Coming to an End

Well the time has come to describe my year as Miss Pioneer Valley. 

First and for most I owe a huge thank you to all of those who have supported me, loved me, cared for me, helped me, prepared me, spent their time to get me what I need and have been there for me through the thick and thin times of this amazing year. I could not have done any of it with out the support system and group that I have had. I have enjoyed every moment  and each second of Being a title holder. I am really sad that the time has come to pass it on to someone new in the next few weeks to come. 

I have been able to raise huge amounts of money for the Childrens Miracle Network. In fact I recieved an award for it at Miss Utah. I also have been able to implement my dance program in many at- risk youth organizations. Dance4Life has been able to serve many children in this community. I am so thankful to be able to share my abilities and talents with these kids. They have so much to share and give to all those around them. I hope we can all open our eyes and see that they need our support and love to be able to carry out their lives as they wish. 

As Arial I hope to continue out this program that I have started with these children. I hope to one day open my own studio for them and be able to give them the opportunities of a lifetime. I have volunteered at the Midvale boys and girls club this last little while, implementing a hip hop class for their teen group. They are really really good. I was so happy teaching them and I left feeling like I had made an imprint on their lives. We are going to be planning a dance concert for them in August!! I am so excited for that. I know how important service has become to me, and I hope that everyone else can remember to do some type of service. It is so important to be able to give back to those who need it. It helps us to realize what we are really here for and what our true purpose is in life. So I encourage us all to serve our community and be able to make time for those who need it, Whether it is a smile, a hug or a quick conversation. Help someone in need. 

This last week has been a struggle. After some disappointment at Miss Utah this year I have been trying to get back on my feet. I did so well at the comp and I have no regrets. I am so happy I had the experience I did and was able to do what I did. I am thankful for the Miss america organization and all that is offers to young women. 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve and be apart of it! 

another life changing experience

Well, as I look back on such a wonderful year I cannot believe how quickly time has gone and what a short period of time I have left to serve in my reign as Miss Pioneer Valley. This week I was able to do so much with the many kids that I love seeing on a weekly basis. I went to the Boys and Girls club of Midvale to continue with the Dance4Life program again, and I have to brag for a quick moment......

I did not realize how important this program was to these teenage girls. This was the third time I had visited this group and already they knew my name! They seemed comfortable with me, they were excited to be there, and most of all their eyes lit up when I walked in the door - it really touched me. They worry a bit and feel insecure when we are together so I'm working to help them overcome some of the self esteem issues through the Dance4LIFE program. Afterwards, the girls were all so polite in thanking me for coming, and then asking when I was coming back. Some of them even said they would love to continue the program through the summer - which was neat to hear. It just made me realize that serving others with your talents really does have an effect on the lives of those you serve and those around you. Particularly those who really deserve it and often times don't have opportunities to benefit from it. I feel although I don't know these girls very well I have made a special connection with them and hopefully made an imprint on their life as they have mine.

MAY!

Hello Everyone! 

I have been super busy the last couple weeks. It seems as if almost everything is coming to a close for the summer. The studio I teach at is having their end of the year concert, the Jazz season is over, and school has finished. I have been volunteering a lot here in the valley. I had the chance to go to Walmart, who are big donors to the Children's Miracle Network, and I was able to sit at a table and try to get more donations for the drive that they do each year. It was fun to be able to meet different people that walked by, I was able to introduce myself and tell them what CMN is and what I was there doing for them. I talked with some kids as they passed by and it was fun to see how interested they were in what I was doing. I even had one little girl, come back and give a donation. I had some time to read about the history of the hospital while I was there and It was fun to see how long ago the hospital came about and the things that people wanted to do to help the children who were in need at that time. To see how far it has come, the difference that it has made, and all the challenges they have over come is really neat. I am a weekly volunteer up at the hospital and I haven't really had time to sit and think how important the Children's Miracle Network is and how critical the hospital is to our community. It saves more children' s lives day in and day out than we could even think of. I think it is important for us all to realize the needs and care that these children need each day. As hard as things are right now with the economy, jobs and money please donate your time and or a little donation to this organization that truly needs your help. It will make the biggest difference in a child's life! 

More Fun !

Well, this week has been full of lots of fun. I have been super busy with lots of community service and platform implementing. Not only that but being able to relax a little, dance a lot and not worry about school. Yeah! 

I had the chance to go to the Midvale Boys and Girls club this week. I met with the Teen group and they were an awesome group. All of them consisted of girls in Junior high and I always feel that they are the hardest group. Well this time they proved me wrong and they showed me up in their dancing skills. They had a lot of fun doing hip hop and learning to groove. I talked with them about a positive journal writing and gave them little journals to write in. They liked it so much that they asked me to come back again and start to even come on a regular basis to start implementing dance4Life and make it a program at the club. I am really excited about that because I wasn't expecting the turn out to be so good. 

I also had the opportunity to go to Costco and Help to fundraise for Childrens Miracle Network. Since we have our own children's hospital that is based here all the money goes to Primary Children's. It was fun to stand there and meet everyone that walked past. Not only that but most of them donated to the cause and got a sucker out of it. Even in the hardest of times in this economy people are still willing to give. That's what makes this world a better place. So thanks to all of you who donate and contribute to Charity's! Keep it up! 

Dance classes

Today, I was able to implement my platform even farther. I went to the Boys and Girls Club of Murray and did a dance class for the kids there. I was again so impressed that the Boys and Girls Club of America really tries to maintain a good and safe place for the kids. The facility was so nice; it had two different awesome gyms, and three different departments; a teen department, a youth department, and a pre school department. They have one side for walk in kids daily, and the other side is devoted to the school kids from Murray. They serve about 200 kids daily. I was able to work with both boys and girls. I talked to them about the three key factors to achieving your goals and the importance of those factors in our lives to continue on a positive path in life. The girls enjoyed the dancing more than the boys, but the boys were really good at freeze dance, a game I played with them after I taught them a dance. We are working to develop the program further at this club on a continuous basis each week. Additionally, I contacted the Boys and Girls Club of Midvale and will be going there next week to teach dance and introduce them to the Dance4Life program. I cannot believe the response I have recieved from these clubs and these great kids. They seem to really enjoy it and the fact that I am able to volunteer and make their days better by doing what something I love is so wonderful!

I will post more pictures on the next post!

Speaking!

I was able to go to the Christmas Box house again on Friday. But instead of speaking to the youngins, I spoke with a group of teenage girls. At first they thought I was going to move in there with them until I sat down with them and told them what I was there for and what we were going to do with them. I have to say they were some of the sweetest girls I have met. They were so excited to not only learn dance but especially be able to show me thier own dance moves. Prior to teaching them dance I had a chance to sit down and talk with all of the girls. We talked about building self-esteem, what makes them sad or happy, and how they can keep positive feelings in their lives even when times are rough. They were very outgoing and shared alot of their experiences and thoughts. I gave them a "positive notebook" in which they can write in each day, all the positive things about themselves. I also asked them what they wanted to be when they grow up and what it will take to get there.
Three Key Points we discussed:
1. Education
2. Never Give Up!
3. Always Believe !

The girls were able to guess these key points, through a few key hints and after our discussion about what it takes to reach your goals. It was so fun to see how they responded to the Dance4Life program. As you can see it is not only helpful for the primary school age kids but also for our teens as well!

Children's Shelter - great place, great kids!

" Making a positive difference in the lives of children, youth and families."

Today I was able to speak to a youth group at the Christmas Box House in Salt Lake County.

Prior to meeting with the kids I prepared a speech to share with them about self-esteem, believing in yourself, education (staying in school, and the importance of going to school to gain knowledge and skills to become what you want to in life) and to never give up. Along with speaking, I met with the kids and was able to know their names and see a bit of their personalities. The place was very quiet, very clean and well organized. A safe place for kids to go. I taught them two dances and they loved it. I had two little boys who were so in to it, I loved watching them because you dont expect them to want to dance or to necessarily be good at it and they were! I handed out "positive" notebooks in which the children can write in on a daily basis. They are supposed to write positive thoughts and words for them to go back and look at when they are having a bad day. I asked them what they had learned and they said staying in school, never giving up and believing in themselves. They all said that dance made them happy, they felt cool becuase they got to learn something new and they liked it.

While I was there two police officers walked in to visit and I found out that one of them was a ballet dancer - who would have guessed. He knew all the moves we were doing and I asked him how dance made him feel. He said it allowed him to express himself in any way possible.

As you can see Dance has a huge impact on all people. It doesn't have to be just children.

pictures from concert!

2nd annual Dance4Life concert

I wanted to share with you how the Dance4Life concert went last Friday. In a nutshell it was AWESOME! I was very pleased with how many people came particularly due to the Easter weekend and the Kids having Spring Break. Something I hadn't considered when we set the date.

Anywho, I got there early to set up and one of the girls in the Dance4LIFE program was there a half an hour early. She was so excited to perform and she had her Grandpa bring her. She was practicing on the side and waiting for everyone else to show up. I am just amazed at these kids and their talents and abilites in learning through creativity and the arts. I can see how important Dance is and can be in the lives of our community's children!

We had a wonderful and full audience and the Nu Skin Jazz dancers came and performed too! They also signed posters and for the kids and we all had a chance to "jam" together. We were fortunate also to receive donations for the club from some of those in attendance which was very generous and heartwarming! The kids were so happy and so darling as they danced their dances that they have been learning over the past few months. Their expressions and cute personalities most defintely came through on stage.

Prior to the annual concert the kids from the Sandy Club were able to perform at the REAL stadium as well as at the formal fundraiser for the club. The more opportunitites they get the better because this program gives them instills in them the confidence and belief in themselves that they may not get elsewhere. I am so happy and thankful that I am able to help them have those opportunities to learn and grow from. And honestly, what they give back to me is simply irreplaceable! Love these kids!

Sandy Boys & Girls Club Dance4LIFE Concert!

The Sandy Boys & Girls Club will be performing their 2nd Annual Dance4LIFE concert on Friday at 5:30. Arial Larsen, Miss Pioneer Valley 2009, has instituted the Dance4LIFE program for at-risk children and is working to implement it at many Boys & Girls Clubs and other at-risk groups throughout the valley. THIS FRIDAY FROM 5:30 – 6:00 P.M. is their second annual concert and they would be delighted to have a great showing from our community. The event is free and serves 3 key purposes; 1) to raise awareness and funds for the club, 2) provide an opportunity for the kids to share, learn and grow, and 3) show them our love and support! We hope you’ll help us to share this message while enjoying a great dance concert put on by the kids from Sandy’s club.

Many other Boys & Girls clubs throughout Utah and the country NEED OUR SUPPORT! In this tough economic time, clubs are struggling to keep programs moving forward and caring for and providing a place for these children to come. We must keep the community aware of the need for their support and the role the Boys & Girls Club play for many of our children. Please join us this Friday!!