My Year as Ms. Menifee Valley Chamber

This last year I've been honored to serve the Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce and the City of Menifee as Ms. Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce. Crowned last April by Southwest Pageants, I have spent my tenure dedicating my time to Menifee. In total 5 Chamber Queens were crowned last year and I've had the distinct pleasure of working with all of them for the benefit of Menifee and it's residents.

At the City's Independence Day Celebration, we hosted a "Kiss From a Queen" Kissing Booth to raise funds for the Menifee Valley Community Cupboard. We raised over $100 that day and had a great time sharing information with attendees about the Cupboard and the community.

Ribbon cuttings are one of our primary responsibilities when volunteering for the Chamber. But it's certainly not all work! We have a great time at every event, welcoming new businesses to the community, teaching them about all the city has to offer and meeting their customers and staff. All of the Queens love answering questions about Menifee and do our best to help connect people with other business owners that can help them.

I've also had the pleasure of attending numerous events around town. Menifee Action Group held a reception to welcome our new County Supervisor Marion Ashley and to thank our previous County Supervisor Jeff Stone. I was honored to attend and get to spend some time with Mr. Stone, learning about our community. Besides ribbon cuttings I have enjoyed attending Menifee Rotary, Menifee City Council Meetings, Menifee Planning Commission Meetings, the Menifee Skate Park organization meeting, NAFE meetings, Menifee City Birthday Party and so much more. Taking time to learn about the city has been very rewarding for me!

Working in conjunction with a number of local businesses as well as my employer, Clear Digital Media, Inc., I've been a part of raising money for the charity that I've chosen to represent, Menifee Valley Community Cupboard. In January we held a Casino Night and over the course of the year I've been fortunate enough to contribute in raising nearly $2000 for the Cupboard. But my mission was more than raising money for the Cupboard; my mission is to raise awareness in the community for this organization and others like it. I've learned that one person can make a difference.

One of the highlights of the year was singing at Menifee Valley Community Cupboard's fundraiser, "Celebrity Karaoke". It was so much fun being able to be silly and ridiculous, while raising money! Not only did I enjoy performing, but I loved the performances by other community members including Mayor John Denver and his wife Linda, Dr. Johnathan Greenberg, Superintendent of Perris Union High School District, and the winner of the Most Talented Award, Menifee Planning Commissioner Bill Zimmerman. Even though I had the best "backup band", we all lost out to Brian Walker of Farmers Insurance for Entertainer of the Year Award!

The Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce hosts 12 Chamber Mixers a year, all held the first Wednesday evening of the month. Open to the public, these mixers are a great way to meet other business owners, managers, elected officials, philanthropic volunteers and community members. Attending these mixers has been not only delightful, but filled with networking opportunities for business contacts and opportunities to help others. The Chamber also holds a Coffee Mixer in the mornings every second Wednesday of the month. The people I've met and built relationships with at these events have been so wonderful!

On Saturday, April 14, I will have the great pleasure of crowning our next Ms. Menifee Valley Chamber at the 2012 Ms./Mrs./Senior Menifee Valley Chamber Pageant, presented by Southwest Pageants. I look forward to passing this honor on to our next Ms. Queen and wish her congratulations on her new title. It is with my deepest, sincere gratitude that I end my reign and I wish to thank everyone who welcomed me, encouraged me, and blessed me this past year. While I take the responsibility seriously, that doesn't mean I didn't have a great deal of fun and take opportunities for silliness along the way! If it's not fun, then why do it, right? I've certainly enjoyed every minute of it!