wheaton College working toward her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance. She is a Soprano in the Wheaton Concert Choir and is involved in chamber music and accompanying. Natalie is also a Senior Music Ministry Coordinator. This role consists of organizing a group of students to perform a concert for and talk with the residents of a local nursing home on a monthly basis.

“Using Your Talents to Serve Others” is the title of Natalie’s personal platform. She believes that every person has an ability that can be a gift to others. She is passionate about encouraging others to identify what their talents are and how to use them to reach out to the people around them, while striving to model this lifestyle in an inspiring, motivating way.

Natalie is honored to have been crowned Miss Northern Suburbs 2011 and thrilled to be preparing to compete for the job and title of Miss Illinois 2011. She looks forward to her year with the Miss N.S. family, mentoring her princesses, making appearances and speaking about her platform, and raising money for Children’s Miracle Network. Please follow her journey by visiting her blog: http://www.missnorthernsuburbs2011.blogspot.com.

Help Natalie reach her donation goal to the Children's Miracle Network by donating here https://www.missamericaforkids.org/m.aspx?i=24788EEA3B471B"

We also have a Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Miss-Northern-Suburbs-Pageant/50798694089

I've found the dress!

This year, I transferred to Wheaton College as a junior to continue to pursue my Bachelor's Degree in Music (Piano Performance). During the year, I enjoyed exploring the quaint downtown area of Wheaton, and I stumbled upon a wonderful boutique called The Dress by Nicole. I was about to head back to campus, but I couldn't just pass by a promising-looking dress display window--that's pretty much impossible for me! Haha! I went in, and I was impressed by the quality of dresses that I browsed through, and several caught my eye. Amazingly, the price range included I also loved a lot of the unique jewelry displayed throughout the store, and the employees were friendly and welcoming. I knew I would be coming back. Several weeks later, I spontaneously decided to go try on some gowns, and had a very positive experience with the helpful employees and owner. I was very happy and pleasantly surprised to leave The Dress that day with "the one". . . my Miss Illinois evening gown! When I put it on, I felt like Miss Illinois, and I knew I had found what I had been looking for. If you are looking for dresses for a special event, prom, pageant, or wedding, I would recommend taking a look at The Dress.

The Dress by Nicole:

131 W. Wesley Street, Wheaton, IL 60187; 630-653-3737
Website: http://www.shopthedress.com
Blog: http://shopthedress.blogspot.com/
Facebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/The-Dress-by-Nicole/39505398028


I also want to give a big shout out to our Miss Northern Suburbs Sponsors:

Fedler Studio Photography has been such a generous sponsor. Mr. Fedler has photographed many Miss N.S. events, including the pageant, headshots of titleholders, and most recently, the Miss N.S. Fashion Show! Thank you so much for being such a supporter of the Miss Northern Suburbs organization.

Fedler Studio:

847-872-3841
800-872-8007
1332 Sheridan Rd.
Winthrop Harbor, IL 60096
www.fedlerstudio.com

A big thank you to the Official Miss Northern Suburbs Hotel and Venue:
Hilton Garden Inn
26225 N Riverwoods Blvd.
Mettawa, IL 60045For reservations, contact 847-735-8374

Thank you to Gladstone Square Mall:
38975 N. Lewis Ave. Beach Park, IL 60099

A huge thanks for our scholarship donors:

Lake Forest College
www.lakeforest.edu

and

Waukegan Masonic Lodge #78

*If your business is interested in becoming a sponsor, please visit this website for more information:
http://www.missnorthernsuburbs.com/uploads/4/8/7/6/4876798/sponsor_packages_folder.pdf

National Pancake Day at IHOP Raises $$$ for Children's Miracle Network!

Last month, IHOP celebrated National Pancake Day, and many Miss America titleholders participated by serving free pancakes at locations nationwide. This was definitely a fun experience when I participated last year. For more info, visit http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/index.html

Since beginning its National Pancake Day celebration in 2006, IHOP has raised more than $5.35 million to support charities in the communities in which it operates. This year, their goal was to raise $2.3 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities, and I'm excited to report that they exceeded their goal--$2.5 million were raised (and four million free pancakes were served!). Thank you to everyone who participated.

If you did not get a chance to donate to CMN, I am continuing to raise funds for this organization. Please consider donating online at my website!
https://www.missamericaforkids.org/m.aspx?i=24788EEA3B471B

"Using Your Talents to Serve Others" Platform in Action!

Hello everyone!

I hope you're doing well! I am currently on Spring Break from Wheaton College, where I am a Junior Piano Performance major. It has been great to spend some time at home with my family. I'm also practicing for my upcoming Junior Piano Recital at Wheaton, as well as continuing to represent my Miss Northern Suburbs title and to prepare to compete for Miss Illinois this summer.

One aspect of the Miss America Organization that I love is the opportunity to share about my personal platform "Using Your Talents to Serve Others." I'm so passionate about this message, and my goal is to really live it out in my own life while hoping to inspire others to join me.

“What are you good at? What are you passionate about doing?” I believe everyone has an ability that can be a gift to the world, so I encourage everyone to think about these questions to discover what that is and how they can use it to reach out to people. Rather than measuring “success” in terms of wealth or status, or striving only for personal recognition, I believe true success is achieved when people serve others with their God-given talents and resources. When people embrace this perspective, their actions touch lives in deeply significant ways. My objective is to encourage people to do just that and to model this in my own life in hopes of being an inspiring role model.

Tonight, I am looking forward to performing for the residents of Westminster Village--a local retirement community that I have played at many times over the years. It is always a blessing to reach out to this audience, comprised mostly of elderly people who really appreciate being able to hear beautiful music and talk with visitors. Many people have come up to me with tears in their eyes to thank me for coming and sharing my music with them, which has been really moving for me. I was sad to have recently found out that a woman I met at Westminster several years ago just passed away at the age of 102. I will never forget talking with her after one of my performances and listening to what she had to say. I'm so glad that she led such a long, beautiful life. These types of experiences are enriching, and I think that when people take an initiative to reach out to others in a caring way, they will have similarly rewarding experiences.

And although I may reach out through music, each person has a different story. The beauty of this powerful message is that it is all-inclusive, yet it becomes specific to each person. Some people, like athletes or musicians, have talents that are very visible due to their performance-based nature. But in my mind, being a good listener, giving good advice, or having the ability to comfort are valuable “talents” also. A good cook might help in a soup kitchen. A singer might entertain kids in the hospital. No matter what a person can offer, they have power to make a positive impact. The way to tap into that power is by pursuing dreams but never forgetting to lend a hand to the dreamer beside us, whether they are family, friends, or members of the community.

I will post photos from this event soon!

Welcome!

Hello everyone!

It is so exciting to introduce myself for the first time as Miss Northern Suburbs 2011and to welcome you to the official blog! I was thrilled to be crowned the new titleholder last night on January 15, 2011, in Lake Forest, IL. I have so much anticipation for the year ahead--I will be making numerous appearances and preparing to compete for the job and title of Miss Illinois 2011 this summer, a goal that I have been looking forward to and preparing to pursue since childhood. Although my sister was sick, I'm glad that my parents and past director Rachel Johnson were there to root for me and share in the excitement of the crowning moment.

My new Miss NS family also includes the Teen titleholder Kalina O'Brien, the Pre-Teen titleholder Cassidy Raasch, and the Princesses Alyssa Cox and Sophia Thompson. I'm thankful to have two wonderful directors to work with--Kristen Hadap and Robin Ruchti--who run the Miss Northern Suburbs organization in a very professional and friendly manner. Please visit the website for more information: http://www.missnorthernsuburbs.com/

Also, a huge thank you goes to the former titleholders who said farewell last night. Corina Harwood, Miss Northern Suburbs 2010, was a truly inspiring titleholder who accomplished so much and was also very successful at Miss IL. Corina, I admire your care, courage and positive attitude, and the way that you poured into your Princesses. I can tell how much they look up to you. Thank you for your friendship and support. I'm glad that we'll continue to keep in touch and work together. It was an amazing moment to be crowned by Corina AGAIN last night--she also passed along the Miss Capital City crown to me when I won last year! What a great night! :)

It is so important to me that people understand the amount of great good that is achieved every year through the Miss America Organization--including personal growth and the provision of educational funds for contestants, money and awareness raised for Children's Miracle Network, mentoring relationships and good role models for our Princesses, the positive influence on audiences who hear titleholders speak about valuable messages related to the platforms they are passionate about, and the impact on others that a titleholder has the potential to have as an accomplished, intelligent, and approachable spokesperson, entertainer, advocate, and leader.

Having already held two titles in the Miss Illinois/America system (Miss Shawnee 2009; Miss Capital City 2010 [http://www.2010misscapitalcity.blogspot.com]), I have had amazingly rewarding and rich experiences, and I take this position very seriously. I'm honored to be Miss Northern Suburbs, and as a public figure, I desire to represent and exemplify this organization to the highest degree and to the best of my ability. This blog will be a place where I will share about my journey to Miss IL and appearances, about my platform "Redefining Success: Using Your Talents to Serve Others," and my personal thoughts and photos along the way. I think this will be a fun and successful year, and I'm ready to begin with determination and the motive of continually improving and creating a lasting legacy that will affect the people I come into contact with--even if for a single time--in a positive, inspiring, and memorable way.

Thank you to everyone who helped at the pageant, including the directors, board members, volunteers, performers, emcee Jerry Cebrzynski, guest speaker and Miss N.S. 2009 Sherrie Gearheart, auditors, and judges. Thank you to Matty Jacobsen of Magic Dreams Video Productions for taking the video (for more info or to order a DVD, please call 224-232-9870), and to our sponsor photographer Fedler Studio (800-872-8007), and the Hilton Garden Inn hotel, as well as our additional sponsors who generously provided cash prizes and in-kind scholarships: Lake Forest College, Waukegan Masonic Lodge #78, Gladstone Square Mall, Costco, Target, and Egg Harbor Cafe.

Please check back often for updates and feel free to comment with questions, feedback, or with a request for me to speak/perform/etc. at your event! For notifications, please become a "follower" of my blog. *More photos to come!*

Thank you for reading, and I'm looking forward to what I will post during my year of service.

God Bless,

Natalie Renee' Sherer
Miss Northern Suburbs 2011