Don't miss watching the 2010 Miss Florida Teen USA Pageant from Bailey Auditorium in Hollywood, Florida! Hosted by Luis Aguirre and myself :)
MIAMI/FT LAUDERDALE, WSVN-FOX
Channel 7
January 9, 2010 4-5PM
NAPLES/FT MEYERS, WXCW
Channel 46
January 1st, 2010 12 noon
TAMPA/ST PETE/CLEARWATER, WTOG CW44
TBD
ORLANDO/DAYTONA BEACH, WRDQ-IND
Channel 27
January 3, 2010 4-5PM
TALLAHASSEE, WTLH FOX 49
TBD
PANAMA CITY, WJHG-TV My3
January 17, 2010 Noon-1PM CST
PENSACOLA/MOBILE, WEAR-ABC
January 10, 2010 3PM CST
GAINESVILLE, WMYG MY11
January 10, 2010 9-10PM
JACKSONVILLE, WXCW CH17
TBD
WEST PALM BEACH / STUART / FT PIERCE, WTVX-TV
CW 34
Dec. 26, 2009 1PM
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Miss Florida USA lends pageantry to shelter giveaway
Front Page of the Daytona New Journal
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD03122409.htm
By DEBORAH CIRCELLI
Staff writer
DAYTONA BEACH -- Barely able to make her way up the sidewalk into the entrance of the STAR Family shelter, Miss Florida USA was surrounded by elementary school girls touching her beaded white and black bracelet and long necklace.
Once inside the homeless shelter off North and Segrave streets, Megan Clementi slipped on her sash and crown and was ready to hand out presents to close to 50 children.
Clementi, 26, a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida, joined Daytona Beach Fire Department officials and volunteers from God's Willing Workers as children filled a room in the shelter, each picking out a couple of toys and a stuffed animal.
"It's so much fun. I feel like Santa Claus," said Clementi, after picking out a doll for Jasmine Coleman, 2.
Lisa Marie Kieffer said the toys made her two children's Christmas come true. Her 11-year old daughter, Lily Gutman, spent a lot of time in the room trying to pick out the right two toys. She finally settled on a doll and a small stuffed animal dog. They've lived at the shelter for two months after coming here from Sarasota. Kieffer is planning to start classes at a truck driving school in February.
"God bless everybody who came here and donated," Kieffer said. "It's good for the children to feel that people care."
Toys were donated from many sources, including "Our" Children First and the Fire Department, which stepped up and got extra toys from Port Orange Fire Rescue and the Daytona Beach Police Department.
Event organizer Verlinda Johnson, 61, founder and director of God's Willing Workers, who gave out toys last year at the shelter, was thrilled that other organizations helped, as well as some area stores.
"My Christmas is to put a smile on the face of a child, especially those who are homeless," Johnson said. "I want them to see real love today."
Clementi was named Miss Florida USA 2010 in July and will compete in Miss USA in April. She said her platform is centered around children. The Orlando resident heard about the homeless shelter from a friend in the area and wanted to "give some amazing kids some presents."
She also volunteered to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving Day with the Salvation Army in Daytona Beach. She hopes to raise awareness for philanthropic organizations and encourage volunteerism.
The former Orlando Magic dancer of five years and captain for three is still involved in helping to emcee the home games. After being at the shelter, she was headed to the game Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets.
The children also met Tia McDonald, 16, of Edgewater, who has won numerous titles including Miss Florida Junior National Teenager and Miss Space Coast Teen USA. McDonald went to the shelter last year to give the children toys and organized an Easter Egg hunt.
McDonald said she's been through hard times, losing her house to a fire when she was little and being raised by a single mom, and she thinks "it's important to help those in need."
Some of the girls were fascinated by their crowns and said they can dance and sing and want to be in a pageant one day.
"I love watching pageants," said Jelea Singleton, 11, who recently organized a talent show at the shelter. "I want to be in one -- any one that I can win at."
deborah.circelli@news-jrnl.com
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD03122409.htm
By DEBORAH CIRCELLI
Staff writer
DAYTONA BEACH -- Barely able to make her way up the sidewalk into the entrance of the STAR Family shelter, Miss Florida USA was surrounded by elementary school girls touching her beaded white and black bracelet and long necklace.
Once inside the homeless shelter off North and Segrave streets, Megan Clementi slipped on her sash and crown and was ready to hand out presents to close to 50 children.
Clementi, 26, a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida, joined Daytona Beach Fire Department officials and volunteers from God's Willing Workers as children filled a room in the shelter, each picking out a couple of toys and a stuffed animal.
"It's so much fun. I feel like Santa Claus," said Clementi, after picking out a doll for Jasmine Coleman, 2.
Lisa Marie Kieffer said the toys made her two children's Christmas come true. Her 11-year old daughter, Lily Gutman, spent a lot of time in the room trying to pick out the right two toys. She finally settled on a doll and a small stuffed animal dog. They've lived at the shelter for two months after coming here from Sarasota. Kieffer is planning to start classes at a truck driving school in February.
"God bless everybody who came here and donated," Kieffer said. "It's good for the children to feel that people care."
Toys were donated from many sources, including "Our" Children First and the Fire Department, which stepped up and got extra toys from Port Orange Fire Rescue and the Daytona Beach Police Department.
Event organizer Verlinda Johnson, 61, founder and director of God's Willing Workers, who gave out toys last year at the shelter, was thrilled that other organizations helped, as well as some area stores.
"My Christmas is to put a smile on the face of a child, especially those who are homeless," Johnson said. "I want them to see real love today."
Clementi was named Miss Florida USA 2010 in July and will compete in Miss USA in April. She said her platform is centered around children. The Orlando resident heard about the homeless shelter from a friend in the area and wanted to "give some amazing kids some presents."
She also volunteered to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving Day with the Salvation Army in Daytona Beach. She hopes to raise awareness for philanthropic organizations and encourage volunteerism.
The former Orlando Magic dancer of five years and captain for three is still involved in helping to emcee the home games. After being at the shelter, she was headed to the game Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets.
The children also met Tia McDonald, 16, of Edgewater, who has won numerous titles including Miss Florida Junior National Teenager and Miss Space Coast Teen USA. McDonald went to the shelter last year to give the children toys and organized an Easter Egg hunt.
McDonald said she's been through hard times, losing her house to a fire when she was little and being raised by a single mom, and she thinks "it's important to help those in need."
Some of the girls were fascinated by their crowns and said they can dance and sing and want to be in a pageant one day.
"I love watching pageants," said Jelea Singleton, 11, who recently organized a talent show at the shelter. "I want to be in one -- any one that I can win at."
deborah.circelli@news-jrnl.com
Monday, December 14, 2009
I'm Home :)
After 10 days of non-stop traveling in South Florida, I am finally back in Orlando. I came home just in time to emcee the Magic vs Pacers home game. GO MAGIC!
Here is a recap of what I had going on down south:
Last I wrote, the Annual Daytona Christmas Parade was rained out. I was hoping for better weather and I sort of got my wish. I drove down to Davie with my dad and we fought the rain the entire ride. By the time we reached Davie, it was only drizzling. I am happy to say that the 10th Annual Holly Day Parade did NOT get rained out as it was a 'Rain or Shine' parade. I was told no matter what....the parade shall go on! And it did!
As you can see from the pic below, I rode on the back of a convertible, umbrella and all...lol The driver had her own personal umbrella as did my dad in the passenger seat. It was the funniest thing to see all these umbrellas and a convertible with the top down! Luckily, the rain did not pick up and the car was not ruined (although it was slightly flooded!)My driver, Michelle was so sweet and her kids were the cutest elves I had ever seen.
As soon as my car finished the parade, it started to pour! Like I said, I sort of got my wish :) I made it through the parade without rain, but the rest of the floats were not so lucky. I ran to my car, hopped in, said goodbye to dad, and started my trip to Miami. I scooped up Dave in Miami and then we were off to Marathon. Habitat of Humanity of the Middle Keys's Christmas Gala was one of the first appearances Mary Lou booked back in July. I had been looking forward to this trip especially since it was Dave's 27th birthday :)
We arrived around 5:30pm giving us about an hour to get ready for the gala. The event was taking place only a few miles away at D'Asign Source. My contact arranged for us as well as the key note speaker, Max Mayfield (WPLG-TV Hurricane Specialist and former Director of the National Hurricane Center), and his wife to be picked up and driven to the gala. After all the rain and 6 hours of driving, it was really nice to sit back and relax.
The event was down-to-earth glamour. I just made-up that term so now I must explain. Everyone was dressed up in formal attire, but the attitude was like the old TV show CHEERS....where everybody knows your name. Each person we met knew the person we were just speaking with. It was like a family affair. The gala was approximately 3 1/2 hours, but it felt like 30 minutes because conversation just kept flowing. The best part of the evening was when the President of Habitat for Humanity of the Middle Keys, Bruce Ferraro, surprised TWO families with keys to their new homes! Both families thought their homes would be done in 2010, and were shocked to discover that they were finished early!!! There were tears of joy....their Christmas wishes had come true!
When the shindig ended, it was back to the resort. It has become a 3 year tradtion that on Dave's birthday I make him an elaborate cake. The first year I made the FSU Stadium, last year I made a 3D basketball, and this year.....are you kidding me! There is no time for elaborate cake making when you are Miss Florida USA...lol I did my best and baked a huge cupcake. It was the only thing I could do where I could throw it in the trunk and it would not be effected by luggage being tossed around or long distance driving. Anyway, it was yummy and he loved it :)
Happy 27th Birthday Dave!
The resort
was amazing and the weather was finally PERFECT. I wish we could have stayed longer, but we were back on the road at 11am for South Miami's Santa's Parade of 
the Elves. That was a fun parade as I had the privilege of riding with former Mayor and current State Representative Julio Robaina. We led the parade through South Miami throwing out a ridiculous amount of candy! It could not have been a more beautiful day. Also in attendance were several Florida USA local titleholders and my sister queen Alyssa Rivera, Miss Florida Teen USA.
Here is a recap of what I had going on down south:
Last I wrote, the Annual Daytona Christmas Parade was rained out. I was hoping for better weather and I sort of got my wish. I drove down to Davie with my dad and we fought the rain the entire ride. By the time we reached Davie, it was only drizzling. I am happy to say that the 10th Annual Holly Day Parade did NOT get rained out as it was a 'Rain or Shine' parade. I was told no matter what....the parade shall go on! And it did!
As you can see from the pic below, I rode on the back of a convertible, umbrella and all...lol The driver had her own personal umbrella as did my dad in the passenger seat. It was the funniest thing to see all these umbrellas and a convertible with the top down! Luckily, the rain did not pick up and the car was not ruined (although it was slightly flooded!)My driver, Michelle was so sweet and her kids were the cutest elves I had ever seen.
As soon as my car finished the parade, it started to pour! Like I said, I sort of got my wish :) I made it through the parade without rain, but the rest of the floats were not so lucky. I ran to my car, hopped in, said goodbye to dad, and started my trip to Miami. I scooped up Dave in Miami and then we were off to Marathon. Habitat of Humanity of the Middle Keys's Christmas Gala was one of the first appearances Mary Lou booked back in July. I had been looking forward to this trip especially since it was Dave's 27th birthday :)
We arrived around 5:30pm giving us about an hour to get ready for the gala. The event was taking place only a few miles away at D'Asign Source. My contact arranged for us as well as the key note speaker, Max Mayfield (WPLG-TV Hurricane Specialist and former Director of the National Hurricane Center), and his wife to be picked up and driven to the gala. After all the rain and 6 hours of driving, it was really nice to sit back and relax.
The event was down-to-earth glamour. I just made-up that term so now I must explain. Everyone was dressed up in formal attire, but the attitude was like the old TV show CHEERS....where everybody knows your name. Each person we met knew the person we were just speaking with. It was like a family affair. The gala was approximately 3 1/2 hours, but it felt like 30 minutes because conversation just kept flowing. The best part of the evening was when the President of Habitat for Humanity of the Middle Keys, Bruce Ferraro, surprised TWO families with keys to their new homes! Both families thought their homes would be done in 2010, and were shocked to discover that they were finished early!!! There were tears of joy....their Christmas wishes had come true!
When the shindig ended, it was back to the resort. It has become a 3 year tradtion that on Dave's birthday I make him an elaborate cake. The first year I made the FSU Stadium, last year I made a 3D basketball, and this year.....are you kidding me! There is no time for elaborate cake making when you are Miss Florida USA...lol I did my best and baked a huge cupcake. It was the only thing I could do where I could throw it in the trunk and it would not be effected by luggage being tossed around or long distance driving. Anyway, it was yummy and he loved it :)
Happy 27th Birthday Dave!
The resort
was amazing and the weather was finally PERFECT. I wish we could have stayed longer, but we were back on the road at 11am for South Miami's Santa's Parade of 
the Elves. That was a fun parade as I had the privilege of riding with former Mayor and current State Representative Julio Robaina. We led the parade through South Miami throwing out a ridiculous amount of candy! It could not have been a more beautiful day. Also in attendance were several Florida USA local titleholders and my sister queen Alyssa Rivera, Miss Florida Teen USA.MORE TO COME!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Anti-Defamation League's " Aventura Community of Respect Awards Luncheon"
December 8th...wow I cannot believe we are almost half way through December! This is crazy! I wish time would slow down, just a little not a lot. I just need to catch up with everything and some extra time would definitely help my cause...lol
Anyway, back to the reason why you are reading this. Today, I assisted Aventura Commissioner Billy Joel (No not the singer, this guy is way cooler!) during the opening address for the Anti-Defamation League's "Aventura Community of Respect Awards Luncheon". Commissioner Joel, or Billy as he asked me to call him, was such a neat guy. He was down-to-earth and very family oriented, I can see why his community speaks so highly of him! His wife was a riot. She had the funniest stories about fashion. It seems that she is always in the right place at the right time. I commented on how cute her shoes were and she had a story for me. Apparently the shoes were by an Italian designer and she had fallen in love with them! You know us girls have a tendency to do that with shoes:) So she went to Italy to find them. Well, her size was no where to been found. She came back to the States upset that she could not find the shoes in Italy or neighboring countries. Then one day she found herself staring at them in an outlet mall for 50% off in her size!!!! It was fate! Obviously, she bought them and lived happily ever after...lol She is too cute!
The welcome address went great and the luncheon was out exactly on time which always makes people happy. The focus of the event was to recognize three individuals in the Aventura Community who really went above and beyond to make a difference. The ADL recognized Rubin Salant, a retired real estate developer, with its Torch of Liberty award for his support, through both his time and donations, of charities and events that promote ADL's mission. The ADL also recognized Heather Rohan, CEO of the Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, with the Community of Respect Award, and Thomas R. Oliveri, senior vice president of Northern Trust, with the Community Service Award. Joel said he thought the ADL is more important now than ever. ``Increased terrorism, bigotry, hatred, bias, prejudice, and acts of anti-Semitism have all created a new crisis for us,'' he said. ``The ADL is our bulwark, our strength to protect us against such vicious acts.''
The luncheon was extremely powerful and dug deep into the wounds of so many who have been hurt by anti-semetic deeds. Although I have never participated in any unacceptable behaviors spoken about today, I have developed a new found understanding of what so many people went through over the decades and even now. The ADL is still alive because anti-semitism is NOT dead! Only we as individuals can make a difference. For more information on the ADL of Aventura visit http://regions.adl.org/florida/
Until Next Time!
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010
Friday, December 4, 2009
Hello Holiday Spirit!!!!
Happy December Everyone :)
Can you believe how quickly 2009 has gone by? Just crazy! This month has already been pretty awesome even though I am only 4 days in. On December 1st I had the entire day to myself!!!!! That NEVER happens! I spent the day in Miami washing clothes, doing dishes, attempting to catch up on emails and of course planning Climb For the Cure. I heard back from many of the lighthouse caretakers and scheduled 5 dates to climb. As of now, Jupiter Inlet is Jan 10, Cedar Key is February 19th, St Augustine is March 20th, and all 4 Forgotten Lighthouses (Crooked River, St Mark's, St. George, and Cape San Blas) plus Pensacola will be climbed on Florida Lighthouse Day (weekend) in April! I am so excited to see this idea become a reality. I hope all of you will be able to find at least one lighthouse near you that you can climb with me :)
Wednesday morning, I made the long drive back to Orlando. I made a pit stop in Delray Beach to visit Natalie Dyson at Paradise Salon. She is the stylist who has made my hair look so fabulous :) From there it was straight to Orlando for the Orlando Magic vs New York Knicks game. I am not sure if I have mentioned this, but shortly after I won my title, the Magic asked me to sign on as the weekday female emcee. Scotty B usually works the game with me, but that night I was on my own. There was a lot to do, but it was so much fun. This new job has really pushed me out of my comfort zone (being a dancer is much different than being an emcee) and I am finally to the point where I feel like I belong :) BTW...the Magic won :)
The next day it was all about Miss USA. I spent the day in Ormond Beach with Kim Antos and Arnold Kolozsvari from Exquisite Coaching. Arnold and I workout in the morning while I spent the afternoon with Kim going over many things. I try to make it out to Ormond once a week, but that is not always possible. Every time I leave Kim and Arnold, I feel so much more confident and prepared for the future. They are a great team :)
And that bring us to today...it is Friday December 4th and I believe it is the first day that I have experienced chilly weather this holiday season. I am wearing pants and a long-sleeved shirt and I am freezing! There seems to be a cold-front moving through Central Florida. It is currently 57 degrees outside and it is raining, the low will be 54. As nice as it is to have cool weather, I am sad to say that the rain has washed out my evening appearance.
Tonight was the annual Daytona Beach Holiday Parade. I have participated in this parade the last two years and it was the first appearance I booked after winning my title in July. They have rescheduled for December 12th, but I have previous commitments and therefore cannot not participate. I know the parade will be a great success, I just wish I could have been a part of it.
I am crossing my fingers that this yucky weather (which is heading South) moves quickly. I have the Forest Ridge Holly Day Parade in Davie tomorrow and the annual Santa's Parade of Elves in South Miami on Sunday. Both of these parades will have current USA titleholders participating. South Miami will be especially fun as that was the city I was representing when I won Miss Florida USA 2010. I have always loved parades so I am wishing for the rain to go away!
That is all for now, I will update you again next week :)
Love Always,
Megan
Clementi
Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Featured in Silke Endress Winter edition
After participating in the 1st Annual Pink Tealies Event back in September, the CEO of Silke Endress magazine, CeCe Cole, asked to feature myself and several of our Florida USA titleholders in their 'Success by Design' Winter Edition of her magazine. "Silke Endress, Lifestyle of The Lady CEO, International Professional Women's Magazine, where WOMEN are celebrated. Our Motto: "Everybody Has A Story...What's Your Story of Glory?". Silke Endress celebrates the success of women, we embrace their courage, the tears of their strength, the fears of hope, their childhood aspirations, their influences of yesterday, inspirations of today, and most importantly, the audacity of their will and tenacity to finish the job! Silke Endress, Lifestyle of the Lady CEO is published six times a year. "Everybody Has A Story...What's Your Story of Glory?"."
If you click on the link below you can view the magazine through the website. Shout out to Britteny Castles for being chosen to me in the feature :)
http://www.silkeendress.com/successbydesignmissfloridameganclementi.html
Love Always,
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010
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