April 24, 2008

"I had the most amazing time volunteering this weekend. I was telling Kathy how honored I was to be asked to volunteer and if there is anything I can do in the future to help support the mission of the pageant please do not hesitate to ask. All weekend I was wishing there was something like this around when I was in high school. I would love to help organize the Labrador pageant as well. I have a lot of contacts in Labrador City and could really help spread the word of the wonderful work your committee is doing."

Christie Meadus
Executive Director
FINALY! (Futures in Newfoundland and Labrador's Youth)

April 24, 2008

"Just wanted to write and thank you for having me as a part of your show. I certainly enjoyed it and it was a first-class production. Congratulations on a great show and I look forward to next year (if you will have me)."

Tony Angelo
Assistant Program Director
590 VOCM

April 24, 2008

Kathy, Joanne, Anne, Arlene and Jane

As a parent of a recent participant in Miss Teen Achievement Newfoundland & Labrador, I would like to extend a very sincere thank you to your team.

It was apparent the amount of effort that went into this event and you ladies need to be commended. I know that Georgina had a tremendous weekend filled with excitement and learning; a weekend that she won't soon forget. Because this weekend was such a positive experience, Georgina has since decided to enter the Avalon Achievement Pageant.

If your goal with this pageant was to increase self-esteem, build confidence and encourage young women of this province; it's working. Kep up the great work and of there is ever anything I can do to assist please do not hesitate in contacting me.

Sincerely,
Beverly Barbour
(Mother of Georgina Barbour, Contestant # 7)

Just wanted to thank you guys for everything that weekend...

It was a great learning experience for me. I have never stepped outside of the box.. out of my comfort zone.. and tried something different like that. I was very nervous to be doing something new, but despite the fact, it was a great stepping stone for me.. and I feel like I have gained a new outlook on it.. and I feel it has made me stronger, and I will be much more confident down the road. I appreciate everything you did for me! I was so glad to be part of it.

Wishing you all the best,
Leanne Kean
Torbay
Contestant #18

Hello,

Just thinking of you and wanted to drop you a line to congratulate you on another successful year for the Miss Teen Achievement pageant. I think what you've created is a fantastic outlet for so many young girls, giving them the opportunity to gain self-esteem, poise and the chance to make some great friends. Thanks again for getting me involved. I'm very proud to have been a part of it.

Best of luck with everything and I think the girl who won will well represent. There was a glow about her the minute I first saw her and I felt the same after hearing her speak, that she had what it took to be the next Miss Teen Achievement Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank-you,
Denielle Hann

Kathy/ Miss Teen Achievement Newfoundland and Labrador 2007 Committee:

I want to thank all of you for all your hard work and time that you've dedicated to putting together such a tremendous and memorial weekend! I truly had the time of a lifetime, and this weekend will never be forgotten.

Kathy, you continue to inspire me and fill me with confidence I never knew I had. God truly blessed you with a heart of gold, and I want to thank you for encouraging me to apply for the 2007 Miss Teen Achievement Pageant, it was a life changing experience that I will never forget!

Make sure to keep in touch, and thanks again!

Sincerely,
Dayna McDonough
Gander
3rd runner up, Miss Teen Achievement Newfoundland and Labrador Pageant 2007

Hello,

The Miss Teen Achievement NL is an excellent pageant! I have gained so many new friends and new experiences! I would like to tell future contestants or others what I have gained from this pageant. They are: confidence, leadership skills, how to be more of yourself and lots more! From these experiences I plan to build on and grow as a person!

This pageant is well organized and all the girls were well taken care off during the weekend! The committee members are awesome! Very supportive!!! Thank You! The new Miss Teen Achievement, Julia Hiscook, is really a wonderful person! I wish her lots of luck and success!

Thank You,
Robyn Crummey
Contestant #6

Hi Kathy,

I would just like thank you so very much for having me a part of the pageant.
The weekend brought back many memories from when I was in the Miss Teen Pageant. I would love to help out again next year, you have my contact information when the time comes. If you and the committee need any help throughout the year with regards to planning or what have you, feel free to contact me.

Once again, thank you so much for having me chaperone at this year's pageant, and for the wonderful weekend.

Cheers!
Sarah Hynes

Dear Pageant Committee:

I'd like to thank you for letting me be part of this great event. I had the best time of my life. The weekend was so much fun. I made so many friends and learned so much.

It was everything I expected and more, and I'd love to go back again next year. Everything was organized so well!

Aprille Whelan
Contestant #5
Mobile

Hi Ladies,

Well what can I say. I had an amazing weekend! I can't believe how organized and well planned everything was for the whole event. Can't wait for next year already. You ladies sure know how to put it all together, my hats off to all of you! I hope our new Miss Teen Achievement Newfoundland and Labrador will be able to be a special guest at Miss Summer Holidays this year. Our pageant is nearing quickly. I can't believe our Sara won the scholarship.she so deserved it..she's really a hard working young lady.

Tonya Somerton
Director
Miss Sumer Holidays Achievement Pageant

Hi Kathy:

I want to tell you how amazing the pageant weekend was; it keeps getting better and I'm sure it will continue to improve! Thank-you for putting so much time into this, it made a huge impact in everyone involved and we've made life-long friends.

Thanks again,
Cathy Balsom
Contestant #10

Dear Kathy and Pageant Committee:

It was a pleasure for myself and Michelle Downing to have done the Fitness Test here at Curves and to have met with all the young Ladies for the Miss Teen Achievement Pageant. I thoroughly enjoyed the contest and the girls looked amazing at the pageant.

Congratulations to you and your team as well. You are amazing people to give your time and have such a passion for our youth, helping them with self-esteem and the confidence to take on the world.

Thanks again, it was our pleasure being part of your PAGEANT!!!!

Karen Butler
Owner/Operator
Curves in the Goulds

Dear Pageant Committee:

The pageant was AWESOME! Everything went so well. Girls were so happy about it afterwards when I was talking to them. I have heard nothing but good news from the girls. I truly think you had a great bunch of girls and a truly amazing winner. She is the one girl I think I got closest to this weekend. Talk about a wonderful, mature individual. She will make such a wonderful MTA. I can't wait to see her again.

Thank so much for letting me take part in this weekend. It was so amazing and I got to know the girls really well. I have even asked Leanne Kean, the winner of the 99.1 Hits FM Talented Teen Award to be my entertainment at the Miss Teen Trinity-Conception Pageant. I truly love that girl - what a voice and a wonderful personality.

Again, thanks so much for inviting me, and allowing me to take part in the events. I am truly blessed and honored to have been able to take part.

Sabrina Jenkins,
Co-ordinator
Miss Teen Trinity-Conception Pageant

Hi Kathy

Just wanted to congratulate you, Joanne, Jane, Arlene and Ann on a wonderful job last, the organization was phenomenal. Great group you have there, hope you all stay together for a long time to come. Mom and Isabella really enjoyed themselves the whole weekend. Looking forward to next year. Could you also pass on our congratulations to Ann on the birth of Gabrielle!!! Tell her I will be expecting her in September 2010!!!!!

Sincerely,
Barbara Ashley
Barbara Ashley School of Dance

Great show by the way! A job well done by all of you! It's good to see your hard work and efforts pay off. I would love to be involved again next year.

Sherylynn Butt,
Territory Sales Manager
Provincial Airlines
(Miss Canada Galaxy 2005/06)

Phenomenal, Phenomenal, Phenomenal!!!!!!

Just wanted to thank you and your committee for allowing me to be part of the First Ever MTA! You and your committee did an outstanding job and it was such a pleasure to be able to get to know you all. The hard work and dedication that I saw this weekend from everyone involved was absolutely amazing. All you ladies deserve more thanks than anyone will ever be able to give you. The pageant was amazing and all the girls were wonderful, but only because of the work and effort that was put forth by the committee. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of it. If you ever need anything in the future, I am only a phone call away.  Again, thank you, words can not describe how grateful I am for being given the opportunity to be involved! :)

Lori Dunphy, Miss NL 02-03

This weekend was absolutely amazing! I wanted to thank you all for such a wonderful time!  I was never in a pageant before and this has been amazing. I learned so much and I had so much fun!  I am definitely entering another pageant next year though I'm not sure which one yet!  I hope we can keep in touch and see each other again soon!

Thank you for everything.

Nancy Hillier, Contestant #17, Marystown

Dear Miss Teen Achievement Pageant Committee:

Great job this weekend!!!  Congratulations!  Mom had a ball, she can't stop talking about it and how nice everyone was to her.

I was really impressed with the smooth organization, I know only too well how hard it is to organize an event like that.

Please keep me in mind for your next event, I would love to partake.  I would try to choreograph a piece related to a pageant and a couple of others as well if you like.  I'm sure the little ones would love to be involved again as well.

Once again CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

Barbara Ashley

You guys did an amazing job, no doubt about it, and I'm sure everyone in the place would agree! I'm so proud to have been part of such an amazing experience. I'm sure Juliette will make us all very proud!

Sara Green, Contestant #2, Winterton

I wanted to send you a quick note to thank you for holding the Miss Teen Achievement pageant with us here at The Fairmont Newfoundland.

We enjoyed hosting your event tremendously.  I would love to hear about your group experiences during your stay. Please let me know if there is ever anything else I can assist with you in the future.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Krista Cameron, Sales Manager, Fairmont Newfoundland

I would just like to say a huge congratulations to all the committee members. You all did an excellent job on organizing the first ever Miss Teen Achievement Newfoundland and Labrador Pageant. I have heard nothing but good things from audience members. The entire weekend and pageant itself went so smoothly. Everything was so organized and a whole lot of fun! You should all give yourself a huge pat on the back. I've seen first hand the interest and dedication you put into everything and you should all be very proud. Thank you so much for everything.

Gina Colbourne, 1st Runner-up, Contestant #16, Carbonear

Thank you all so much .. this weekend was absolutely amazing... full of memories that I will never forget ... and you guys as a committee done an amazing job! This was just the beginning of a long overdue pageant that will just enhance young women.

Kathy - where to even begin. You have been given a talent that goes beyond, one that sees inside a young girl's heart, and see's the full potential of where we can go in life. You took this on as a challenge and have only half way completed it, because I think this is going to go on and on and be a huge success! God is using you everyday, and I thank Him that He brought you into my life, even if it was only for a short while! Keep doing what you do .. you're amazing!

Arlene - from the first e mail, you've been helping me. Thanks for convincing me that I should have applied .. I had a great time. Thanks for the help with the speech even though it may not seem like a lot ... you helped me .. so much! You have a presence about you that just lights up a room.

Joanne - who can do that walk like you? ha ha no one! When you passed those posters to me in school I knew that moment that I couldn't wait any longer to get in there! I was so excited and I just couldn't wait! It was nuts how you kept your cool with 17 girls running around backstage .. don't know how you did it!

Anne - you are unbelievable ... behind the scene things, you got it .. and it's impossible without people like you .. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to spend this weekend just hangin' out.  You helped me through a lot when you didn't even realize it .. just by telling me .. you thought I was amazing ! .. Thank you for being you!

Jane - Thanks for the help with the bio .. and the sound. You have the greatest radio voice ever  I loved it. Thanks for being a part of this committee .. you have such a huge heart .. thanks!

To you all - you guys all have hearts of gold ... the best committee I've ever seen working together, and like you guys said .. completing each other .. thanks so much .. you guys touched my life!

Courtney Tetford, Contestant #13, Stanhope

I was just on the Miss Teen Achievement Newfoundland and Labrador website and I loved it- some really great pictures.

I think that Juliette is going to make a wonderful Miss Teen Achievement. I am so impressed with how well spoken she is and she seems like such a sweet young woman. I have no doubt that she will set the bar high for your future titleholders.

I wanted to thank you and the others at Miss Teen Achievement for inviting me to pageant weekend and for including me. It was nice to be around the committee helping out, as well, I enjoyed meeting and getting to know the contestants. I was very happy to be a part of it all.

If there is ever anything I can do to help you and your new titleholder throughout the year, please don't hesitate to call me.

Thank you so much once again and all the best for a wonderful year with your new Miss Teen Achievement Newfoundland and Labrador, I look forward to attending a few events with her during our reigns.

Congratulations to you and the committee on a job very well done, your hard work and dedication paid off. You have created something very special and wonderful for young women around the province to take part in. You did an amazing job... and to think, it was just your first year... WOW! :)

Your friend,
Sherylynn Butt, Miss Canada Galaxy

Committee Members, Chaperones and Organizers:

Let me thank you sincerely for the experience you provided for my daughter Gina.  She thoroughly enjoyed the weekend of fun and learning.  I feel she was challenged in the many ways that are necessary for a well-rounded teenager. 

The talent show was excellent and we got to see the many various talents of a few of these young teenagers. 

The Gala was a delight to see and from Gina's point of view, it was a thoroughly enjoyable, yet challenging experience. 

Gina really got to know the chaperones a lot and wishes she has their mail addresses or email addresses so that she could thank them for taking such good care of her. 

The many hours of hard work both for the committee and the contestants really paid off. 

Keep up the good work!

Many Thanks,
Judy Colbourne, Carbonear

Hi Miss Teen Achievement Newfoundland and Labrador Committee

Congratulations on implementing such a fantastic pageant. I am a career counsellor with Keyin College, Marystown and I myself was crowned Miss Southern Newfoundland in 1979.  Prior to winning the Miss Southern NL pageant I won three other local pageants.  It's so wonderful to witness how pageants have changed, and of course for the better. We look forward to partnering with you.  If there is anything I can do to be of further help to your committee, please contact me. Also, your website is very user friendly and informative. Congratulations on a job well done.

Loretta Lewis, Career Counsellor, Keyin College, Marystown Campus