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Happy Valentine’s Day! Love is in the air and was definitely all around St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital during our QFD event. I love to plan events around certain holidays. It’s unfortunate that these children are in the hospital, especially during a holiday. They are missing the celebrations at school, home, and may not get any other chance to celebrate. Therefore my goal is to tie a holiday celebration into a Queen for a Day event to make it twice the fun! For this event, I made sure to bring the LOVE! We were very fortunate to have the Tampa Palms Moms Club as our volunteers for the event. They were one of the nicest and most prepared group of volunteers I’ve ever had.

The event started off with a few boys. Thankfully, the Tampa Fire Department was there to entertain. They came prepared with coloring books, pencils, and stickers. Each firefighter spent time with the boys, helping them color, make crafts, and bear frames. After spending time inside, they took them outside to learn all about the fire truck. The fire truck is the highlight of each QFD event, and it was no different for this event. It was a little chilly outside, but most of the kids were able to make it out and take part in the fun!

Now on to the girls! The craft for the event was a cute teddy bear picture frame. They were very easy to put together and the girls enjoyed making them. After crafts, it was time to be beautified! The color of the day was PINK. Almost all of the girls picked pink lips and nails. I guess you could say that pink was the color of the day. When makeup was finished, it was time for the coronation ceremony. The girls were able to choose a tiara and wrapped themselves in either the pink or purple side of our robe. A picture was taken and printed so that each girl can remember her day as queen. Thank you to all of the volunteers and hospital staff for helping spread the love for this Valentine’s Day event!

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As the holidays approach, we take the time to think about the little things in our lives that bring us happiness, the things we are thankful for, and we reflect back on the year. This time of year is my favorite time to visit the kids at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa, FL. The New Tampa Junior Women’s Club was the wonderful host of this event. They brought the volunteers, crafts, food, and decorations. We were also lucky enough to have the Tampa Fire Department on scene with a fire truck. The children started coming down right at 11:00 and didn’t stop until the party was over. Something special for me personally at the party was seeing a previous princess, Danielle. Danielle is a very special little girl, and even though it hurt to see her back in the hospital….she was still as sweet as ever. Danielle knew the ropes and enjoyed spending time with the fabulous volunteers that were at the event. All of the children made crafts, had snacks, and went out to explore the fire truck. The girls also had their makeup done, nails painted, and were crowned “Queen for a Day!”. I left this event thinking about how much an hour of volunteering can do. Not only for the kids, but for everyone involved. In the spirit of giving during this time of year, I hope that everyone will try to give an hour of their time to helping others. Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Halloween! The Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day made it’s way back to All Children’s Specialty Care of Tampa for a fabulous fall event. The New Tampa Junior Women’s Club sponsored this event. They did a wonderful job with the entire event. They brought volunteers, goodie bags, crafts, games, and snacks. Since the event was the day before Halloween, we planned a fall fun event. Before the event started the kids did trick or treating around the center and ended their experience at the QFAD event. All of the children were wearing costumes and were ready for some fall fun. Some of the highlights at this event were the games! There were a few fall themed games around the conference room for the kids to play. It was great to see the parents’ event getting into these games as well!

Even though this was a holiday event, we didn’t forget about our queens and heroes. Each girl at the event got her nails done, makeup done, and lastly was crowned Queen for a Day. For the boys we had a great group of firefighters and an awesome fire truck for all of the kids to explore! All in all I’d have to say that this was another successful and memorable event with All Children’s Specialty Care of Tampa.

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The Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day visited the All Children’s Specialty Care of Tampa on a Wednesday afternoon. This was our second event at the center, and we were ready for a great time. The event started right as we were setting up around 1:30pm. Since All Children’s Specialty Care of Tampa is an outpatient center, we’re never sure how many kids we are going to see. At the event there were three to five to kids in the conference room at a time. The girls went through the entire pampering process. From nails to makeup to crafts, they left the room with bright smiles and lasting memories. At this particular event we met a new group of firefighters who were a blast to work with. Even thought, they acted like children themselves, they were just what the boys needed. They were welcoming, related to all of the children and even took all of the kids for a tour of the fire truck. All together there were 15 girls who became “Queens for the Day” and 8 boys who were our “Heroes”.

There are many times when there are children that are unable to come out of their treatment rooms to participate in the Queen for a Day experience. At this particular event, there were a few children who received a personal visit from a QFAD volunteer, Mrs. Florida, Kellie Lightbourn. Since I was unable to go to the rooms with Kellie, I asked her to share her experience. Here is Kellie’s heartwarming story of her experience on September 2nd, 2009.

One lucky family has Faith.... Life through the eyes of a two year old seems so simple. As I sat with Faith, creating our "storybook PRINCESS", I could see a happy two year old. Her giggles seemed to fill the entire room with joy. But, when I looked up into the eyes of Faith's father it was clear her little life has not been so simple. As we continued to play, Faith was not phased by the continuous interruptions from the nurses, constantly poking and prodding. Instead, she focused on the fun we were having. Faith is a natural beauty queen. She puckered up for the "ruby red" lipstick she picked out. And soon it was time for the finishing touch , her very own shiny tiara. I'll never forget the sparkle in Faith's eyes, as I crowned her Queen for the Day! Faith left with a huge smile and her arms filled with gifts .. but , I think Faith gave me the most valuable gift. I was reminded of an important life lesson. Only 10% of life is what happens, 90% is how we decide to handle it. It's amazing how naturally wise little Faith is, she stayed happy by focusing on the positive. Her youthful innocence wanted to see the "good" in her situation and that's exactly what she did. Sometimes as adults, we forget being happy is just a thought. And the key to being happy is as simple as you get out of life...what you look for! You can learn a lot from a child, if you take a minute to listen. I have Faith in my heart forever!!!

Kellie Lightbourn
Mrs. Florida US 2009

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The Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day hosted its first Cheers to You fundraising event on July 17th, 2009. The goal of the event was to raise funds and awareness for Queen for a Day along with recognizing local philanthropists who made a difference in the Tampa Bay community. The Cheers to You committee worked hard for 4 months planning the event. There was a Cheers to You Award, and nominations were accepted for two months on the Cheers to You website. Many local non profit organizations nominated outstanding individuals, and from there we chose three to recognize at the event and one overall winner.

The event went wonderfully and we accomplished our goal of raising funds and awareness. Through this process the event and QFAD organization were featured on many local radio and television stations. The Tampa Chapter also gained 10 new volunteers from the publicity. At the event, there were about 125 people in attendance at Hunter’s Green Country Club. Some of the highlights for the event were a silent auction, DJ, dancing, dessert table, coffee bar, guest of honor, awards presentation, guest speaker and photo booth. Our guest of honor was Leanna Leach, a former Tampa Chapter “Queen for a Day”. The guest speaker for the evening was Angela Harwell who spoke about the importance of volunteerism. Leanna’s mother Toni, also spoke about her daughter Leanna’s experience with Queen for a Day. The speakers were amazing and did a great job speaking about the importance of QFAD and volunteering. We were also very blessed to have phenomenal vendors for the event donate their services. I was also fortunate enough to have a great friend of mine, Ashly Olivier with Olivier Events on board as the event planner. She coordinated the flower, food, DJ, videographer, photographer, venue, and more. I can’t thank her enough for all of her hard work and endless hours dedicated to the event. I would like to thank everyone involved with the event and everyone who attended the event. I am proud to say that we raised about $5,000 and I am looking forward to the 2nd Annual Cheers to You Event!

Thank you to the following vendors!!!

• Photography: Carrie Wildes Photography
• Flowers/Decor: Events in Bloom
• Entertainment: Inspire Entertainment
• Photobooth: Shutter Booth
• Coffee/Cappuccino cart: Cafe Ala Carte
• Videography/Slideshow: Tampa Wonderworks
• Custom invitations/Stationery: Paper Presence
• Linens: Linens by the Sea
• Dessert Station: Sweetie Pies
• Custom Dress for Guest of Honor: Anglo Couture
• Chiavari Chairs: First Class Rentals
• Gretchen Hill: Hunter’s Green Country Club

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Summer is here and that means an annual visit to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital for the Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day. For this particular event there was a brand new group of volunteers. Typically, QFAD Tampa has at least 4-5 returning volunteers for each event; there was only 1 on this particular day. After going through the ins and outs of the party and a quick set up, the volunteers were ready to get started. The set up for the event consisted of a long table with makeup on one side and all of the crafts on the other. The crafts for the day were foam door hangers, princess wands, flower bookmarks, and beaded jewelry. Needless to say, the girls were very busy making crafts throughout the event. In the back of the room there was a small rectangular table with all of the crowns for the coronation ceremony. After each girl made a craft and had her makeup done, it was time for the highlight of the event! The volunteers took the girls over to be crowned. Each girl was crowned “Queen for a Day” with a stunning tiara, a certificate, a keepsake photo and was given a goodie bag.

Of course, we did not forget about the boys for this event. I am very thankful for Tampa Fire Rescue and Capt. Bill Wade for coming out and making the event memorable for each boy. The firefighters brought the fire truck, which was parked right out in front of the hospital. When the boys arrived at the event they had an opportunity to make crafts inside. They make foam door hangers, bookmarks and colored fire safety books. When they finished they were taken outside for the best part of the event, the fire truck. The boys learned all about the fire engine with a tour of the entire truck. The firefighters in attendance were absolutely phenomenal with the boys at the event. They took their time explaining everything and answered all of the questions. After the tour of the truck, the boys were able to get right in and explore! It was great to see each of the boys having so much fun with huge smiles on their face. Thank you to Tampa Fire Rescue for volunteering for this event and creating lasting memories for all of the children.

There was a lot of press in attendance for the event. The Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day was featured on the local news stations: Bay News 9, Fox 13, ABC Action News, 10 Connects, and News Channel 8. The St. Petersburg Times was also there covering the event. I want to personally thank all of the volunteers, hospital staff, and Carrie Wildes of Carrie Wildes Photography for taking professional pictures at the event (www.carriewildes.com).

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The Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day made it’s way back to All Children’s Hospital for its first event of 2009. The theme for the event was flowers and fun for the girls and sports and firefighters for the boys. The event was smaller than most of the events the Tampa Chapter hosts. Overall, there were 13 children who came and played with us. The children ranged from ages 2-15. There were 6 fabulous Queen for a Day volunteers at the event, along with two firefighters from the St. Petersburg Fire Department.

My favorite part of the event was a little girl named Kali. She was a little shy when she cautiously entered the 2nd floor playroom. I took her hand, made a nametag and brought her straight to the makeup table. A few minutes into her makeover she had a smile from ear to ear. I could tell she had played with makeup before. She knew exactly how to pucker her lips for the lipstick and close her eyes without moving for eye shadow. When her makeover was finished her nails were full of silver sparkles, cheeks were bright pink and her lips were a rosy red. She was absolutely adorable. After I finished her makeup, she got up from the tables and brought me over to the crowns. Her excitement was evident as she reached for the crown of her choice. I put on the crown, draped her in a purple silk cape, handed her a rhinestone covered wand and presented her with a Queen for a Day certificate. Another QFAD volunteer took her picture, and rushed over to the portable printer to print it out. After the coronation ceremony, Kali was ready to play. We made a door hanger with foam flowers and palm trees to decorate her hospital room door. After that we played with some of the firefighter hats and on the mats in the hospital playroom. She had so much energy and brought such joy to everyone at the event.

All of the girls at this event received the same pampering from each of our wonderful volunteers. Crafts were made to bring some color into their hospital rooms. The girls were also given makeovers and crowned Queen for the Day! It was a wonderful day; that many will never forget.

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All Children's Specialty Care of Tampa is a clinical facility that provides high-quality medical, diagnostic and rehabilitative services in a convenient outpatient setting. In cooperation with the University of South Florida College of Medicine and the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, All Children's Specialty Care of Tampa brings many quality pediatric services to children and families in the Tampa area.

This was the Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day’s first event with All Children’s Specialty Care of Tampa. We were set up in a large conference room, which worked out perfectly! The event began at 1:00pm and that is when the children began to trickle in. We had 6 children RSVP for the event, and gained a few more from clinics going on at the facility that day.

The girls began their Queen for a Day experience with makeup. The girls were able to pick all of the makeup they wanted to use. As I looked around, I saw pink eyes, purple nails, red lips and blushing cheeks. Each Queen looked absolutely beautiful. One exciting part of the makeover was the nail polish. I was lucky to have 4 boxes of nail polish donated by Happy Nails Salon in New Tampa. Therefore each Queen was able to pick the color she wanted on her nails and take it home with her! After the pampering, it was time for crafts. The hot craft of the day was a princess crown picture frame. The girls were able to decorate the frame. After they were finished making it beautiful, the volunteers printed out a picture for them to put in it. This was a perfect keepsake for their special day.

The boys had a special treat at this event as well. The Tampa Chapter was fortunate to have the Old Cracker Fire Company at the event (www.oldcrackerfirecompany.com). Mr. Gary did a fabulous job making crafts and spending time with the boys inside. After they were done making crafts, they had a wonderful opportunity to go outside and explore a real fire truck! Some of the girls and boys were able to actually get in the front of the truck! They turned on the siren, honked the horn and experienced what it’s like to be a firefighter. Back inside, some of the boys were even able to try on a firefighter uniform. It took about 3 minutes for Mr. Gary to get each boy into the suit. There were a lot of pieces and it was HEAVY! I don’t know how those firefighters can get it all on in a minute when there is an emergency.

Overall, this first event with All Children’s Specialty Care of Tampa went wonderfully. Something I enjoyed with this particular was the one on one time each volunteer was able to spend with the children. At many of our events, there are so many children and a limited number of volunteers. This event worked out perfectly and the Tampa Chapter is looking forward to visiting the facility again in the near future.

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Leanna’s Day Story (told by her mother, Toni)

Leanna was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on August 21, 2007. She wasn't able to go to 4th grade at all. Leanna was hospitalized at All Children's for 13 days when she was diagnosed, then 3 more times before the end of 2007 for kidney stones (a side effect of chemotherapy). January 2, 2008, she wasn't feeling well and had a high temperature, which meant admission to the hospital again. They started her on IV antibiotics immediately and drew labs to find out if the fever was caused by a bacterial infection. She ended up in ICU in the early morning hours of January 3rd. Her heart rate was so high that they could barely get a blood pressure reading. It turned out she had an infection throughout her bloodstream and the source was determined to be her port - which is a central line where IV chemo is infused. This put her in septic shock and a coma. She was in ICU for 3 &1/2 weeks fighting for her life. She was on a ventilator and had so many different medicines hanging on her IV pole. She wasn't moving or speaking for 2 months. An MRI of her head revealed that some septic emboli had gone to her brain. She was in the hospital for 3 consecutive months (until April 4, 2008).

Leanna has come a long way with the help of outpatient physical, occupational, and speech therapies. She was able to begin 5th grade, and was elected President of the school's student council! She has been going to Deer Park Elementary since kindergarten, and has so many good friends and the staff loves her. She continues to go to therapies and is progressing wonderfully. We look forward to the day that she is walking again (unassisted) and when she can get back to doing all the things she loved (like bike riding, hula hoop, etc). She was actually hospitalized 3 additional times since April 2008, due to fevers from bacterial and viral infections...but nothing severe like the beginning of last year. She will continue chemotherapy for the leukemia through October 2009. We hope and pray that she stays in remission and doesn't have a relapse. The 5-year survival rate is 85%, so our goal is to make it through August 2012.... and for her to be cancer free and in high school, making plans for college.

Leanna’s Day as Queen

When Leanna’s mother contacted me about doing a princess party I was elated. The Tampa Chapter had done one previous princess party in 2008 and it was a memorable experience. Valentine’s Day was the date of the party, which meant Valentine’s crafts and snacks to go along with the holiday. From the moment we arrived at Leanna’s house we were welcomed with open arms. We set up our makeup table, craft table, snack table and crowning area. As soon as we finished Leanna’s friends started to arrive. She invited 10 friends from her 5th grade class. The girls came in and were ready to be pampered. Half of the girls started with crafts and the other half started with makeup. The girls were a blast to work with. The big conversation topic of the day was the school dance that had taken place the night before. Excitement and joy filled each room throughout the entire party. After the makeup and crafts the girls moved into the living room for their coronation ceremony. Each beauty was given a “Queen for the Day” certificate, a real tiara, and goodie bag filled with fun stuff. After pictures were taken it was time for the group photo. This was the most memorable part of the event for me. Each girl put on her bright pink boa and a huge smile for the camera. As I looked around I thought about how lucky Leanna is to have such a wonderful group of friends. When a child is sick with a life threatening illness these little moments with family and friends mean the most. To think that after a year out of school and a rollercoaster of a journey Leanna was sitting there that day with a smile on her face surrounded by the people that love her. I am thankful that Queen for a Day was able to help create these special memories that Leanna will cherish for a lifetime. Thank you to all of the volunteers and Leanna’s family for helping to make this event a great success.

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year, which means another holiday party at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital for the Tampa chapter of Queen for a Day. Our annual holiday party at St. Joseph’s Children’s hospital is an event we look forward to each year.

My favorite part of the party was the holiday decorations and crafts. I always arrive a little earlier to set up for this annual party. For this event, there were five tables set up in the lobby of the hospital. At one table there was fun holiday cookies, candy canes and juice boxes for the patients to snack on between pampering. On another table, were the crafts for the day. The crafts consisted of our usual door hangers, decorated with holiday foam crafts. We also had snowflake bookmarks for the girls and gingerbread men for the boys. Each craft was a huge hit, which was evident from the piles of sticky wrappers, a blank roll of glue dots, and empty large buckets of foam crafts.

From the moment the first few patients arrived, the room was continuously filled with kids until the end of the event. Since the event was so close to the holidays, and school was out, there were a lot of siblings visiting in the hospital. Since the siblings are also going through hard times, we always invite them to take part in the fun. The girls were pampered by local pageant title holders and wonderful volunteers. Unfortunately for this event the firefighters were not able to attend. Since the firefighters are on call at the time of the party, there is always a possibility of them being called to an emergency. For the first time in the history of the Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day, they were called to an accident about a half mile from the hospital. I had to jump in with the boys and make due with what we had. Everything ended up working out great. The boy snad the volunteers talked, laughed and made lots of crafts.

I could not believe how many kids we had a the event. I was thankful to have some volunteers taking pictures and passing out goodie bags. There was even a line for the coronation ceremony, this was a first! Though the event went by fast, we were able to touch many lives on this day. It was a day filled with lots of joy and happiness. Happy Holidays from Queen for a Day Tampa.

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To start off the holiday season the Tampa chapter of Queen for A Day went to All Children’s Hospital. This was our first event there and I was very excited to partner up with such a wonderful hospital. The planning for this event was unlike the other events we put on. The patients at All Children’s Hospital tend to have more severe illnesses; therefore we needed to have hypoallergenic makeup and personal makeover supplies. We were supposed to have anywhere from 6 to 20 patients, depending on who was up to coming to the event and able to leave their rooms. Since there weren’t as many children, we only had 6 volunteers for the day.

I arrived at the hospital, unloaded the car and was taken to the play room on the 2nd floor. It was a perfect location for the event. There were tables, chairs, a couch, kitchen, an air hockey table and lots of space to move around. The seasoned volunteers helped me set everything up and we were ready to go. We were also lucky to have St. Petersburg Fire Department with us for this event. Patients started to trickle in one by one. Within in fifteen minutes all the tables were filled. There were more kids than expected, which was a pleasant surprise. At most events, I usually spend most of the time talking with parents or taking pictures. Since this was the first event at the hospital we were unable to take pictures. Therefore, I was able to do some pampering. The girls were given individual bags of makeup with all the applicators. They were able to pick out the colors they wanted to use and keep everything else. Each queen looked absolutely beautiful at the end of the event, and their smiles were contagious.

The boys were busy throughout the whole party. First, they were busy with the door hanger crafts. Some boys were even creative and glued their foam gingerbread men on the door hangers. After the crafts they moved to AIR HOCKEY!! Yes, some of the boys and firefighters had a competition going on for the reminder of the party!

As I moved around throughout the event and sat down to talk with the patients I was continuously amazed. All of the children were in such high spirits. We talked about school, the holidays, music, TV shows, and when they were going to be when they grew up. Each patient was going through something different, but they all had something in common, hope and dreams. I wish everyone had an opportunity to experience these events; it truly is a life changing experience. Live, Love and Laugh each and every day.

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The Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day took a road trip to Orlando, Florida for our first event at Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. I was excited for this event and also anxious because I had not seen the facility before. From the moment I arrived I knew it would be a special day. The hospital has classrooms, which is where we hosted our event. Thankfully I had many seasoned volunteers with me who helped set everything up. Our firefighters arrived from the City of Orlando Fire Department, and we were ready to go in no time.

Our heroes started out our party. Two boys came down first and were ready to have some fun! I have to say that the firefighters really stole the show for this event. I was amazed with how attentive they were to each child. They were telling jokes, talking sports and getting to know each patient. Looking at their table, all I could see were smiles from ear to ear. Queen for a Day was blessed to have such a wonderful group of men for this special day.

After a little time had passed, our queens made their grand entrance. From that moment on, there was nail polish, eye shadow, lipstick, wands, crowns, and to top it off sparkling tiaras. Each patient looked beautiful and absolutely deserved this time of pampering. Mrs. Florida International, Deana Rollyson was even able to visit some of our queens in their rooms because they could not come down to the party. We wanted to make sure every girl received her royal treatment.

My favorite part of the event was going out to visit the fire truck. Not only were the patients able to get outside for some fresh air, they were able to learn all about the fire truck. They even heard the loud roaring engine! After we came back in things began to dwindle down and the event came to an end. The Tampa Chapter of Queen for a day enjoyed working with Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital and looks forward to more events in the future.

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Queen for a Day participated in the Children’s Cancer Center’s family weekend for the second year in a row. The location, The Bethany Center in Lutz, FL was absolutely breathtaking. We were in our own private building with lots of open space for the event. We set up two craft tables, two makeup tables, a crowning area, and a food table. The crafts for the day were foam door hangers, beaded jewelry, stamping cards and wands. Just as we finished setting up, the queens began to arrive. One by one they rushed in. Some were running directly to crafts others to the makeup. Our volunteers were kept on their toes and began to pamper our queens one by one. Each queen had her nails painted; makeup applied, created cute crafts and had a yummy snack. To top it all off each queen was presented with a real tiara, a Queen for a Day certificate and goodie bag. The day ended with a Polaroid picture of each queen so she could take it with her to remember her special day. Overall, the event felt like a whirlwind. As quickly as it started, it came to an end. As the girls went outside to play with their bubbles and wands our kind volunteers began to pack up. The party went by faster than most, but was another successful event. Thank you to the Children’s Cancer Center for letting us take part in their family weekend. We will look forward to the third annual event next year!

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The Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day made its way back to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital for our annual summer party on June 20th, 2008. With the fire fighters and a fire truck outside, make-up and nail polish set up inside at tables surrounded by Bay Area pageant queens, we were ready for the fun to start. The patients poured into the lobby of the children’s hospital, excited for what was to come. The boys went directly outside side to see the fire truck. They didn’t know it, but they were in for a real treat. The boys had an opportunity to go on the fire truck! As I walked out to capture memories I saw patients on the back of the truck hanging to the handles, in the front with their hands gripped tightly around the steering wheel and on the top learning all about the parts of the fire engine. After the boys had their fun outside they came inside for a snack and some crafts. The boys decorated fire hats, made sports door hangers and even neat slap bracelets.

The girls were definitely were not forgotten about on this special day. There were more pageant title holders at this event than ever before, eight in all! The girls were pampered from head to toe. There was blush, eye shadow, nail polish, lipstick, sparkles, and top it off a beautiful tiara!! In the craft area there were stunning beaded bracelets, luau themed door hangers and princess foam crowns. Fun was had by all and I could not have done it without the help of my wonderful volunteers and St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Staff. Thank You!

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This was the Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day’s first PRINCESS PARTY. I thought of the princess parties when I heard about a child who had cancer, but was not hospitalized at the time. She is out of school for one year and three months into her treatments. I wanted to bring the program to her and create a day she would never forget. Kayla invited her friend Hannah to her princess party. Kayla and Hannah met at All Children’s Hospital during their treatments. The party went just like any other Queen for a Day party, just on a smaller scale. Kayla and Hannah created pretty princess wands and blooming door hangers. After craft time was finished, they were ready for the real pampering. They were both so excited to get their makeup done, but most of all they wanted their crowns! Each of the girls picked out their favorite colors of blush, eye shadow, lipstick and nail polish. Volunteer Kayla did Princess Kayla’s makeup and volunteer Alysa did Hannah’s makeup. The girls had so much fun being pampered and looked brightly beautiful when they were finished. At the end of the party each girl was crowned Queen and given a gorgeous tiara. The princess party was the absolute highlight of my day. Kayla and Hannah were both little balls of energy and a blast to “play” with for a few hours. They both wore a huge smile and made all of us laugh all day. I will never forget their smiles, cute comments, and captivating energy. I wish we could have stayed longer. I look forward to seeing Kayla and Hannah again, along with doing more Princess Parties! Please take a moment to look at the fabulous pictures from this day….these pictures really are worth 1,000 words!

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The Tampa chapter of Queen for a Day hosted its first big fundraiser at The Lime restaurant in Tampa. Our goal of the happy hour event was to introduce the Tampa Chapter to the community while raising money for our wonderful cause. With great preparation, the night went off without a hitch. Guests enjoyed a specialty drink of the night, called the “Royaltini”, and also had an opportunity to purchase raffle tickets to win some outstanding prizes. We look forward to making the happy hour fundraiser an annual Tampa Chapter tradition.

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For each party the Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day hosts, we like to plan our parties around a fun theme. Since the party took place the week before Valentine’s Day, we decided to plan activities to go with the holiday. We had a table set up with yummy valentine’s cookies and candy. Each patient was able to make an adorable heart door hanger for their hospital room doors, which made their rooms a bit more festive. The girls also made pretty princess crowns and wands. The heroes interacted with two firefighters and even had the opportunity to try on a real firefighter’s uniform (it was REALLY heavy!). Our ten volunteers, some seasoned and some new volunteers were incredible. They made each patient feel comfortable and kept smiles on their faces throughout the whole party. We were fortunate enough to have the St. Petersburg Times there to cover the event, capturing memorable moments.

Something special about this party was all of our pageant queens. We were fortunate enough to have Mrs Clearwater 2007, Miss St. Petersburg 2007, Mrs Florida 2007 and Miss Gasparilla 2008. Each patient enjoyed the time they spend with our beauty queens and we look forward to having each of them back for our next event.  

The party went by fast and before we knew it the lobby of the hospital began to clear out. I appreciate the hospital staff for being so helpful throughout the entire day. We also sent many items up to the rooms of children who were unable to leave their hospital room. We do not want any children to miss out on the Queen for a Day experience. Our next party with St. Joseph's children's will be this summer.

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The Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day volunteered to help out with a fashion show put on to raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Five Tampa Chapter volunteers went to a local middle school to help out with this event. Our volunteers did the makeup for all of the girls that were in the fashion show. Queen for a Day was happy to help with such a fun event for a wonderful organization.  

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This was the Tampa Chapter’s first event with the Children’s Cancer Center. It was also our first event with only queens. We had our own little craft house at the center to host our event. It was a perfect size for our party. We had a crown and goodie bag table in the crowning area, two make-up and nail tables, one craft table, a table for food and a table for the mothers’ make-up. As I looked around the room, I was captivated. I saw bright smiles, pink cheeks, purple nails, and yummy frosting. Something special about this event was that we were able to pamper the mothers as well. Mary Kay beauty consultants volunteered their time to pamper the mothers of the girls at the party. We were also fortunate to have volunteers from the Junior League of Tampa provide crafts for this event. They brought princess mugs and crowns and lots of delicious cookies for cookie decorating. All the crafts were a hit with the girls!  

The highlight for me during this event was a four-year-old named Brooke. She walked in the room, directly over to the crown table. She picked out a beautiful crown, put it on her head and was ready for her goodie bag. After a little convincing I was able to do her make-up. Her favorite color was purple, which is all she wanted on her face and nails. She picked out purple eye shadow, lipstick, blush and glitter. I grabbed a mirror and she was ready to go. She began putting the make-up on herself, and then asked for help with the blush. At the end of our time together she was all made up, with a crown and bright pink boa to finish it off. This is one little girl I will never forget.  

About a half an hour before the end of the party, as most of our queens were crowned and the party was coming to an end, I saw a sight I will never forget. At one of the make-up tables there were three queens doing the volunteers make-up. I am not sure which the girls enjoyed more: getting their make-up done or doing it themselves on our beautiful volunteers. This trend caught on fast and almost every queen was able to put some make-up on a volunteer. I am blessed to have such a wonderful group of volunteers. The memories from this party will stay with all involved for a long time to come. We look forward to our next event with the Children’s Cancer Center.  

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With a hand full of volunteers we were ready to start our semi annual Queen for a Day event at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. From the make up to the nail polish, from the tiaras to the crafts from the firefighters to the patients we were ready for the party to begin. One by one patients began to fill the hospital lobby. Every patient was placed with a volunteer, who would stay with them through the entire makeover process. The girls began with either makeup or crafts as the boys had the opportunity to go outside and visit the fire truck. Our theme for this party was Hawaiian. At the food table we had fun palm tree decorations with Hawaiian napkins and lies. Our crafts were door hangers with Hawaiian self stick foam flowers, beaded bracelets, foam wands and crowns to decorate. Quality time was spent with each patient as they took their minds off of what they were going through and had some fun. My favorite part of each party is when the girls are crowned. Each queen sits on her thrown with a face full of makeup, and a exquisite tiara. With help from Miss St Petersburg USA Tatiana Schoeppler and Mrs. Florida Galaxy Angela Harwell our queens were given the royal treatment and left with memories to last a lifetime.  

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The holidays arrived and it was time for our annual Holiday Queen for a Day Party at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. As usual there was a lot of fun in store for the kids. Our party went off without a hitch to celebrate them and make their day special. We had our tables set up for the make-up, crafts, heroes, crowning ceremony, and food. This year we put up a small table at the front of the room with a Queen for a Day scrapbook, poster board, and brochures. Parents also had the opportunity to sign up for the Tampa Chapter Mailing List at the table. The crafts for this event were holiday themed. The children were able to make holiday foam door hangers and foam candy canes, Christmas trees, snowmen, and snowflake bookmarks. At our makeup table there was a rainbow of favorite colors for the Queens. From pink and purple to red and green….their faces were sparkling with joy and beauty. We added a few things to our event this year. First we added to our crowning ceremony. We added a table to place all of the crowns and we made certificates for each of our girls entitling them to Queen for the Day. Second, one of our volunteers brought bowling pin snowmen that her school organization made. The children at the party were able to pick out a snowman and “adopt” it. They named it, and signed that they would take good care of it. The children absolutely loved this; it was such a cute idea. I hope to bring it back each holiday season.  

We were fortunate enough to have the Hillsborough County Fire Department with us for this event. The firemen brought stuffed animals, hats, booklets, and they even brought a real fire truck! The boys had the opportunity to go outside and tour the truck and they even learned a little about what each part of the truck does. I have to say that I think that this was the highlight for the boys on this day. These boys that are heroes in the hospital fighting their illnesses were able to spend some time with the everyday heroes from our community.  

I would like to thank each and every person that was involved with this Queen for a Day event. Without the continuous support of the volunteers and hospital staff we would not be able to make these dreams come true. I wish you all a happy, healthy and blessed 2007. Happy New Year!  

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Queen for a Day hosted our summer party this past week.  This was the third year that we have been at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital.  This party was the busiest so far.  We had over 30 queens and heroes participate in the event.  We kept our party set up the same that it has been in the past.  This consisted of a table for food, crafts, make-up, and our heroes table.  We had beaded princess necklaces for the girls and firefighters beads out at all of the tables for the children to put on right away.  Our craft for the party was princess door hangers, beaded jewelry, and foam crowns for our queens.  Our Hero crafts were sports door hangers.  Our heroes were able to spend time with two wonderful police officers.  The police officers even brought them some fun toys to take home with them.  For out queens we were luck enough to have two local title holders in attendance.  The girls loved taking pictures with our real life “queens”. 

At this party we had a new special arrival for the crowning ceremony for the girls; it was a beautiful new princess rocking chair.  The girls absolutely loved it.  My favorite memory of this party was to sisters, Sierra and Damaris Lequillow.  Sierra had heart surgery just a few days before.  They both showed up wearing a bright green shirt that said “I want to be just like my mom".  They were full of energy and excited to participate in our event.  All of our volunteers were very busy throughout the entire party.  We even had some hospital staff helping us because we had so many queens.  I am grateful to have such a wonderful group of volunteers and a phenomenal hospital to work with. 

            This event had the most media coverage that the Tampa Chapter has experienced so far.  Queen for a Day was featured on two local news stations and in the local newspaper.  Each year Queen for a Day is growing each year, and I can’t wait to see where we go in the future. 

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The Tampa chapter looks forward to our Holiday Queen for a Day party all year long.  It is important for the Tampa chapter to host a party around the holiday season to bring some light into the lives of the children that are in the hospital over this special time of the year.  The party was a hit with the children, parents and hospital staff.  At this party we were very fortunate to have one volunteer for each queen, so each girl was personally pampered and had the opportunity to get to know our volunteers.  The crafts for the girls at this party were holiday door hangers, foam tiaras and beaded jewelry.  Needless to say most of the queens spent most of their time at the craft table.  By the end of the party our queens had beautiful new lipstick, nail polish, eye shadow, many fun gifts but most importantly a shiny new tiara.  Each queen had the opportunity to hand pick the tiara that she wanted.  It was a fun day that lifted many spirits and put some magic back in their holiday season. 

            The heroes had their own party on this day also.  They were in a different area of the lobby with their own firefighter table.  We had a lot of heroes at this party; thankfully we had wonderful volunteers from the local fire department there to help.  The boys had an opportunity to try on a real firefighter uniform, it was very heavy!!  Along with a fire hat, our heroes were given a fire safety booklet and a bag full of goodies.  They created sport door hangers and even decorated fire hats.  This December party was a huge success.  We are thankful for all the help that we had for making this happen.  We are truly blessed to be able to bring joy to others through Queen for a Day over this holiday season.  

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It had been a while since our last party so all of the staff and volunteers were excited to put on this party. We were fortunate again to have the Hillsborough County Fire Department with us for this party.  They brought 5 firefighters and the main hit at the party; a fire truck. 

The party started out with 5 boys and girls who were the first ones to come down to the main lobby from their rooms.  The boys made door hangers for their rooms and decorated them with sports stickers.  They were also given firefighter hats and goodies.  The girls decorated crown door hangers and foam tiaras.  These crafts were perfect for Queen for a Day.   After the girls did their crafts they were them pampered by our wonderful volunteers.  We did their nails, lipstick, eye shadow, blush and to top it off they received their very own sparkling tiara.  Through out the party some of our firefighters took the patients outside to see the fire truck.  The children were able to squirt the hose, and learn about the items on the truck.  This to me is the best part of the party. 

By the end of the party we had 15 total children who experienced the Queen and Hero for a Day party.  This was another successful party with a spectacular group of volunteers and hospital staff.  We are excited to do our next Queen for a Day party in December.  

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Each Queen for a Day party is very special for all the volunteers, children and their families.  It was important for me to do a party around the holiday season.  I cannot imagine how hard it would be to have a child in the hospital over the holidays.  I knew that this party would be very special.  At this party we crowned 15 beautiful queens.  For the craft the children had an opportunity to make door hangers for their hospital door and bracelets for the girls to wear.  I love doing the crafts with the children because it gives the volunteers a chance to talk to the children and get to know them. 

             QFAD was fortunate enough to have 4 volunteers from the Hillsborough County Fire Department.  The firefighters brought a fire truck and allowed the children to go outside and squirt the hose.  Each and every boy at the party really was a hero and by the smiles on their faces you could tell that they knew it too.  One particular boy named Ari really touched all of the volunteers’ hearts.  He first came to the party very quiet and shy.  He stood back from everything for the first few minutes and the next time I looked at him he looked like a totally different child.  He was trying on all of the fire fighter equipment, he was outside squirting the hose (he even squirted the Bay News 9 Camera man), and most of all he had a huge smile on his face.  When the party was winding down he did not want to leave.  He even began to take pictures of all the volunteers.  Ari and boys and girls like him are the reason why we do what we do with Queen for a Day.  There is no better feeling than making a difference in a child’s life.  This truly is an amazing organization and I am very blessed to have QFAD in my life. 

            This party is going to be featured on Bay News 9 as an Everyday Hero story on January 3^rd, 2005.  I am very touched to be featured as an everyday hero because with QFAD the children are my heroes.  I want to thank Jennifer Holloway (Bay News 9 reporter) for coming to the party and helping crown our Queens.  Queen for a Day touches the lives of everyone that is involved.  

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This was the second time that we have done a party at St. Josephs Children’s Hospital.  The staff was excited to see us and was very helpful with the set up for the party.  From what I was told Queen for a Day was the talk of the hospital after our last party in July.  We set up in the lobby of the hospital.  We had a table for food, crafts, and make-up, and one table for the boys.  The crafts of the day were foam door hangers and beaded jewelry.  There were 8 volunteers including Nicole Roman, DeSoto Queen and a local firefighter.  It seemed like all the children came down at the same time, which became a bit hectic.  We had 3 volunteers at the make-up table, two at the crafts and firefighter tables, and I was running around taking pictures and handing out goodie bags. 

            This past summer QFAD Tampa was fortunate enough to become the philanthropy chosen for the University of South Florida’s Panhellenic Recruitment.  Because of this we were able to give each queen their own sash, picture frame, mirror, wand, purse and beaded jewelry that were made by sorority women at USF.  Overall we crowned 15 Queens and 5 Heroes.  Each one of the volunteers that attended the party had an amazing experience with Queen for a Day.  This program not only touches the children that we are helping but it touches the heart of the parents and volunteers.  I feel honored to have the Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day. The day went by fast but as always was a bunch of fun.  We are excited for our next party at St. Josephs in December. 

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We were very excited about this party at St. Josephs Children’s Hospital because it was the first one of the QFAD Tampa Chapter.  As we arrived at the hospital we were excited to see that a local TV station was there to cover the party.  For our first party this was a big event for the Tampa Chapter.  We set up all of our fun door hanger crafts along with the food and make-up and we were ready to go.  We had 10 volunteers, 2 of which were local firefighters.  Children started coming down around 12:30 and from then on things were non stop until the end.  The children came down a few at a time to the party.  The children each had the opportunity to make a foam door hanger for their rooms, the girls were all treated like “Queens” and the boys were our heroes. 

I will never forget the first little girl that sat down in the chair for her royal treatment.  Her name was Kiana, who was in the hospital with a diseased heart.  She had a huge smile on her face and she was adorable.  She chose her 3 favorite colors which were red, blue and green.  She had blue and green eyes and bright red cheeks.  She picked 2 colors of pink for her lips.  The best moment for me was after her treatment she came up to me and I turned around and saw her will a bright pink boa on that she had received in her goodie bag.  She was a true “Queen” and I could tell that our program made an impact in this little girl’s life. 

            Throughout the rest of the party time we had 13 girls that received the royal treatment from Queen for a Day.  From bright pink lips to red nails, the girls all left with huge smiles on their faces.  Each of them received a beautiful pageant tiara which was theirs to keep remembering their day as Queen. 

We did not forget about the boys on this special day. We were very fortunate to have 2 amazing firefighters who were great with all of the children.  They brought hats, stickers, and pencils for all of the boys to have.  Each boy was able to put on a real fireman hat, pants, boots, and jacket.  They absolutely loved this, and so did their parents.  It really brought a smile to all of our faces to see how much the children were enjoying this party. 

Overall the party was a huge success.  We cannot wait to go back to St. Josephs Children’s Hospital for another party.  The Tampa Chapter of Queen for a Day was featured on Bay News 9 around 5:30 that night after the party in a segment called Lighting up their lives.  This really meant a lot to the Tampa Chapter.