Heart of Gold Madi is the ADA 2011 Youth Advocate

This news is so exciting and I will use Madi's mother's own words to explain:
"Yesterday Evening Madi received a call to tell her that she has been chosen as the American Diabetes Association’s 2011 National Youth Advocate! The application process for this is rigorous with numerous essays, a portfolio of work for the ADA, letters of recommendation and a video project. Madi has applied each year since she was 9. She has been the youth/teen ambassador for Delaware/Eastern Shore and a Delaware Advocate for years… all in preparation for what has been a major goal of hers… to serve as the National Youth Advocate!

In this one year position Madi will work in close coordination with the ADA to communicate diabetes advocacy message through Nation-wide speaking engagements, the internet, social media and directly to policymakers. She will meet with elected officials about funding, health care and discrimination policies. She will attend training and National Advocacy meetings in DC. She will travel throughout the country to ADA Camps to teach and hopefully inspire children with diabetes… This is the part that she is MOST excited about!"

Madi herself puts it this way:
"You know how I applied for the National Youth Advocate? Well.......
I WAS CHOSEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am soooooo excited!!!!! I have worked at this for 8 years and now I'm finally old enough and now I get to travel all over the country and be a spokesperson and advocate for the ADA..."

The photo shows Madi with her individual and team fundraising trophies from the Step Out Walk.

Madison Dodge we tip our tiaras to you!!!!!!!!!

Princess Rachel and Bandit are official helpers!

Princess Rachel and her dog, Bandit, are newly certified as Therapy Dog Handler and Therapy dog!! This photo shows Rachel accepting her certificate. We'll add one of her with Bandit soon.

Heart of Gold Madi is in an ad campaign!

Heart of Gold Madi is the focus of an ad campaign for medical devices. She's had many interviews so far! Way to go, Madi!!

Welcome to a pink Princess

Welcome to our newest Royal Princess, who loves lots of pink!!

A new Prince and the royal Princesses

We welcome a family to our Royal Family! His sisters are Princesses now also!

A thoroughly Princessy Princess

I can hardly believe I'm posting with photos of two Princesses in one day!!! What a joy to do so!!

This Princess loves princesses so much that she has her own lovely costumes. The tiaras and doll are from The Princess Project. (Thanks to Dawn Weyer for sending me that rhinestone tiara in my Christmas box.)

Such lovely royal portraits, Princess S. We are soooo pleased to receive them and post them with great pleasure.

a fair faced Princess receives her presents

This is one really beautiful Princess!! She loved the feathery tiara and the mirror. Her rhinestone tiara is in a plastic box behind her leg.
Thanks so much to her Queen mom for sharing this photo!

New Heart of Gold Award Winner

Kylee Black, of New Zealand, is our newest Heart of Gold Award winner. I'll let her tell her story in her own words:
My name is Kylee and I am 23 fighting chronic illness myself... I have set up a website to support other kids, teens and adults battling acute and chronic illness with encourageme​nt books, cards, packages, care cards, flat stanley projects and other projects kids can have made for them... I was wondering if I could link your website on Spirit Sparkplugs, which is the site I have set up.... The website address is www.spirits​parkplugs.c​omand my caringbridg​e where you can learn more about me and my story is www.caringb​ridge.org/v​isit/kyleeb​lack.... You are more than welcome to pass along my Spirit Sparkplugs website to anyone you think may benefit....

Welcome to the Royal Family, Kylee! You're a remarkable person!!

Heart of Gold Madi

Heart of Gold Award winner, Madison Dodge, recently hosted a successful Dance4Diabetes fundraiser! Madi, you continue to amaze us with your upbeat personality and zest for life. That's Madi in the gold t-shirt.

Four Princesses

We're pleased to share these photos of four Princess sisters! It was a bright spot in the day when we saw them! Thanks to the Royal sisters!

Heart of Gold Madi is in Delaware Today!

We're proud to post this link to Delaware Today so you can read about our Heart of Gold Award winner, Madi Dodge. She's such an outstanding young woman! The article expresses it better than I can:
http://www.delawaretoday.com/Delaware-Today/Health-and-Fitness/Spring-Summer-2010/Born-to-Volunteer/

A very elegant Princess

Here's a sparkly photo of an elegant Princess in an incredibly beautiful dress--with a friend. :-)
Sometimes it's difficult to get a photo of a child in her tiara. So on a couple of occasions, this being one, I've photoshopped another photo with the mom's permission.
Sometimes children just won't leave the tiara in for a photo or they've lost too much hair to wear one. There was a brand available for awhile that came on a headband and I was really sad to see that no longer carried.
There have been about two instances when we received no photo of a child at all, and once not even word that the package had arrived. But, usually we are eventually thrilled when we get a snapshot. And one of the reasons is that sometimes someone besides us has purchased the tiara and we like to give a photo to them. (This isn't the case with this Princess so no worries! :-)

The New Year

I love this photo of Elizabeth taken recently in Phoenix.--Marian
Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti. The enormity of the tragedy is hard to wrap your mind around.
We enjoyed so much unwrapping three pretty rhinestone tiaras which were tucked into our Christmas box from Charles and Dawn! Some lucky little ones will be the recipients. :-)
We'd love to have new photos to share but so many of our little Royal ones are ill. Princess Kennedi has been in the hospital and that has delayed photos, of course.
(Also, spending time in the hospital or ER were Princess Stella, Heart of Gold MJ, Princess Mellaya, Princess Lauryn, Princess Melanie, and Princess Lisa.)
We'd love photos of Princess Ariel and Princess Hailee, also, but realize how time can get away, even when all in the family are well!
Whenever they arrive, we will enjoy them. :-)
We're always willing to add to our royal family so pass this site along if you know of someone who could use some sparkle!