Last Wednesday I had the privilege of modelling in the Help Haiti Fashion Show featuring designs from Jess Dipietro at Splash. The show was a ton of fun and having my makeup done by Jackie from Makeup By Jaquelyn and hair done by Giovanni from Marc Harris Salon wasn't too bad either! World Super-Heavyweight Champion Eric "Butterbean" Esch just happened to be there along with Dirty Water TV for NESN that interviewed me. So many wonderful photographers were there. Thank you to everyone for making the show so successful, fun and raising a ton of money for such a worthwhile cause!

On a more serious note, although I absolutely love modelling, this show was not just any fashion show. It was about a cause bigger than all of us. News of the earthquake in Haiti hit me particularly hard because less than 3 months ago, I spent time travelling all over the island of Hispaniola, which is made of up of the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Although I did not travel into Haiti directly, I travelled to the cities of Santo Domingo, San Francisco de MacoUis and Santiago in the Dominican Republic. I was able to see first hand what life is like in the city as well as in more rural areas in this Caribbean island. It is certainly undeniable that the Dominican is better off than Haiti in almost every aspect regarding, economy, infrastructure and the like. That was one of the big reasons when I heard the news of the quake I said "No, not Haiti". The tide had already begun to turn for the future of Haiti and my first reaction was what a devastating set back this would be. The relief efforts will certainly take much time and focused effort and the scars can never be erased. However, at this point I am choosing to focus on the future.

Women's micro-finance is a cause that I believe in with all my heart. It is for that reason that when I returned from a trip to Kokrobiety in Ghana, West Africa and saw the unbelievable need and lack of opportunity that I founded the Global Women's Micro-Finance Coalition Inc. Micro-finance for women is not a temporary band aid through a one time donation. It is the permanent empowerment and enabling of a women to take control of her future and provide for herself and her family by extending her funds with which she can start her own small business. I could not think of a better way to put my MBA to good use to give back. Currently, my organization is working in conjunction with a clinic in Mali to develop a business plan to implement with the HIV positive women who are patients at the clinic.

Although there is currently so much devastation in Haiti, it will be the funds raised from things like the fashion show Wednesday that help them rebuild in the present. Once the immediate needs are met however, it will micro-finance organizations like mine that will be critical to helping to provide opportunity and permanent change. This will give the Haitian population the step up needed to take control of their own future by opening the door to new opportunity that would otherwise not be feasible. The devastation that took place will never be forgotten, however, I am choosing to look to the bright future that the new generation of Haitians possess and the rebuilding and strong uprising of a wonderful and resilient population.

I had the pleasure of attending the Muscular Dystrophy Association Muscle Team Gala last night at the Fairmont Copley hotel and I am sure it will prove to be one of the highlights of my year as Miss Connecticut USA. So many professional athletes came together so that each child had a presenter and felt special that night. The real joy of this job is being able to support events like this where I was able to present a child for their night of honor. It was so much fun to meet the MDA buddies who are the sweetest kids you could ever want to meet. There was even one buddy who was a little girl addicted to sparkles just like me! The Miss Connecticut USA crown sure proved to be a big favorite to try on and take pictures with! This event marks just the start of my work with the MDA as I will have a child buddy thoughtout this year! Last night was exceptional because of the time spent with her and the other buddies. I have some great things we are going to do in the works for when the weather gets nicer so be sure to check for more updates!

Last night I had the pleasure of being asked to model in the Cure Her In Couture show for the Ovations for the Cure Ovarian Cancer benefit at the beautiful brand new boutique hotel the Ames in Boston. Designer Daniela Corte dressed all the models in her stunning designs. She sure knows how to make a woman feel confident and sexy! A big thank you to Gretta Cole for the beautiful hair styling and makeup. It was such a great evening with tons of press and the best photographers including the one and only Stuart Smith, who is as talented a photographer as he is generous as a person. Overall, I could not think of a better way to help find a cure for ovarian cancer!