calabrese – Matt Leverton’s National American Miss (NAM) Pageants Blog

2011 North Carolina Jr. Preteen Cailee Calabrese’s Farewell

2011 North Carolina Jr. Preteen Cailee Calabrese’s Farewell

Being part of the National American Miss system has truly been an honor. I was so surprised when my name was called as the 2011 NC Jr. Preteen out of so many beautiful girls. I started out my year with taping a commercial for Communities in Schools and then being able to volunteer for such a worthy event was very special. I had so much fun volunteering with the American Red Cross, Give 2 the Troops, Wounded Warriors, March of Dimes, local nursing homes, and many more. I love to help others and that is what inspires me to volunteer. Nothing makes me happier than to be able to put a smile on someone’s face. I have learned that sometimes it is not what you say, but what you can do to make a positive impact on someone else and to always be a good role model. I was so proud when our State Representative came to my school to present me with the Gold Level Volunteer Award. I also got to meet our U.S. Congressman who also serves on the committee in Washington, DC for armed services.

Going to California was so much fun and I enjoyed getting to know other girls from other places. I have made so many good friends. The week was so much fun going to Disneyland, The Hollywood Tour, and the party was a great way to kick off the week. I was proud to have received the Community Achievement Award, Photogenic Award, 1^st runner up Most Promising Model and 2^nd runner up volunteer out of so many girls. I want to personally thank Matt Leverton and his staff for always being supportive. Matt, being a part of the NAM family has been such a pleasure and I have grown so much just being part of this wonderful organization. I have been blessed with opportunities that would not have been possible without being a part of the National American Miss organization. I truly feel that I have learned things that will only help me in the future. To the new queen, enjoy your year because it will go by so fast.

Cailee Calabrese, Miss North Carolina Jr. Pre-Teen, works hard collecting DVD’s for our troops.

Cailee Calabrese, North Carolina Jr. Pre- Teen Queen went to The Wounded Warrior Transition Battalion.

Cailee Calabrese, North Carolina Jr. Pre- Teen went to The Wounded Warrior Transition Battalion. She has spent many hours collecting DVD’s for our troops. She has already collected over 150 DVD’s for our troops. She really enjoys working hard to give back to the troops. She has even received a few emails from soldiers thanking her for her efforts.

2011 North Carolina Jr. Pre-Teen Queen Cailee Calabrese and 2011 Pre-Teen Queen, Alina Galvan, helped with the American Red Cross 5th Annual run for the Red.

Cailee Calabrese, North Carolina, Jr. Pre-Teen Queen and Alina Galvan Pre-Teen Queen for North Carolina helped with the American Red Cross 5th Annual Run for the Red.

Cailee Calabrese, North Carolina, Jr. Pre-Teen Queen and Alina Galvan Pre-Teen Queen for North Carolina helped with the American Red Cross 5th Annual Run for the Red. This is Cailee’s 3rd year at this event and Alina joined her this year. There were over 600 runners and walkers for this event. Cailee and Alina gave the trophy out for best overall time for a group which was the 82nd airborne from Fort Bragg. It was a great time and Cailee was up and ready to go at 4:15 a.m. and finished at 9:30 a.m.

2011 National American Miss North Carolina Jr. Pre-Teen Queen Cailee Calabrese will be receiving the highest level Presidential award for her volunteer work.

All the money goes to under privilege children to assist them with school supplies, etc. Last year they had 1500 participants and expect more this year.

National American Miss North Carolina Jr. Pre-Teen Queen Cailee taped a TV spot for the upcoming event Big toys for kids sponsored by Communities in Schools which airs on Channel 63 in Lexington. All the money goes to under privilege children to assist them with school supplies, etc. Last year they had 1500 participants and expect more this year. Cailee will also be volunteering on August 27, 2011 in Lexington for this event. Cailee will be receiving the highest honor of the Presidential award for her volunteer work (Gold level).

2009 National American Miss North Carolina Princess Cailee Calabrese working hard to raise support for our military.

Once again Cailee kicked off her “Movies for Military” in the fall and was able to collect over 646 DVDs and 100 puzzle books for our troops.

Once again Cailee kicked off her “Movies for Military” in the fall and was able to collect over 646 DVDs and 100 puzzle books for our troops. In fall of 2009 she collected over 200 DVDs so she was quite proud that she was able to more than triple that in 2010. Cailee and her family do so much with the project on a ongoing basis that they have officially registered the trademark “Movies for Military.” They are just beginning the new year and already have collected over 45 DVDs and 40 puzzle books.

In September 11th Cailee also participated in the Freedom Walk at the Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC where she spoke to over 600 participants about her project and received a standing ovation from the two star Major General Rodney Anderson which he initiated. In October, State Representative Rick Glazier came to her school to give her a special acknowledgment for her project. At Christmas time, Cailee also sponsered a military family.

Cailee Calabrese is one busy NAM girl!

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 3^rd 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.