Bonnie Nichoalds- STL

Variety's Night of the Rising Stars

The Children’s Charity, Variety of St. Louis, has been a huge support for special needs kids of St. Louis for close to 80 years.  Variety has a strong bond and an exquisite history in this community, and St. Louis can rely on Variety to care for their children.  Over time Variety has advanced and has become a big part of the lives of St. Louis children.

Diana Ross

This year, Variety hosted their Dinner With the Stars and Night of the Rising Stars which featured Joe Buck and the amazing Diana Ross. The event raised over $3 million dollars which means 14,000 children a year are able to receive help from Variety. Incredible!

My mom was my date for the event

Thank you to Mollie Francis and the Variety for inviting me to be a apart of your special event. My mom and I had a great time meeting all the Variety members and dancing the night away to Diana Ross! "If I have someone who believes in me, I can move mountains." -Diana Ross

USO Salute our Heroes Gala

After a fun day of visiting Wildwood Middle School, it was time to get ready for the USO Salute our Heroes Gala at downtown's Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the arch. 

The Salute our Heroes Gala was a dinner to honor our local military heroes. The 13 honorees were selected by their peers for their extraordinary bravery, loyalty and heroism. 

We sat with chairman of the board, Al Kaste, his wife, and his two daughters, as well as St. Louis sculptor Don Wiegand and his wife. 

Thank you Kathy O'Connor, Chris Trotter, Sara Colvin, and everyone at USO Missouri for inviting me to this special event. It was truly an honor to be surrounded by so many incredible service men and women for the evening. I look forward to many more events in the future.
 

Wildwood Middle School

Thank you to Dr. Maxwell, Dr. Dickens, and Mrs. Hedrick for letting me visit your school!

I had a wonderful experience visiting the Timberwolves at Wildwood Middle School yesterday. This was my first time visiting middle school students and they sure were fun! First, I visited Mrs. Cain's class and discussed the importance of good communication skills, getting involved in extracurricular activities, and the the word "popularity".

Thank you Mrs. Cain!

Then I visited my friend Megan LaTempt's class. Megan is truly an amazing teacher and individual. Her class was such a great group a kids. One in particular, BJ, told me I looked like a ray of sunshine. Made my day. :)

Thank you Megan!!

Next, I visited Mrs. Vlasich's classroom. Another awesome group of kids. I just can't say enough good things about the students and teachers at Wildwood Middle School. They are an impressive bunch of friendly, smart, and kindhearted individuals!

 

Lastly, we headed over to the gym for a little physical education! I was able to answer any questions from the students then we played volleyball and basketball.

Truman Elementary School

Last Friday, I visited my friends at Truman Elementary School in Pacific, Missouri. Being Miss Missouri USA, I am blessed with a lot of special opportunities and experiences. However, visiting children is still one of my favorite aspects of my job. It is always humbling being able to promote education through inspiring young students.

Special thank you to Ms. Sawyer and everyone at Truman Elementary for letting me visit your fantastic students and staff. I will always have a special place in my heart for the students I met at Truman Elementary. "Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers and teachers."