Andaria Alexander

The "Miss Teen Canada World" pageant was held on July 26, 2009 at the John Bassett Theatre in the Toronto Convention Center.

Free The Children is an amazing international development organization which began in 1995.  In this short time, it has become the largest network in the world of youth helping children through education.   It helps free children from poverty and exploitation. It inspires them to realize that they are important and can make a difference. Most of the money is raised by young people and is used to run developmental programs such as education, health care, alternate income, and water and sanitation.

If I were the Marketing Director for Free The Children, I would choose the following photo to expand into a poster for global distribution.

This photo shows a group of school children in Kenya. They have had the good fortune of having their school built for them by Free The Children. Free The Children is a children's charity and focuses on education, believing that it is the beginning for economic and social development. They support needy families as well, so that their children might be educated and not have to stay home to work .They have a solid committment to build schools and education centers  The organization has built more than 500 schools in war-torn and poverty stricken countries around the world.

This photo stands out to me as it depicts so many happy children. There is not one sad face. They are well dressed in colourful clothing and are definitely feeling free.  It is so uplifting to see their obvious joy.  It is clear evidence that Free the Children and their programs are working and making a huge difference in children's lives.  After seeing so many sad and heart wrenching photos, this photo gives you hope, showing what is actually happening and what can be accomplished.  It inspires you to step up and take part in helping this worthy cause, knowing that your contributions will change people's lives forever. Every one of us has the power to make a difference.

Please feel to donate to this heartfelt cause.

http://www.freethechildren.com

Please make the effort.

You can make a difference!

"Photos courtesy of Free The Children"

FreeThe Children was founded by Craig Kielburger when he was only 12 years old.  By chance, he  came across an article in the newspaper about a little boy who had escaped from a child labour camp. This young Pakistan boy had the courage to speak out about child labour and children's rights. He was shot and killed defending the rights of children.  Craig knew then that he had to help. He has since turned his organization into the largest network of children helping other children, through education. The main goals are to free children from poverty and to keep them from being exploited and to make them realize that they are powerful and can make positive changes in the world.

 All the contestants have been very busy raising money for Free The Children.  We are very happy to do this, knowing that it will help so many unfortunate children.

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We met a lot of people fundraising at the Atlantic National Car Show. They closed off Main Street and had so many activities.  For the next 2 days, the event was held at Centennial Park and the cars were amazing.

Do you know how much money you can raise just by selling freezies?  I had a hard time keeping this freezer full.  Of course, my brother and his friends were my best customers.

I would really like to thank Tammy at the new Sally Beauty Shop for donating this lovely basket for my raffle. 

A special thank you to my family and all my helpful friends, especially Allie, for making my fundraising so successful.

http://www.freethechildren.com

Getting ready for the Salmon Festival Parade.  Take a look at the salmon

sculpture below and browse through the pictures I took at this event.

Last week we had an assignment to partner with another contestant to create a guest blog.  We had to write a post about our hometown, then exchange, format, and publish each other's work  on our own site.  You will see Karmen's guest blog on my site and if you click her name you will go into her site and see my blog . It's a great way to meet other contestants and find all about the area in which they live.

Hey everyone! My name is Karmen Guillas and my title is Miss Teen Parkland. The Parkland region is in Manitoba, my hometown of Russell being right smack in the middle of it. Russell has a population of about 1800 people, that number growing daily.

Russell, as well as the parkland area flourishes with every season. There are many tourist attractions in the parkland area, bringing tons of visitors through every year. There is something for everyone in my hometown area whether you’re the age of 1 or 101!

Russell and area has some of the best fly fishing lakes in the world. Trout being the fish of choice when fly fishing the Parkland region. We also have an excellent water fowl hunting season during the fall and a phenomenal deer hunting season in the November month.

Asessippi Ski Area

Winner of Canada's Best New attraction by Attractions Canada in 2000, Asessippi Ski Area and Winter Park just had its 10 year anniversary!  Asessippi offers a variety of winter AND summer activities.

Asessippi is a great place to bring friends and family. Russell is only 15 minutes away and it has all of your everyday needs if you happen to forget the “essentials” at home.

A new addition to Asessippi is Cottage Cove. The overall goal is 500 cabins in the next 3 years. With many cabins already done or already started, Cottage Cove is an excellent place to have a winter cabin, a home away from home.

Lake of the Prairies

Only a 20 minute drive from Russell and 5 minutes from Asessippi Ski Area, lake of the prairies is named the 3rd best fishing lake in North America. Walleye is the most popular fish while experiencing Lake of the Prairies. An annual fishing derby is held at lake of the prairies called the Russell Lions Catch and Release Walleye Tournament.  Held the weekend of June 6th and 7th, the derby attracts many  world class fishermen to the area.   

There are many cottages and resorts to stay in at Lake of the Prairies. Kilman Resorts offer a cozy, friendly place to stay during the summer and winter months. Cottage lots for sale also allow people to own a personal cottage right on the lakefront. Highly popular, even more and more cabins going up every year.

Inglis Elevators

Located 2 minutes from Asessippi Ski Area and only 15 minutes from Russell, Inglis is a quaint little town full of community spirit and lots of history.

One of the very popular attractions Inglis has to offer is its elevators. The Inglis Grain Elevators National Historic Site is internationally recognized as a unique and enduring architectural symbol of the Prairies, representing one of the most important periods in the development of Canada’s grain industry from 1900 to 1930.

Four of the five elevators have been standing since 1922, the same year the railway arrived in small community of Inglis.

Rows of elevators used to stand across the prairies for grain farmers, now most are gone and the only known row left standing is in Inglis Manitoba.

Riding Mountain National Park

Riding Mountain National Park is one of Canada’s many known national parks. Approximately 1 150 square miles, Riding mountain is a Haven for people and wildlife. With over 320 km of hiking, biking and cross country ski trails, the park attracts tourists from around the world.

The pride of the park is the bison enclosure at Lake Audy. Go for a hike in early morning or late evening and observe the great beats.

Another major attractions within the park is the tourist town of Wasagaming, located right on the beautiful Clear Lake. With over 40 stores and restaurants, a historical museum, marina and beautiful tennis courts, Wasagaming is alive during the summer months. Tourists come from all directions to visit Wasagaming and experience it’s unique culture.

The Clear Lake Golf Course is one of the most beautiful courses in Western Canada.  The greens and fairways are impeccable, not to mention environmentally friendly. The course is one of the oldest in Canada, approximately 70 years old.  It was built during the depression with depression relief funding during the 1930s era.