Friends since kindergarten!

During my Spring Break I went home for a few days and had the chance to eat lunch with a good friend! Her name is Emily and we have been friends since kindergarten. We also went to an Aaron Carter and Dream Street concert together when we were in the 6th grade. Even though we are older now, we still like to sing to Dream Street every time we ride in a vehicle together!

Kappa Delta Pi

I was inducted tonight into an International Honor Society for education majors. Kappa Delta Pi is only open to twenty percent of those entering the education field. I feel very honored to be selected on my scholarly achievement to Kappa Delta Pi as an Early Childhood Education major at the University of Central Arkansas. Below are some pictures from the induction ceremony!

 

My induction certificate with my name on it! 

My best friend, Danika, and me after the ceremony 

Three early childhood education majors 

Receiving my Certificates

Trey Throws the First Pitch!

Trey Hickey that has been battling leukemia got to come and throw the first pitch at the UCA Baseball game on March 4, 2012. 

Miss Greater Camden

On February 25th I was crowned as Miss Greater Camden! It's such a honor to represent my hometown and give back to the community where I have so many wonderful memories! I plan on educating our youth and public more about children with disabilities and my platform "EveryONE Counts". This summer I will be competing in Miss Arkansas in July and I'm so excited! Here are some pictures from the pageant and my new little sister queen that will also be competing in Miss Arkansas' Outstanding Teen. I'm extremely blessed and look forward to this exciting journey!

It's the little things we do for others!

Today I was looking around Best Buy and I saw a little boy in a wheel chair playing the Wii. I casually walked by him and noticed he was playing Mario Brothers. His dad was busy looking for something and he yelled "Dad, whats Mario saying on this game?" (text was popping up on the screen that he couldn't read yet on the game) I automatically started reading what Mario was saying and he just looked up at me and smiled! Then his dad came up and helped him with the rest of the game. It's the little things we do for others that mean the most in life. I love helping children, even if it is something as small as this! It makes my day to know that I could help a child in some way!

Polar Express

I hosted a Polar Express event for EveryONE Counts and I had a wonderful turnout! I hosted this event over Christmas break on December 19 for children between the ages of 3-14 years old. I read the polar express to all of the children because it was almost Christmas and they loved it! All of the children participated in a coloring contest and the coloring sheets had different children with disabilities on them. While the children colored we talked as a group about what a disability is, what children that have disabilities might need, and if they knew anyone that has a disability. Many of the children had friends that have a disability and they told me how they helped their friends with disabilities. It was a wonderful learning experience and a chance for the children to understand that any child with a disability is just like they are. After they finished coloring each child told me a way that they could help a child with a disability and that they wanted to be treated just like every normal child does. Below are some of the pictures of the children and their EveryONE Counts coloring sheets!

Two Children I had the opportunity to work with

Last semester I had the privilege to work with two wonderful children! One of the children had Cerebral Palsy and the other child was mildly Autistic. I had the chance to work with them one on one each week. These two children have greatly impacted my life and how I look at life. One of the children was happy just be able to walk around with her walker with her braces on her legs. I noticed that she starved for my attention and I was more than happy to give her every second that I could. This child would have good days and bad days. Her legs would give out on her after she walked with her walker too long. So I helped make some adjustments so that she could get around more comfortably throughout the day. The young boy that was Autistic simply loved it when I sat down and played the drums with him. Playing drums everyday was all he wanted to do and he loved it when someone played the drums with him. After working with children that have disabilities, it's obvious that they want to be treated like every other child. Some people do not know how to approach a child with a disability, but they are just like every other child. They want to be loved and accepted by their classmates and by their teachers. It's amazing how much you can change a child's life by listening to them and giving them your attention.

Sarah