Tonight I had the pleasure of meeting a Princess! Kelly Worner and her husband Charlie moved to Kenyon in January of last year and are enjoying small town life. Like many folks who are moving to Kenyon, they were from a larger city, and ready to move to a place with a community feel to it, and here they are! Welcome, Worners!
Well, Kelly had the distinct honor of being the 2017-2018 Hopkins Raspberry Festival's Princess, and she knew then that she wanted to give young girls an opportunity to learn how to also become integral parts in a community by becoming Ambassadors, too. I learned a lot from Kelly tonight about how to inspire young ladies to grow in confidence by being part of a group that needs specific social skills. Just like other activities that are important parts of applying for a college, such as leadership programs and extracurricular activities in high school, being involved in this program is another box to check off on the college application. It is also helpful in applying for jobs in their future, plus they learn proper etiquette in social situations, and become more comfortable in the business world. It teaches kids to be proud of their community. There are so many reasons to check out this program.
So, Kelly has a dream, and I would like her to share this with you in her own words. " It all started when I was at the Grand Day parade on main street and the Raspberry Queen singled me out, waved at me and shouted 'You're beautiful!'. I remember that feeling of being so seen at a time where there was so much uncertainty in my life and a feeling of belonging. I've carried that feeling with me till this day and still get emotional when I think of it almost 20 years later. When I was crowned Princess and got to be a representative of Hopkins and the Raspberry Festival not only did I learn valuable skills such as public speaking and networking I then got to become the Princess on the float blowing kisses to little girls and boys and making an impact for future generations. We have a saying in the Royalty world that 'once a princess, always a princess' and after I passed on my crown, I really took that to heart. I got to be a part of many different leadership opportunities in the organization and festival board of directors making sure that this tradition and opportunity stayed available for the next generation of leaders. With our move to Kenyon this last year, I did step down from my positions in Hopkins to focus on wedding planning, our new home and to start focusing on our new community here. I was encouraged by my peers in Hopkins to learn if there was a Royalty or Ambassador program that I could help out with for Rose Fest and with some light internet investigation, I learned that there was Royalty offered in the past and I quickly wrote an email to Kim Hegleson giving her my 'resume' along with offering my assistance. After a long discussion about what we could create and offer, I was welcomed with open arms into the Rose Fest committee and have been given the opportunity to create for the first time the Kenyon Rose Fest Ambassador Program. The mission of the Kenyon Rose Fest Ambassador Program is to empower young women to become confident, compassionate, and community-minded leaders. Through representing our town at local and regional events, ambassadors will develop public speaking skills, build meaningful connections, and grow their personal brand. By engaging with neighboring communities and honoring the rich history of Kenyon, our ambassadors will foster empathy, broaden their perspectives, and proudly serve as role models and advocates for Kenyon. Those interested in becoming Ambassadors will go through candidacy leading up to the festival and will be judged through a selection process up until coronation. The candidates selected at coronation will then get the honor of representing Kenyon and Rose Fest for an entire year.
As we are just getting started with this program, myself and the committee have a lot of goals we would love to someday achieve. Currently this program is only offered to young women ages 16-19, however I would like to extend the program and have a Little Miss, Junior and Miss Ambassador and maybe someday even Senior Ambassadors. But to do that we would need to have a float big enough to carry that many people and sponsors to help fund or build it. I would also like to turn this program into a scholarship program for the young ladies so we can help and encourage future educational goals. We would love to be able to send our Miss Ambassadors to Visiting Ambassadors Weekend in St. Paul during Winter Carnival Weekend and get to a point where we can send a candidate to compete for Minneapolis Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes. I would also love for us to be invited to any local KW events and fundraisers so we can help support our community with a little extra sparkle!
Each year that an ambassador gives up their crown, they will also then be invited to help me in maintaining the program, whether that's chaperoning or helping with coronation or anything in between. This is the beginning of a legacy and I'm excited for 20 years from now to look back on all the portraits of the ambassadors who have had the honor of representing Kenyon, Rose Fest and the Boulevard of Roses."
This program is all about Kenyon businesses, too. The opportunity to have a sponsorship that will basically advertise their presence in the communities surrounding us is huge. It will bring business to town for our stores, restaurants and gas stations. The Ambassadors being present in parades in other towns and festivals like Jesse James Days in Northfield is a unique way to advertise. Kelly's dream of helping Kenyon to become a "destination location" depends on drawing people here for things they won't find elsewhere.
So far this year, there are 2 candidates in the Ambassador program, and "Royalty" from 5 other communities will be joining us in the Rose Festival Parade. There will be a brunch at Angie's Restaurant on Sunday morning for the visiting royalty, sponsored by our own A & J Fabrication. You will see our Royalty mixing with the crowds all during the Festival.
So if you are interested in knowing more about this program, there are a few ways to learn more. First of all, the email is kenyonambassadors@gmail.com. Second is social media on Facebook at Kenyon Rose Fest Ambassador Program, or @Kenyon Ambassadors on Instagram. So please check out this newest adventure in Kenyon, and if you wish, join in the fun of being a part of a Princess's dream!
