A beautiful, Minnesota Sunday full of giving back to my community
When Miss Minnesota told us her Miss MN Attitude of Gratitude project for the month of May was all about giving back to our local heroes, I knew exactly what I wanted to do! My dad is a Sergeant for Dodge County (post coming soon), and my mom is a RN at the family birth center. I grew up with two heroes that serve their community incredibly.
I first started my Sunday with Val from Quick Country 96.5 and Sam from KROC, cheering
on the incredible Ovarian cancer survivors, supporters, and advocates. Unleash The SHE, the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, and the Mayo Clinic hosted a 5K, 10K, 5K walk, and a kids race, benefiting cancer research at the Mayo Clinic. I was honored to serve at this event as Miss South Central and support the strong women who have overcome ovarian cancer. Their stories were truly so inspiring, and their positive encouragement to the women who are currently battling ovarian cancer brought tears to my eyes.
Then, I celebrated National Nurses day by taking treats to my mom and her fellow nurses at the Family Birth Center. My mom has worked for the Mayo Clinic for over 25 years, and is the best nurse I know (not biased at all.) My visit was much needed because a new computer charting system, called Epic, went live a day before my visit. When I got there, many nurses had forgotten that it was nurses day because they've been so busy learning this new system. They loved taking a much deserved break and asking me about my journey to the Miss Minnesota pageant.
National Nurses Day is celebrated annually on May 6 to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in our society. It marks the beginning of National Nurses Week, and the birthday of Florence Nighingale, the founder of modern nursing. It also happens to fall on the same week as my mom's birthday and Mother's Day, so it's safe to say my mom gets the extra special treatment all week!
Love you mom!!