As some of you may already know, I was recently awarded the title of Miss Indiana International 2012, and I am currently preparing to compete in the Miss International pageant next summer. The dates are July 27th and 28th, 2012 at the Northshore Center for the Performing Arts in Chicago, Illinois. The total entry fee is $1,500 ($300 of which I already have covered) and that is due as soon as possible. Additionally, there is a list of personal expenses for wardrobe and other competition needs that I will be needing as well. I am willing to work to pay for some of these expenses on my own, but of course I will be accepting and appreciative of any help in the process.
I am looking for businesses, family and friends, readers of my blog, or any other kind individuals to help sponsor me with these costs. I am also looking for in-kind services like photos, hair, makeup, etc as well as wardrobe donations if you would like to do that instead of money. Some of you I will be approaching individually with more details on this journey but I may not be able to reach everyone who would be interested in making a donation, so I decided to make a post here.
Why am I competing?
This is a wonderful opportunity for me. Winning Miss International will provide me with the chance to make the most of my dreams and aspirations and to take important causes to an international level. It will help in opening many doors for me that I would not normally have. If I didn’t win, it would still give me a lot of experience in my own self development. Pursuing pageants has already given me a lot of confidence and motivation to think about my purpose in life and the kind of person I want to be. For anyone that knows me personally, they know that growing up I have always been pretty quiet, and I realized that I think that doing pageants like this will help bring out the voice in me that I have always had. I am already so excited about starting preparation. It’s a lot of work but I know it will be well worth it, especially if I bring home the crown!
What is my platform?
A “platform” is a pageant term that basically means a personal cause that you plan to support and advocate during your reign. The Miss International Pageant system gives us the opportunity to choose a cause of our own to support. Mine is Domestic Violence – Awareness and Prevention. I chose this platform because it is an issue that isn’t as widely talked about in the media and not many people know what to do when they or a loved one is affected, yet if affects so many more people than we realize. This is a cause that is very important to me and as Miss Indiana International, I will already be scheduling appearances and events for my cause throughout Indiana. If I won Miss International, I can do even more to support this cause.
There is also the Miss International’s official platform which all of us state title holders will support as well, which is Go Red For Women which is a campaign by the American Heart Association to raise awareness and education about heart disease in women.
Why should you sponsor? What’s in it for you?
For business, if you choose to accept this special request I believe my pageant experience could be of benefit to your business. There will be advertising of your business offered in the official pageant program book, in press releases, and also your business’s logo will be printed at the bottom of autographed photos. Another benefit to you upon your sponsorship would be a positive image and public awareness, as well as more exposure and probable sales to your business. I would also be happy to make any appearances or help with any events associated with your business as part of the exchange and of my gratitude. Other arrangements are negotiable.
Donating
If you would like to have more information about my competing, I have put together an official sponsorship proposal in a word document with all of the details for those of you who are interested. Just drop me a line and I can send that out to you.
If you choose to donate and wish to be compensated, I am willing to negotiate. You may wish to donate anonymously if you like. Any amount is much appreciated and helpful, even if just $5.
Donations can be made via paypal, check, or money order, although I recommend paypal since it is very easy for transactions. The donation button is below. If you are interested in helping me with my entry fee, or if you have any questions or concerns, email me at AshleyBPariseau@gmail.com or leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible!
Ok so I love the Miss America Pageant and everything their organization stands for. After having watched the 2012 broadcast last night, I was disappointed to see how much they are trying to turn it into a reality show. I understand that for the past few years, they have been trying out different ways to tweak the show and make little changes to improve and boost their ratings, but I don’t think that doing contestant “saves” and “vote outs” are the best way to go. All it did was cause humiliation to some of the contestants. It was actually kind of distasteful how certain things were done. I guess they think that is what the public likes, but I think they missed the mark.
