Cailee Calabrese is the National American Miss North Carolina Princess Queen. As you can see above she is one busy kid. Her activities this year have taken her from the national pageant in Disneyland to national talent competitions, and most of all her community service project of collecting DVD for soldiers.
She has spent the last ten months collecting DVDs for our troops serving overseas. Cailee will tell you that the reason she collected them is because “they protect us and she wanted to give a gift back for protecting us.” She collected $3,000 worth of DVDs and delivered them to “Give to the Troops” organization on November 14, 2009. Cailee is now a permanent volunteer and will receive a special volunteer award signed by the President of the United States at the end of the year for her contribution. It was very touching to see so many people volunteering their time to pack Christmas stockings and the essentials such as food, toiletries, and children including Cailee making cards to thank them and wishing them a wonderful holiday.
One of the most touching encounters of the day was to see the wall with all the stars that signified those who lost their lives. The dark wall was for the troops serving in Iraq and the blue wall was for the soldiers who lost their live in Afghanistan. Cailee has a long history of family who currently serves or has served including her dad who served with the United States Air Force.
Way to go Cailee!
Farewell Speech of Cailee Calabrese – North Carolina National American Miss Princess
I cannot believe how fast this year has gone. Never did I imagine that my name would be called as the North Carolina National American Miss Princess. It has truly been an honor and a wonderful opportunity. My year started as volunteering for the American Red Cross “Run for the Red.” I had such a wonderful time when I attended the Maryland state pageant reigning and meeting new friends. One of things I did was to launch my own community project called “Movies for Military.” I distributed my movies and volunteered at the Give 2 the Troops organization, which was truly a wonderful experience to see and meet so many people donating time to put together care packages and make cards to send to our troops serving overseas. I launched my own project because “I wanted to give a gift back to them for protecting us.” I have learned the importance of giving back to the community, meeting new friends and to always be a positive role model for other girls.
Another highlight of my year was attending nationals and our trip to Disneyland and Hollywood. I enjoyed getting to meet so many girls from different states. I was proud to receive the award of National Photogenic, Community Achievement, Volunteer Service Award and 3rd runner-up for Most Promising Model. It is truly an honor to receive those awards with so many wonderful other girls. Thank you Matt and the wonderful staff at National American Miss organization for the greatest experience a girl my age could have. Lastly, I would like to thank my mom and dad for always loving and supporting me.
