Thanksgiving Day

Today is a day of reflection. A time of the year, where we realize the many individuals we appreciate having in our lives and we decide how we can make a difference for others. Every year I travel to Jupiter and spend Thanksgiving day with my family. This year I had to be in Orlando yesterday and will have to be back tomorrow. Typically, I do not mind traveling the 2 1/2 hour drive, but this year is different.

I am so lucky to have friends and family to visit every holiday...many people do not have that luxury. I decided this Thanksgiving I was going to visit the Salvation Army in Daytona Beach. I was told that there were more volunteers than needed, but that did not steer me away. I knew that what I wanted to do, there are never TOO MANY volunteers. I wanted to sit down with those who were alone on this holiday and treat them like family. So for me a place with too many volunteers was perfect.

Although awkward at first, it became very natural to engage in conversation. The individuals I spoke with had a lot to say just nobody to say it to you. One woman I met started out our conversation saying she needed a hug. My heart melted. I gave her a hug and we continued on until she finished her meal and left. It was like that all morning. I am not sure if I made a difference in their life, but I hope I made their holiday a little brighter, a little more like home.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010

Say THANK YOU to our TROOPS!

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving abroad . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.


Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.


This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's.


Thanks for taking to time to support our military!
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010

Nov 20th-22nd

Sorry to split mid-post, but that was really long and I could have gone on forever!

Continuing on.....

Alyssa, Anthony Shriver, Verne Troyer, and Me :)

Friday November 20th was the highly anticipated Best Buddies Miami Gala on Watson Island in Miami. The mission of the event was to 'Spread the Word to End the Word' by 'raising the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the R word and urging people to resolve to stop using it as an insult, casual or intended'. For those that do not know, the 'R' word is the term 'retard'. I know that many people (including myself) have used the word unintentionally from the time we were young through adulthood. The truth of the matter is, that word is hurtful and dehumanizing and is NOT how you describe someone who has intellectual disabilities.

Friday night, I along with many celebrities filmed PSAs pledging to Spread the Word to End the Word. We signed a huge wall for the pledge and then enjoyed the evening events. The night started off with the largest silent auction I have ever seen followed by an incredible Live auction, dinner and a performance by Chris Brown! Celebrities in attendance included Verne Troyer, Evander Holyfield, Maureen McCormick, Vivica A. Fox, Lisa Rinna, Alonzo Mourning and his wife, Stormi Henley Miss Teen USA and Anthony Shriver who was the host for the evening.

To pledge to Spread the Word to End the Word please visit http://www.specialolympics.org/03-31-09_Spread_the_Word.aspx .

Mark Wylie, Vice President of Talent Relations and friend of the Miss Florida USA family! Thank you Mark for inviting us to the gala, it was an unforgettable evening!

The next morning I made a pit stop at La Casa Hermosa in Wellington to drop off a dress and pick up some new ones for my upcoming appearances. Twenty minutes later, I was on my way to Howey-in-the-Hills for a friends wedding. Yes Howey-in-the-Hills is a city and yes it is a very random name! But there is a resort called the Mission Inn which is a very popular wedding reception location in Central Florida. Emily Kuchar, my sister queen, married her high school sweetheart Zack Greinke after 8 years of dating.

Both individuals are equaling beautiful from the inside out as well as talented. Emily is a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and Miss Daytona Beach USA and Zack just won the American League Cy Young Award for the MLB. I am so happy for both of them as they are two people who are deeply in love! I wish them all the happiness this life has to offer :)

Twenty-four hours later, Florida Hospital was celebrating there 29th Annual Golden Gala. The picture below is actually a piece of chocolate from my dessert...lol YUMMY!

The Golden Gala is one of Central Florida's largest fundraising events. Its reputation of fantastic cuisine, spectacular entertainment and accommodations make it one of the most recognized events of the year. This year's gala took place at Disney's beautiful Coronado Springs Resort, and guests were entertained by Grammy and Academy Award winning artist, Jennifer Hudson.

The best part of the event for me was visiting with old friends. Karen Chana attended the event with me (pictured left). If you have been keeping up with my blog then you know my 'lil sis' Kaitlyn Chana....Karen is her mom and my good friend. Also pictured is Eddie Braga who assisted in organizing the first annual Let Us Entertain You Event with my womens group Femmes de Couer. The picture on the right is my contact and friend Sam O'lenick and her husband Mike. I have known Sam since I participated in the Florida Hospital Cutie Casting Call in 2007 when I was Miss Orlando. All of us spent the evening celebrating A Healthy 100!

Off until Thanksgiving! Visiting the Salvation Army in Daytona Beach to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving Day. Never visited the Salvation Army in Daytona Beach so I am excited to volunteer! Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love Always,

Megan Clementi

Miss Florida USA

I Feel AWESOME!

Let me start off by saying,"I feel AWESOME!

Despite getting a flat tire this morning, I have had a great 24hours. Yesterday morning, I spoke with Suhtling Wong-Vienneau from UCF's College of Engineering and Computer Science. She is writing a print story for the CECS Report and the dean wants it to go out to other institutions. The purpose of the story is to feature me as an alum and talk about my role as an ambassador for women in engineering. I explained to her the details of my new scholarship for young female engineers and how I hope to inspire our youth to dream big. We spoke for nearly an hour. In the end, she wished me luck in finding a sponsor for my scholarship. Little did I know how lucky Suhtling's wish would be.

I had scheduled a phone interview with Harris Corporation about a week earlier. I originally contacted Howard Lance, the CEO of Harris, back in September. Mr Lance was the Keynote Speaker at my graduation as well as a devoted Orlando Magic Fan :) He is very passionate about furthering the education of our youth and said that he would bring up my scholarship to the committee at the end of the month board meeting in October.

Last night I was informed that Harris will fully sponsor my Engineering Scholarship!!!!! This means that 34 young women in the 6th-8th grade levels will receive a $100 cash award and 1 young women in the 6th-8th grade levels will receive a $250 cash award for an outstanding engineering project. The 34 scholarships are for the 34 Florida Science and Engineering Regional Fair winners and the $250 cash award is for the winner at the state level. I was absolutly ecstatic...like jumping up and down trying to contain myself ecstatic when I heard the news!!!! I must admit, I am still really excited :) The first regional takes place in December in Palm Beach County, so it good to know that the scholarship will be available in time for the first fair.

THANK YOU to Harris Corporation

for your oustanding devotion to education and your continued support! I could not have done this with out YOU!

Love Always,

Megan Clementi

Miss Florida USA

Nov 16th-18th This was a fun week!

Good Morning !

This past week was filled with activities; interviews, speaking engagements, galas, meetings and weddings! I traveled from Orlando to Jupiter, Ft Lauderdale to Davie on to Miami up to Howey-in-the-Hills and back down to Disney. I am home in Orlando now and am taking a deep breath while recapping all the fun.

I started my week by visiting an old friend at Boone High School in Orlando. I really should not say 'old' as she is a young lady graduating from high school about to embark on her college years, but I met her my first season dancing for the Orlando Magic. 2004-2005 marked the last year that the Magic had the Jr Magic Dance Team. Since then, marketing created the Magic Minis which are dancers under the age of 12 who are in the company at Starz Dance Studio. Anyway, Brittani was my Jr. Magic Dancer for one of the Magic games that first season. She basically shadowed me for an entire game which allows for a lot of bonding time. I have not seen her since 2005, so it was a real treat to see her 5 years later!

Well, the reason I was visiting her was because she is now in TV production at Boone High School and is interviewing former students and people in the area who are doing amazing things. Her interviews will be compiled, edited, and aired to the students at her school and will be seen online as well. We spent about an hour catching up on old times and filming the actual interview. I am so proud of her and all of her accomplishments! Brittani is a stand-out student and will be a force to be reckoned with in the TV production world! Best of luck in college Brittani!

Tuesday Nov 17th

The next morning was pretty neat. I had my first opportunity to speak to two high school classes at Crooms Academy in Sanford. I attended TEACH IN which is a program in Seminole County where professionals come into the school system to speak to the students about various careers and hobbies. Crooms is a technology school so I felt like I could relate to these kids. I had an entire period (47 minutes) to speak to Mrs Hopkinson's 1st period class (9th grade English I Honors) and then Ms Fox's 2nd period class (11th and 12th grade Physics). I told the kids about my journey living overseas, being an Orlando Magic Dancer, my time in pageantry, and of course receiving my bachelors of science in electrical engineering from UCF. It was interesting to hear the questions after my presentation. They were all across the board. Everything from attending UCF, to living in Japan, and being a female in a male dominated field. I was excited to see that some students stayed after class to ask more questions.

Organizer of TEACH IN , Cathy Alper and Principle Collins

After the presentation, I was escorted by a student to meet Principle Collins who happens to be Florida's Principle of the Year! She is a really neat woman who values her students, staff and faculty. She credited them for her success. But I know first hand that success is all about leadership and Principle Collin is an exemplary leader! Congratulations Principle Collins!

By 10am, I was out the door and on my way to meet Jaime Stuve and Kathleen Glover at the Jupiter Lighthouse Museum in my hometown of Jupiter. We discussed my new project Climb for Cure and scheduled my appearance at their 150th Anniversary Celebration on January 10th of the new year. Kathleen and Jaime were incredibly helpful in putting me in touch with all the Florida Lighthouses as well as some VIPs from the Florida Lighthouse Association. I am so excited about this new adventure and I look forward to promoting the new Florida Lighthouse License Plate. $25.00 from the sale of each tag will be used for the preservation and restoration of the 29 remaining historic lighthouses in our great state. If you are interested in purchasing a tag, please visit http://saveourlights.com/ .

I had about 30 minutes to visit my mom and then back on the road for the Unveiling of the Fazzino commemorative poster for Superbowl XLIV. This Feb 7th, 2010 will be the 10th time the Superbowl has made an appearance in Miami which is the most visited city in the history of the Superbowl. For the last 10 consecutive years Charles Fazzino has done the artwork for the Superbowl and in the last few years he has made his artwork three dimensional.

Tuesday, Charles unveiled his art at Bokamper's in Plantation. Former NFL player and owner of Bokampers, Kim Bokamper, was the host while Miami Dolphins defensive end Randy Starks, president of the host committee Mike Zimmer and chairman of the host committee Rodney Baretto were all in attendance to assist with the presentation. I had the honor of assisting with the unveiling of the first ever officially licensed NFL Superbowl Humidor.

It was an awesome event, I met some incredible people from the the South Florida Community.

Randy Stark, Charles Fazzino, and Rodney Baretto

I ended up arriving in Miami around 9pm after leaving my apartment at 6:20am that morning! WHEW! Long day, but so much fun! I went to bed knowing that I could sleep in on Wednesday and my ONLY obligation would be to shop through the Bejeweled warehouse and pick out all my favorite clothes for a new 'jewelified' wardobe...lol Susan Fixel is the creator of Bejeweled and was one of my judges at the 2010 Miss Florida USA pageant! I cannot say enough about Susan. She is so sweet and is so humble. Thank you Susan for my new Bejeweled Wardrobe! cannot wait to come back for Holiday shopping :)

This post is really lengthy so I will finish up my week tomorrow :)

Until Next Time!

Megan Clementi

Miss Florida USA 2010

Miss Florida USA Update! 4 months down, 5 months to MISS USA!

Hi Friends and Family!!!!!! Happy November 18th, 2009!

Today marks my 4 Month Anniversary since winning the title of Miss Florida USA 2010! Can you believe it??!! The time has been flying by and before you know it, I will be on the Miss USA stage at the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas! WOOHOO!

The past 4 months have been a complete whirlwind! Directly after winning my title, I had my first appearance, contract signing, met my publicist (Kampi), and went on a 10 day media tour around the state. The Orlando Magic was my first stop as they had already lined up a 'Press Day' for several of the local TV stations. From there I was off to Tampa, back to Orlando, back to Tampa, down to Ft Myers, Palm Beach Gardens and finally Miami. By the time I was finished I had been to 18 different appearances, been in several newspapers and was on a plane to the Bahamas to support my lil' sis Kayla Collier at the Miss Teen USA pageant!

When I returned, I had no time to think! It was time to move out of my two bedroom apartment in Orlando. With all the traveling I am doing (16,000 miles since July), I am only in Orlando 2-3 days a week and it seemed a bit ridiculous to have a spacious 2 bedroom apartment for those few days. I played with the idea of completely moving out of Orlando, but when the Orlando Magic offered me the opportunity to emcee the weekday games with Scotty B, I could not refuse! I love my Magic family and I am honored to still be involved with the organization! At this point, I have places to stay in Orlando, Ormond Beach, Tampa, West Palm and Miami. I am so lucky to have friends and family throughout the state who support and encourage me to achieve my dreams!

I must admit, at times I basically live out of my car....you do not want to see what my trunk looks like...lol Just imagine interview suits, casual clothes, cocktail dresses, evening gowns plus random accessories and shoes!!!! What???!!! You never know when the opportunity of a lifetime will present itself :)

I spent most of August finishing my obligations to the Orlando Magic as a Magic Dancer. The Magic has been my life for the past 5 years so I wanted to be able to say THANK YOU up until the day I returned all my costumes! September rolled around, and the appearances really started coming in. I had a lot of business meetings to toss around some ideas and to become more familiar with various organizations. In this time I met with the Florida Engineering Society in Tallahassee. I knew that I wanted to some how relate my title to the world of engineering. I decided that I wanted to inspire young women in the middle school grades who were currently participating in the Regional Florida Science and Engineering Fairs. Middle School seems to be the time when peer pressure steps in and many girls think it is "uncool" to be smart. I want to be proof that you can be the captain of the cheer team, Homecoming Queen, and be intelligent. I have put together a $100 scholarship for one female student at each regional fair for an outstanding engineering project. I hope I can be that extra motivation to keep the next generation of women engineers thriving and reaching new heights! At this time, I am just under the amount needed to provide the plaques and scholarships. The first fair takes place in December and the other 33 are between mid-January and March. I truly believe I can make an impact :)

October was AWESOME!!!!! I had approximately 4-6 appearances a week, my new sister queen Alyssa Rivera was crowned Miss Florida Teen USA 2010, and I celebrated my 26th birthday! Can you believe it??? Strangely, 26 feels so much better than 25! I am not sure why, but I enjoyed celebrated the BIG 2-6....I have done so much in my 26 years, it is ridiculous! I can only imagine what the next 26 years has to offer :)

Now it is November and I feel like I am just getting started. When I started pageantry I knew that I wanted to leave a legacy. As Miss Florida USA, I realize that I represent every man, woman, and child of this state and I want to visit as much of the state as possible. When I was a little girl, one of my fondest memories was climbing the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. I was 4 years old yet I remember the trip up the lighthouse vividly. As Miss Florida USA, I plan to Climb for a Cure all 29 lighthouses in our great state! They span from the Alabama/Florida border down to the Florida Keys. My goal is to stimulate local tourism by bringing locals out to celebrate the maritime heritage of our lighthouses. There is amazing history that accompanies each of our lighthouses and I hope that the citizens of our state can embrace that history. In the process, I plan to raise funds for Susan G Komen, for the research and development of finding a cure. I have learned that 1 out of every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, a startling statistic. Since winning my title, I have several friends/acquaintances who have been diagnosed! The only thing that is comforting is that more and more women are becoming aware of the warning signs and are receiving early detections.

I hope the next Miss Florida USA will take this as an opportunity to travel the state and Climb for HER Cause, whatever it may be!

My first climb will be the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse on January 10th, 2010. They are celebrating their historic 150th anniversary of being lit and have been recognized as an Outstanding National Monument ( the only Outstanding National Monument east of the Mississippi!) January 10th, will be a day of celebration and I am excited to go to my hometown to share in this experience!

Wow! That was way longer than I expected this email to be so I will end my update here :) If you want to stay up-to-date with what I am doing thoughout Florida feel free to visit my blog at http://missfloridausa2010.blogspot.com/ I am still in the works of updating the site. I started it in September so that month and prior is missing a lot of events. If things ever slow down, I will fill in the blanks...lol

Also, if you are interested in sponsorship opportunities or donating to either my Female Scholarship or Climb for the Cure please feel free to contact me ! Thank you everybody !

Please stay tuned as 5 months from TODAY will be the highly anticipated Miss USA 2010 pageant airing LIVE from the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas!

Thanks again!
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010

Wednesdays Nov 18th SunSentinel.com Article

"For more Sun-Sentinel sports business coverage, click here.
Cigars for Super Bowl XLIV
Posted by Sarah Talalay on November 18, 2009 09:49 PM

With just 81 days until Super Bowl XLIV, the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee’s been pretty busy: volunteer recruitment rallies, meetings to discuss the game’s economic impact on Palm Beach County, the unveiling of the official humidor …

Yes, the Super Bowl has its own officially licensed humidor. Who knew? The Host Committee held an unveiling ceremony Tuesday at Bokampers in Plantation for both the commemorative poster (see below) for next year’s game by 3-D Pop Artist and 10-year veteran Super Bowl artist Charles Fazzino and the humidor (at left). Fazzino’s Super Bowl artwork, which is a colorful and playful illustration of Dolphin Stadium complete with sign-waving fans, also graces the inside of the limited edition humidor.

According to James Colucci, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Altadis U.S.A., which is manufacturing and selling the humidors, it’s the first Super Bowl humidor. There are 500 of these special humidors featuring Fazzino’s artwork. They’re already for sale across the country for about $750 each, Colucci said.

On hand, along with Fazzino, were Miami Dolphins defensive end Randy Starks, Miss Florida USA 2010 Megan Clementi, Mike Zimmer, president of the host committee and Rodney Baretto, chairman of the host committee."

Nov 12-14 Rise and Shine

Thursday morning Nov 12th was an early one as the annual Promise to Protect Breakfast for Kids House of Seminole started at 7:30am in Altamonte Springs. I attended with no Miss Florida USA obligations, just as a guest in support of the cause. I have known about Kids House since the summer of 2007 when I put together Walk For Dignity. My walk-a-thon raised nearly $7000 for Dignity U Wear which provides brand new clothing to charities all over the country (although the funds raised from my event went specifically to Central Florida Charities). Kids House was one of the recipients.

Since then, I have had a soft spot in my heart for this organization. Their mission is "to aid children by providing all necessary services for children who are victims of abuse from report and investigation through treatment and prosecution in a friendly, non-threatening environment". Last year, nearly 400 people attended to learn more about their services and programs, ultimately pledging their support and raising $300,000. I am not sure how many people attended this year, but it was sold out and I am sure the result was the same or better! To learn more about Kids House of Seminole visit http://www.kidshouse.org/

Nov 13th

Yikes! Friday the 13th! Sounds scary, but it was the perfect day to celebrate the accomplishments of several of the Special Olympics Athletes from Miami-Dade County! The 2nd Annual Fall Fashion Event kicked off with a silent auction followed by a fashion show presented by Saks Fifth Avenue and lunch at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. We were so fortunate to have several special guests including three-time Olympian Gary Hall Jr

and the South Florida Firefighter 2010 Calendar Models.
The fashion was so much fun. All the girls had 5 outfits to model starting from casual/business to evening gowns for the last walk. Jimmy Choos were the shoes seen through out which I am shocked at how comfortable they are! And the male models were just cute as can be. They walked out as a group and received more applause then all us girls combined :)

At the end of the program, we honored several Special Olympics Athletes. These kids were so excited and proud to be apart of the festivities. They had quite the sense of humor too! I was giving out autographs to the kids and one little boy looked at me and said, "Well don't you want mine?!" I told him of course! He preceded to write me a long message telling me how great I did and that I was hot ! He was too cute....definitely someone I will remember! I left the event knowing that meeting those kids had impacted my life and being excited about my upcoming appearance at the Best Buddies Miami Gala on Nov 20th!

Nov 14th
The owner of my parade car, Patrick and I at the UCF Homecoming Parade

Following the appearance, I made the drive back to Orlando as it was Homecoming Week at UCF. Festivities had been happening all week, in preparation for the big game against Houston! I was honored to be ask to be in the parade as a former Miss UCF, reigning Miss Florida USA and as a UCF Alumni! The parade was full of royalty as the reigning Miss Florida and Miss Florida USA are UCF Alumni. Plus Mr and Miss UCF, Miss UCF's Sunshine Princess and the Homecoming Court were all in attendance! It was so much fun to interact with everything there. I made sure to arrive early so that I could visit all the floats. President and Mrs. Hitt were in the front and the Engineering Department was in the back....therefore I had to visit everyone in between...lol


The highlight of the morning was the battle between Miss Florida and Miss Florida USA. It was an ugly fight......both girls beautiful, athletic, intelligent, and nice!

In the end, it was a tie! Miss Florida and Miss Florida USA are FRIENDS!!!!! YAY!

Ok, ok maybe that first picture was staged, but it is pretty funny that people think that every Miss Florida and Miss Florida USA dislike one another just because we are both state (pageant) ambassadors. Let this be proof that we are bigger than the fictional pageant war and that we are normal girls :)

UCFTV taped entire the parade! The following video is 29 minutes in length and covers the entire parade. Kaitlyn Chana is the interviewer on the parade route in which you will see me telling my dad to wave to her and then I blow her a kiss. In looks like I am pointing to the camara, but it is my little Kaitlyn :) If you just want to see Miss UCF. Miss Florida Ameica and myself then start at 8:25.

Congratulations to UCF for their win against Houston! WOOHOO! Thank you to the UCF Alumni Association for sponsoring my Car Magnets. I am proud to be a knight and very appreciative of the support I have received from the UCF Alumni Association. Big thank you to Michael Gruttadauria for my awesome UCF ArMagnet. Everybody loved it!

GO KNIGHTS!!!!!!

Love Always,
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010

P.S. I should mention a big congratualtions to my friends Erin (pictured left)and Deanna (pictured right) who are both having baby boys! I attended both baby showers after the Homecoming parade and Iam so excited for both of them!

Femmes de Coeur

I am excited to report that the professional women's group that I am an active member of has raised over $55,000 this past year! Femmes de (Women of Heart) is an Orlando based, not-for-profit volunteer organization comprised of a unique group of community women volunteering time and sharing a common goal to serve the needs of the community. Our uniqueness is reflected in the fact that we partner with existing organizations to accomplish our mission. The sharing of resources allows Femmes de Coeur to provide help to a larger community audience. All projects are funded through fund raising activities.

We have divided the funds in the following manor. Congratulations to all the Recipients!

Kids House of Seminole $4,500
Health Care for the Homeless $12,000
Florida Hospital $10,550
Seminole State College $10,550
Valencia Community College $10,550
UCF College of Nursing $10,550

God Bless America!

Happy 234th Birthday to the United States Marine Corps

I had the pleasure of thanking some of Central Florida's veterans today at the Orlando Vet Center Kickoff to Veteran's Day! The event served several purposes; 1) an open house as they have moved to a larger location 2) Birthday Party to celebrate the 234th birthday of United States Marine Corps {as you can see by the beautiful cake above} and 3) Start Veteran's Day off the right way with good food and good people!

my contact:Rafiq

I had the opportunity to personally thank many soldiers who had served in the Marines and Army during the Korean War, Vietnam, War of Afghanistan, and the Iraq War. One veteran I met looked a few years younger than myself and just received a letter in the mail to serve for the third time in Afghanistan. Although he hopes to finish out his semester at Valencia Community College, he understands that his job to serve our country comes first. I could see the sincerity in his eyes as he spoke! I was blown away.

Cake Cutting Picture.YES, I actually held that gigantic sword and cut the cake...lol. It worked really well :) The ceremony involved the oldest Marine present taking a bite of the first slice of cake and then passing that piece of cake on to the youngest Marine present. It signified the passing of the torch. I had no clue that this would be happening while I was there, so it was neat surprise!

Before I knew it, I was speaking to 3 people and the place was empty! The Vet Center was about to start their Brotherhood meeting so it was time to leave. I left feeling better than I have felt in a while. To hear their stories of bravery, watch the USMC cake cutting ceremony and to see the smiles on their faces, I felt a new found patriotism in my heart.

For the men and women who are leaving to fight for our country-
God Bless, the country looks forward to your return!

For the men and women who have fought for our country-
Thank you for sacrificing your life to protect ours. I appreciate each and everyone of you!

Love Always,
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010

Weekend Recap! (Nov 6-8)

Well, this was the weekend of non-stop events! I am wiped out...lol. Today I logged on to my blog and realized everything I attended...wow, I did a lot of driving this weekend! From Orlando to Ft Lauderdale, home to Jupiter then off to West Palm over to Indiantown back to West Palm and now back in Orlando all in 72 hours...my poor car...lol

It was all worth it!

After the Chez Couture event I was off to experience the Miami night life at the Annual Winterfest White Party! This year, it took place at the top of the W Hotel. It was so windy, I thought we (Alyssa, the Gravitt family and myself) were going to blow away!


Despite the wind I had a blast as it was the first event I have ever been to where I was on the roof of a building! It was so awesome to see everyone dressed in white from head to toe and there was entertainment throughtout the evening. More pics to come!

The next morning I joined Caroline Schumacker at the Gear Up For The Kids Charity Car Show benefitting Give Kids The World. As you can see, the wind followed me from Ft Lauderdale to West Palm...lol!

Unfortunately, I was only able to stay for an hour as a good friend was getting married that day! So from the Signature Hanger I met my friends at PGA Nationals and took a shuttle over to the wedding in Indiantown. I failed to take any pictures during the wedding as i was so wrapped up in the ceremony!

Mr and Mrs Bryan Bobo~ Congratulations on starting your lives together! Everyone agrees that the two of you are perfect for one another and have a long life of happiness to look forward to. The wedding was 'so YOU' as it was laidback, gorgeous, and all about family and friends! Have fun on your honeymoon...enjoy your time together :)

I am planning to get all of the pics from my friends :)

The next morning the wedding party enjoyed Sunday football, but I was off to West Palm to thank our veterans in the 2nd Annual West Palm Veteran's Day Parade. I was placed with the Korean War Veterans and they could not have been any sweeter! Bob, Bob, Herb, Herb, Stanley, and Joe were so proud to represent the Korean War Veterans Association and I was honored to be with them. Many of the KWV had served over 25 years in our military!

Apparently I was a surprise! When I first arrived I told the KWV that I was riding along with them and I thought they were going to fall over. This appearance was arranged by Pat Reilly who himself is a Veteran and the Deputy Sheriff in Palm Beach County. I have known Pat since I was in middle school. I taught his daughter dance at Jupiter Dance Academy and have kept in touch with his wife, Kelly, and daughter, Shannon, ever since.

Thank you to the men and women who fought to keep our country safe and protect our freedom throughout the years! This parade was in your honor as you are all heroes! Your dedication has not gone unnoticed! Thank you!

Love Always,
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010

My Little Sister Kaitlyn Chana, TorchBearer for the 2010 Olympics!

UCF Student a 2010 Vancouver Olympic Torchbearer
Posted by UCF Staff on Friday, November 6, 2009 - 1 Comment

What does Kaitlyn Chana from Longwood have in common with the president of a national health organization from Massachusetts, an Olympic gold medalist and a teenage volunteer from California? They, along with 17 others, have been honored by Coca-Cola North America as torchbearers for the upcoming Olympic Torch Relay leading up to the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.

Kaitlyn was nominated by her peers and selected by Coca-Cola as an ambassador of positive living through the extraordinary efforts she has made here in Longwood and other communities.

Kaitlyn founded and acts as president of Love Letters: Random Cards of Kindness Inc., a national organization that creates positive and inspirational homemade cards for children with life-threatening illnesses. Her work has made a difference in over 40,000 children’s lives.

As an official torchbearer, Kaitlyn is one of 20 chosen to carry the torch as it passes through Calgary, Canada, on January 18-19, 2010 en route to Vancouver. In just a few months, the torch will visit over 1,000 communities and places of interest as 12,000 torchbearers carry it on its 27,000 mile (45,000 kilometers) journey.

Kaitlyn~

Words cannot describe how proud I am of YOU! You are one in a million!

Love you sis
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010

Chez Couture

Good Afternnon!

On Sept 30th, you may remember that I attended the Florida Hospital Kick-Off to Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Winter Park. I ended up staying past my appearance time and met a wonderful woman named Heidi Stone. I was

introduced to her by my contact Sam O'lenick and from there things took off. It turned out that Heidi was involved with the Foundation For Foster Children located in Edgewater. I explained to her that I did not know much about the foster care system, but that I was wanting to learn more being that my platform is Children Causes. At that moment, she invited me to participate in the runway show for the 2nd Annual Chez Couture event.

Well that event was this morning! I woke up bright and early to be at the Renaissance at Lake Ivanhoe by 7:45am to meet with the people of Aveda (pictured below) who were doing the models hair and makeup.

I was so fortunate to be dressed by Tuni in Winter Park. I was able to model 2 designs on the runway and one design while mingling during the event. All three dresses were GORGEOUS! I wish I could have taken them all home! The purple dress above was stunning and the sequin cocktail below are my school's colors (UCF). In the picture with me is Jess from Tuni.

From there I met my modeling partner! I was matched up with the most handsome,sweetest young man named Jonathon. He is a 13 year old 7th grader at Conway Middle School, but if you were to meet him you would assume he was at least 16. Jonathon has been in the foster care system for a while now and he is a shining example of what happens when a community embraces the children in the foster care system. The people who know him best describe him as shy, intelligent, and a hard worker. He is on the Honor Roll and participates in leadership activities. Once he opens up, you will find him to be very witty as I witnessed throughout the morning. He dreams of being an author of mystery/science fiction novels.

Jonathon was not the only foster child in attendance. In fact, everyone excluding myself who participated in the show was either a foster child or foster parent. I had the honor of listening to their bios and hearing their amazing stories. These children/families have touched my heart and I will always remember them.

After the event, it was time to eat :) I was able to mingle with those who watched the show as well as check out the artwork that was on display. The foster children had previously participated in an art project where they made self portraits. There assignment was to use color to reflect the idea of 'control versus freedom' in their life. As you can see, these kids are incredibly talented and wise beyond their years. The first picture was created by William.

William's Story

The next Self Portrait was created by Dominic.

Dominic's Story

Today was an eye-opening appearance for me. I have a deep respect for the foster care system and I admire those who are able to accept a perfect stranger into their family as one of their own. To give that child the love, care, shelter, and acceptance needed to perservere through their obstacles and suceed in life. To learn more, visit http://www.foundationforfosterchildren.org/

Love Always,
Megan Clementi
Miss Florida USA 2010

P.S. As I was exiting the event today, my dad and I could not figure out what all the commotion was outside. Ivanhoe was shut down to I-4 so we had to take back roads home. As I was writing you, my boyfriend called from Miami to ask if I was alright. Apparently while this selfless foundation was doing wonders for our community, a gunman barged into an office building and shot 6 people (one died, a 26 year old male from West Palm Beach). This incident happens mear blocks from where I was today. As of now, I do not know anyone involved but please keep the families of the victims in your thoughts. If you are interested in learning more, tune into Fox News or CNN. So sad :(