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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.