September Fun with Mrs. Kansas US 2010

Hello all! It has been a busy and fun September so far! I started September at Louisburg Cider Mill with a large group of energetic kindergartners! We saw how they make the cider and apple donuts, and of course sampled both! Next, I ran on a relay team on September 11th in The Patriot's Run in Olathe to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11 and raise money for the Salvation Army. Our team got 5th overall and ran over 50 miles!
I celebrated my 40th birthday this past week with family and friends. The celebration started last weekend with a virtual food drive to collect food for Harvester's Community Food Network in Kansas City. We were able to donate almost 1,000 meals! I spent the afternoon sorting fresh fruit and veggies. I have never seen so many tomatoes, bell peppers and jalepenos in my life! I enjoyed lunch with one of my best friends, dinner with family, and a girls night out birthday celebration later in the week with my small group from church. I have never laughed so much!
I am looking forward to being in the downtown Overland Park parade tomorrow morning! I am #54 and will be in a blue convertible Corvette! Will post pictures soon!

KC Zoo Fun Run & Bikers for Babies

Allie volunteered as a course monitor for the Kansas City Zoo Fun run which supports a different endangered speicies each year. This year was for the Polar Bears. The next day we were up bright and early to register bikers for KC's Bikers for Babies. More than 6,000 motorcycle riders gathered at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September
19, for the 16th Annual Kansas City Bikers for Babies. Riders and sponsors contributed more than $700,000, surpassing the amount raised in 2009 and the March of Dimes 2010 goal.

Heroes & Halos

Heroes and Halos National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day Celebration is a fun-filled event for children and families affected by childhood cancer. It gives children that are battling cancer a chance to just be a kid and have a day of fun away from the hospital. It is also an opportunity for families that have lost children to cancer to memorialize and remember their special angels. Allie spent the day at this event with her sisters, the Brownings, Leets & the Hopkirks. They painted faces and helped with crafts. This is the second year Allie has volunteered at this event and truly enjoys it.

Bikers For Babies/American Girl Grand Opening

Allie volunteered at the Bikers For Babies preregistration event at Harley Davidson with her sisters. The Kansas City Bikers for Babies is the largest and most successful March of Dimes motorcycle ride in the nation. Bikers for Babies has raised more than $5.06 million in Kansas City in its 16-year history. Funds raised by Bikers for Babies support local research grants focused on issues related to premature birth and community programs such as NICU Family Support. Allie helped check in the bikers to make sure they had all of their paperwork filled out. She was also able to sign some autographs, which she loves to do. After the Bikers for Babies event we stopped by the Grand Opening of the American Girl doll store. Allie is a big fan of American Girl and has a small collection of them. She was so excited to be able to attend the Grand Opening in our area. The employees gave her a warm welcome and helped her pick out a doll (Felicity) to add to her collection.