JUDGE- Miss Buffalo Wing Pageant 2008

Today I was a judge at the 2008 National "Miss Buffalo Wing" Pageant.
The weather was incredible and the smell of chicken wings was mouth watering. What a way to spend my day today! The winner was (name held as requested) and she will now advance on to the 2009 MISS NYS Pageant in the Miss America System! {Miss Buffalo Wing will make personal appearances throughout the two day festival, as well as events following the festival and those prior to next year's event. The newly crowned titleholder should plan to spend the remainder of the day at the Festival, as well as Day Two, making personal appearances and taking part in media interviews.}
This event was directed by MaryAlice Demler and I have to tell you, every pageant that she does has a touch of class to it. I mean, really, this was a "National Wing Festival" pageant and it was classy! The winner of this pageant was awarded scholarship monies, her hotel and transportation to and from the Miss NYS pageant as well as many other wonderful prizes.

Congrats to MaryAlice on yet another successful pageant and I wish Jennifer Starkey, the newly crowned "Miss Buffalo Wing" continued growth in her pursuit of the Miss America Crown.
MORE PICTURES TO COME WHEN I RECEIVE THEM FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHER.

Great News

I have great news! I have recently been contacted by a company who was appreciative of my personal story and the dedication that I have placed on safe driver awareness. They have asked me to be the spokesperson and directly market the product in New York and Nevada. Contracts have been signed and we are on our way. I am not at liberty to share any information regarding the product until I get the green light from the company (especially considering I just signed contracts, non-disclosure, non-compete and so on)
It is an exciting product that I feel just may be the solution to drunk driving. I am not saying we will stop it completely BUT it will definitely cease drunk driving for many, lowering these outrageous statistics!

Please be on the look out for this product and check my blog over the next month to read the all the details!

NYS Trooper brings a man back to life!

Today, a trooper and his ability to properly use the AED gave a man his heart beat and breath back! Incredible. Truly incredible.

THE STORY:
A state lottery worker suffered a cardiac arrest at America’s Fair on Saturday, but had the good fortune to have two state troopers trained in emergency medical procedures on hand who kept him alive.

Fellow lottery employees ran to the State Police building at the Erie County Fairgrounds shortly before 3 p. m. after the 58-year-old man collapsed.

Trooper Ross Riley and Communications Specialist James Miller took an automated external defibrillator with them and found two civilians giving CPR to the victim.

Riley, a certified paramedic, continued to perform CPR while Miller, who teaches other troopers how to use the defibrillator, administered a shock.

Police said the victim immediately regained consciousness, was taken to Mercy Hospital, and was reported in stable condition.

Since the spring of 2008, all state troopers have been trained in the use of the defibrillator, and a unit is now in all State Police cars and police buildings.

DAY 11 - Erie County Fair

This little girl was just a doll! She was incredibly excited to try on the crown. It truly melts my heart to watch a little princess get all excited to look at, hold and try on my crown.
{My CCD is broken on my camera. It is now hit or miss on the color quality of the photos taken with sunshine in them! :-( }
Trooper / SRO Grogan answering this couples questions on the operation of child safety seats.

My dad checking out my display. This is the man who saved my life the day he made me wear my seat belt!
It was definitely the busiest day at the fair today!!!!

DAY 10 - Erie County Fair

Vic (trooper Moralis) and I on our way to the daily 5:00 parade

This woman and her family shared the scariest, near fatal car crash story with me. They are blessed to be alive!!
A pic with a few of the outstanding NYS Troopers! I love them like family!
Our NYS DOT....Otto and Charles. Charles look great in the crown!

Look at Dobs!! I LOVE this K9! She is the sweetest, most gentle and loving sweetie pie. Unless of course you do something wrong, then you will want to run the other way! LOL... She is 10 years old and loves belly rubs :-)

FOR MORE PHOTOS CLICK HERE

CHANNEL 4 - YOU DISGUST ME!

I am disgusted with a recent report that News Channel 4 - WIVB worked on.

MY RESPONSE TO THE REPORT -
Auto accidents cost EVERY American more than $1,000 every year, Car crashes are the #1 killer of teenagers in America & Car crashes are the #1 cause of death and injury here in the US. Yet, our society has become desensitized and fail to recognize these alarming statistics. Everyone jumps the gun thinking we need to change laws and they comment that we have a lack of enforcement rather than thinking about the LACK of traffic safety EDUCATION. Our society is truly lacking that vital component and having the state police at one of the largest county fairs in America is re-introducing this vital component back into our society. Issuing a ticket does NOT educate drivers!!!!!! These troopers can issue tickets all day long BUT what are people LEARNING? I would much rather have them in an approachable atmosphere, showing our citizens what can happen IF you make the wrong choice behind the wheel(and presenting them with the RIGHT choices)- Rather than having them delivering another death notice to a family. Every 5 seconds there is a crash and every 12 minutes a death on the roads. Crashes are often times 100% preventable and if they were presented the proper education & choices, this would NOT be happening. To me, this news piece was nothing but a waste of time and money! Making an entire story complaining about the NYS Police delivering education for 11 days to the very people you and your family travel on the roads with everyday! For all you know, a person may now make the right choice behind the wheel here in NY and you just may benefit from it! THANKS to the education they were given at the fair. Where else do you get FREE traffic safety education? NYS needs to give more funding to traffic safety education, allowing for a cut in the $231 Billion dollars it is costing it's tax payers to cover the costs of car crashes! The NYS Senate would not even pass the SAFE-TEEN NEW YORK Bill! At least the troopers take this issue seriously, trying to change our cultural complacency and are creating leadership at the state and local levels in support of what we can call "a public health challenge."

THE STORY AS REPORTED BY MYLOUS-

HAMBURG, N.Y. (WIVB) - When you and your family head out to the Hamburg fair grounds, safety is important. But, are there too many state troopers on patrol at America's Fair?

New York State is being dogged by a budget crisis that's expected to top six billion dollars next year.

A K-9 demonstration at America's Fair has some wondering if fiscal belt tightening should include reducing the number of state police sent to fairs and other community events.

Steven Nigrelli from New York State Police said, "These are school resource officers from all over Troop A. They come here and do educational component and we do recruitment."

The stand is packed for this demonstration.

Inside, a chance to meet and greet some of the state's finest. There's also information about the duties troopers carry out.

Capt. Nigrelli said no trooper is pulled off any detail to take part in duties at the fair. "There's a hundred thousand people that come through the gates every day. We try to get the message out about seatbelts, drinking and driving, aggressive driving. There's an aggressive driving detail."

With Governor Patterson calling for budget cuts, we decided to ask taxpayers if they're concerned what's going on here is not money well spent.

"That's not going to affect the budget very much. I think it's great to have the state police here to talk to in a one-on-one easy relaxed atmosphere," said fairgoer Kirk Rowland.

Dianna Haley said, "It's only for ten days. They have to do public relations and this is a great place to public relations instead of giving out tickets all the time."

State Police said the school resource troopers are used at events like the fair and Juneteenth during the summer's months when school is not in session.

Story by Mylous Hairston, WIVB

Day 9 - the cutest picture!

This has to have been the cutest picture in all of the days at the fair. I was standing next to Chris. He went to sit down and as soon as he did, these little boys just came running over and started asking all of these questions! They looked at him like he was the next best thing to peanut butter and jelly!

DAY 9 - Erie County Fair

Day 9 of - America's Fair ~ The Erie County Fair
For more photos, click here

Today was day 9 of the fair and it was a pretty rough day. Yesterday was a BAD TMJd Flare up and I was in some of the most excruciating pain!!! Showing up today was so hard as I felt so exhausted from the previous day's pain episode. It was okay because the troopers can always find a way to make me laugh and I have learned how to cover the exhaustion with a smile....BUT, I still have the tired look in my eyes though.
When I got home, the exhaustion had jut taken over and I was out.

Pictured above with Sergeant David Miller of the NYS Police. If you have not read in any of my previous blogs, he is the individual who has made this entire year possible! Dave quickly turned into that "2nd father" and I appreciate what he has done so very much!

Ford Flex Lauch Party

DeLacy Ford - Ford Flex Launch Party

Tonight was the Ford Flex Launch Party @ DeLacy Ford. It was such an exciting event! DeLacy Ford always goes above and beyond, making all events incredible while Terry Buchwald (the best Elvis ever) puts on an outstanding show!
The Chocolate Bar provided refreshments and a delicious spread of foods (that I could not eat b/c I am in training..LOL)
There was a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit, pretzels, cookies and marshmallows. Cheesecake, sandwiches, salads and so much more. What I did enjoy my iced coffee from Mike, our finance manager.
Maria Genero of Channel 2, myself and Terry Buchwald joined our family at DeLacy Ford for this incredible event. Bob from Ford Motor Company had to have been impressed. This must have been a first..LOL... A beauty queen, a news anchor & Elvis!

DeLacy Ford is a class act with top notch service and loyalty to it's community & traffic safety. Please be sure to stop in and see what I am talking about.

Terry Buchwald, his girlfriend and I . From what we have heard ALL year, people think we are sisters!
Our Finance Manager, Mike
WGR55 Ball Girls

Our Sales Manager, Mike
Our General Manager, Al

LOOK!!! My magnet on a Ford Edge!
Terry Buchwald singing his hits! The best Elvis EVER!
Terry Buchwald and the VP - the BEST sponsor I could have ever been blessed with!!
Some of the crowd
Big Dave and I (one of our awesome salesmen)

Taking the Day off of the Fair

Perfect day to take off from the fair!

Sunday (yesterday) was the perfect day for me to take off of the fair. When I awoke, it was 48 degrees and pouring out.
By late afternoon, it had reached 55 degrees and the forecaster said we were experiencing "Lake Effect" Rain. Now I have heard of "lake effect snow" but never L.E. Rain. We were getting about 3" per hour and strong lightening/thunder.

I POSTED THE ABOVE VIDEO AS A REMINDER OF WHAT WE EXPERIENCED.

The fair got to the point of overwhelming because with my brain injuries, I still experience "over-stimulation." It has been an arduous task that is for sure!! I am only there for 2 hours BUT about every 20 minutes, I find myself making way to the office for a quite moment away. I decompress, re-charge and head back out. It's quite interesting how the body and brain work. I show up feeling charged and ready to go....20 minutes in and I am in the office with an exhausted brain. Which is a quick reminder of why I am there. To share my story and make others aware of just how important traffic safety is! If I can just save one person from the terrible pain a crash can cause, it is worth every second!

I have done approximately 213 appearances over the past year. They are usually made up of me in one place speaking to a large group of people. This is definitely a different setting. I quickly become visually over stimated from the constant flow and movement of large crowds. I become over stimulated as well from the auditory aspect(it is very noisy on the fairgrounds). In the end, that is why I decided on a day off. Visual and Auditory over stimulation will make me mentally exhausted, therefore, a few days off is the proper way to re-charge my brain.

It has been an amazing experience and I have heard some truly amazing stories of others who have faced death at the mercy of someone else's BAD CHOICE behind the wheel. People have shed tears while talking to me, I have had a young woman hug me b/c she felt overwhelmed by my story and I have been continually thanked by others for what I have done with my tragedy to save others.

What bothers me the most was one woman's story. I had a woman tell me about her very own experience from back in the early 90's. She & her husband started to rattle off a list of symptoms she has experienced since the crash AND THEY WERE EXACTLY WHAT I WENT TO REHAB/THERAPY FOR!!!! She was told that there was no way to fix her short term memory and that was going to be the way she was for the rest of her life. THAT IS B.S.!!!!!!!! I gave her the name and # of my speech therapist AND I gave this woman tips on what she can do to work with the problems she has. You see, these injuries can NOT be fixed BUT you can learn how to COPE with them. I was taught "coping mechanisms" that saved my life in many ways.

It is so sad that we are such a VISUAL society. If it is not a visual disability, then society feels we do NOT need to address it. Well, you tell me how can we show society the axons that were sheared in my brain?
I have frontal lobe damage that my Nuclear SPECT scan proves.
FRONTAL LOBE DAMAGE includes:
-memory impairment
-poor judgment
-attention deficits
-slow cognitive processing
-poor problem solving
-disorganization
-behavioral impairment
-visual disturbances

BUT if you can't see it, you don't understand it. My heart hurt for this woman b/c I know that pain. She has gone through life without the guidance that she desperately needs. IT is the most helpless feeling for not only her but her family as well. I truly hope she gets the therapy she needs - I told her it will change her life! Promise!

Quality of life is the most important thing and God Bless her on this journey.

God Bless each and everyone of the folks that stopped to speak to me, that shared their very own personal car crash stories and thank you to those of you that sent me e-mail's sharing how you felt. You are what keeps me going. You give me the strength when my brain & I are worn out.
Thank you and God Bless!

4th Day at the fair

4th Day at the Fair - JUDGING THE "Dad Looks Like his Dog" contest

This was SO much fun! Doug and I were at the Chevy Stage today to judge the "Dad Looks Like his Dog" contest. It was so HARD to judge as I am an animal lover and would not want to see any of them walk away without a ribbon or prize!! Dogs and their owners were posted on the Fairs website. People would then pick their favorite on the website and vote for them. The top 5 were chosen to be in a contest. The winner won a 1 year supply of Dad's dog food. 2nd place won a 6 month supply and 3rd place won a 3 month supply. The dog I choose as winner did end up winning BUT the dog I choose as 2nd place did not even make top 3. I felt so bad!!!! All of the pups were beautiful and well-behaved. Their owners really loved them too!!!

I am pictured above with our Emcee, Clay Moden from WYRK, 106.5. the other photos are while I am judging and the last is the winner and his daddy! The winner was 11 years old and a yellow lab.

Todays Horoscope

Your horoscope for August 9, 2008

It is time for you to refill the well of your soul, Jennifer. So much of your life is spent in service to others, it is only natural that you will feel drained from time to time. Rather than try to push past this feeling and go on as though nothing were the matter, you should instead consider it a sign that something is amiss in your life. If you are feeling unappreciated, admit it. You have spent too much of your life putting others' happiness before your own. It is time to change your priorities.

Erie County Fair - DAY 3

They were from South Buffalo!
These little boys..OMG, they were so darned cute! Especially little charlie!
Ooohh, and thse little girls! So precious....

Erie County Fair - DAY 2

My display! HOW wonderful is this??? My commercial is playing there on the left hand side of the table, some of my crash pictures are up as well as some photos from appearances from throughout the past year.
THE HISTORY WALL....the history of the NYS Police is really cool...especially considering 2 women founded the NYS Police!
On hand to explain child safety seats and answer parents questions...

I SAW THE BEST BUMPER STICKER TODAY!

SLOW DOWN & DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT!

I can not stand bumper stickers! They make a car look dirty and cause distractions on the roadways BUT as I walked into the grocery store yesterday, this one really caught my eye and if I ever (which I know I never will) put a bumper sticker on my car, this would be it. With just a few words, a strong point is made, stopping you in your tracks!

Erie County Fair - DAY 1

Today was the Preview Night @ the Erie County Fair ~ America's Fair

Today was a long day! Starting out at DeLacy Ford on a LIVE Radio Remote with John LaMond of 106.5, WYRK. I always have a great time with him, he is one of WNY's best DJ's.

I stopped for a double espresso and made my way to the fairgrounds.

When I arrived I had a State Police escort into the facilities and VIP Parking.

The picture above is with a few girls who had stopped by for an autograph. As you will see behind us, the wall is covered in photos of appearances from throughout the year. It was an overwhelming feeling to arrive and see people viewing a wall of my accomplishments. Within the first few minutes of arriving, I had a family that actually came back asking for an autograph. They had said they were in earlier, heard my story, viewed my photos and waited for my arrival. That was definitely a heart warming moment!

It was a great experience to meet so many wonderful individuals from within our region, talk to so many children about seat belt safety and share my personal story with each passer by.

The next 11 days are going to be long BUT prove productive as I know many lives will be touched by this story in a positive way.

I will definitely keep my blog posted as the fair really gets going. Today was only the preview day.
Hope to see you there!

Elma Night Out

Pictured here with Trooper Moralis and Trooper DePlato while we explain what the "Rollover Simulator" is & how a seat belt can truly save your life. AND POSING for the Town Paper..LOL..With the Town Supervisor & his lovely daughters!
Taking a bit of a break at our static display in which I was signing autographs.
ELMA NIGHT OUT ~ America's Night Out Against Crime!
Doug and I were invited to attend the "Elma Night Out."

Thank you to Z/Sergeant Wilkinson for inviting us as it turned out to be another memorable experience that we will never forget.

We arrived at 5:15 pm and helped set up the static display table as the troopers were busy setting up the Rollover Simulator.

Over the past 2 years, I have attended numerous community events but have to say this was the most impressive, by far! The town supervisor was extremely kind and his daughters were just the sweetest girls! The people in the community were also very kind and welcoming.

This Town joined together to just do something as simple as - get together!

The theme was simple yet crucial to everyone in the community - Crime Prevention and Safety! What was even more impressive was the fact that everything was FREE. I have NEVER been to an event where you get Coffee, Soda Pop, Hot Dogs and Pop Corn for FREE. The displays were all FREE as well. Children were able to check out our rollover simulator and view for themselves what will occur withOUT a seat belt, I had autographs, seat belt pens and pencils, they were able to view a live demo of the jaws of life, Water safety displays, coloring/activity books, stickers, photo id / fingerprinting, All children were even entered to win a free bike! One to a boy AND one to a girl! They even had a well-know country music band free in the gazebo!

Every community event I have attended requires you to purchase something AND they seem to always be based around the heritage of the community it is in. I DO LOVE THAT as I come from a family that takes our heritage to the extreme...I mean I had to learn Polish and German to speak to my Dzadek and also had to learn from my Sicilian grandfather, that the only acceptable spaghetti sauce takes 6 hours to cook. Therefore, I personally have a great appreciation for heritage BUT we need to have more gatherings like the one I attended this evening.

I had a wonderful time with the troopers, with my husband and as always, I loved talking to the children and signing autographs! All the while, the message of traffic safety is a strong one at our display.
Unfortunately, the party was rained on! A few hours in and it started to pour making us pack up as quickly as possible and run for our cars.

In the end, I left Elma with a warm heart and an even greater love for that town. I have done a lot with that town and have to say - Elma is my favorite this year by far! Thanks guys!

Hey, that's right, DELACY is from Elma too! WOW, a town full of wonderful and giving people!

Visit me at the ERIE COUNTY FAIR EVERYDAY!

America's Fair ~ The Erie County Fair
AUGUST 6th - 17th 2008

(TO THE RIGHT- photo of dad and I when I was crowned the 1998 Miss Erie County Fair Queen)

As the former "Miss Erie County Fair '98" I am so excited to be invited back as Mrs. New York AB! Considering I am officially partnered with the New York State Police, I will be in the State Police Building everyday, signing autographs and taking pictures. I will also be out on the fairgrounds as a celebrity EMCEE, Judge and will be with McGruff in the daily parade @ 5 pm.

Even more exciting is they have dedicated a 10'x10' wall to me! They have taken a picture from EVERY appearance, enlarged them, laminated them and covered the wall in them!

I will be visiting tomorrow for a preview and if you are at the fairgrounds, be sure to stop in and visit with the old fair queen and now Mrs. New York for a photo and autograph. (BTW, the State Police Building is Air Conditioned!)

~~ {State Police Building open 10:00am-10:00pm daily

See live demonstrations throughout the day including seat belt demonstrations with a rollover simulator, K-(, S.C.U.B.A. and highway safety demonstrations. Also, don't miss your chance to meet Mrs. New York American Beauty 2008, Jennifer Stehlar of Buffalo, everyday from 3-5pm. She will be available for photos and autographs.}

FOR MORE INFO. CLICK HERE..

TIWI- A SOLUTION TO AN EPIDEMIC

A few months back I stumbled upon such an incredible device! It is called the TIWI.

I have devoted my life to 'safe driver awareness' and throughout my travels I have witnessed that school assemblies and speaking engagements were only a piece of the puzzle to saving lives on the roadways. The impression that I leave on the children's lives, the parents lives and the tears I watched role down their faces would only change their life for a small time period. To be quite honest, I have been searching for the answer or better yet, a solution for this deadly epidemic but the answer was no where to be found.

One would assume that something as simple as "Driving Safe" would be an easy thing to solve.

This was not a complicated matter of medical phenomenon. It was literally teaching Americans how to properly utilize a vehicle, which I immediately realized has become a deadly weapon on our roadways.

I continued on with my gift from God, speaking of my near-death experience, the agonizing road of recovery, the way my life ended in a lot of ways, the disabilities I now life with and the heart ache that my father will continue to bear as he remembers thinking I (his only child) was dead and he had no control over it. My heart ache as I continue on watching my father fall to the ground from the pain he lives in. All because of someone else's careless mistake.

That was my piece of the puzzle and yet I knew that there just had to be something out there...
I was presenting the 'wake up call', I was bringing the 'choices' to the table BUT where is the solution?

That's when I stumbled across this device called the TIWI!
{Get your teen on the safest possible road. tiwi™ is the first onboard computer with the power to instantly alert and instruct young drivers while, at the same time, enabling parents to receive real-time notifications by phone, text or email concerning their teen’s current location, actions and driving safety. It’s simple. It’s practical. And it’s based on the same inthinc™ technology that has led to unprecedented improvements in driving behaviors for commercial fleets for years, and is now even utilized in NASCAR® race vehicles.}

From what I see, this product is right on track. It stems from the inthinc™ product that has already been on the market in fleets, Nascar and even stems from LV Cabs. It has already been utilized in other vehicular avenues now the test will stand to see how well this takes off in the market of teenage drivers.

It is currently in the "beta" testing stage but as you watch the video, the teenager testing said it would change his driving behavior BUT when the reporter asked, "do you want your parents to buy one?" He replied "No." Which is proof that this device really DOES work! The reporter laughed (as did I) at the teen and commented - "Teenagers, we laugh BUT too often we cry."

As with anything, parents play a PIVOTAL role! If purchased, it is a vital that they take part, utilizing it's alerts and reprimanding their children for any illegal/misuse of their vehicle. TIWI can sell a solution BUT it is only as good as the proper use of it and parental involvement!

I am more than excited for the launch of this product as my google e-mail alerts fill my 'in-box' daily with roadway deaths..........tragic, needless, senseless and preventable deaths. I want to see an empty in-box just one day!

In the end, nothing will EVER end blood shed and tears on the roadways but imagine if we could lower it by just 1/3!!!!

I urge you to review this product.
TIWI.COM

[Grim reality is that it is cheaper to provide your child with this product than it is to pay for their funeral!]

I do think it may be the piece of the puzzle that I have been searching for..time will tell!