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