Miss Black Ohio Speaks: One Step at a Time....Let's Get Healthy Together!

Hello everyone!
With National Wear Red Day, to promote heart disease awareness, right around the corner it's time for all of us to stand up and make a commitment to living healthier life styles.
So, what's the first step? It's time for The Miss Black Ohio Weekly Nutrition Challenge! How does it work? Every week will be a new challenge, we'll start simple and hopefully build up completely new habits that will help us all eat smart and be heart healthy.
This weeks challenge is VERY simple. This is something that we should all already be doing, but since I know our lives are busy and we often forget to take care of our bodies we'll start here. What's the challenge? EAT FRUIT. The challenge this week is to eat AT LEAST one piece of fruit very day this week. My fruit of choice will be apples. You know what they say, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!"

The question is... are you up to the challenge?
It's my personal goal to not only support heart health, and to work hard to be heart healthy, but to find away to really encourage those around me be heart healthy too. Come with me on this challenge, one step at a time. Let's get healthy together :)

Remember: Starting tomorrow, FRUIT FRUIT FRUIT everyday!

Miss Black Ohio 2012 and Miss Black Ohio USA Talented Teen on Issues!

On January 11, 2012 Miss Black Ohio USA Kayla Hardimon and Miss Black Ohio USA Talented Teen 2012 Dominique Jackson appeared on Issues hosted by Jan-Michele Kearney in Cincinnati, Ohio to promote the Miss Black Ohio USA Scholarship Foundation and their programs aimed at empowering young women.

Click here to watch the full interview!

Miss Black Ohio Speaks: Two Week Recap!

Good afternoon to my fabulous and faithful blog readers!

So much has been going on in the last two weeks, and I am so excited to finally have the time to give the details. Last week I had an amazing experience at the ESPY Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati. I posted a video with LOTS of pictures from the night, but the evening was so wonderful that I must put it into words.

The quick version of my evening goes like this- went to the boys and girls club, spoke to the young women of the "Pretty Girlz Rock" program, taught a dance, met a lot of the students and then returned home. The reality of my experience at ESPY goes much deeper than that.

Miss Black Ohio Gives a Sneak Peak!

Hello everyone!
I'm currently working on a video (you know I love those!) to capture the Red Dress Photo Shoot Weekend, but for now I have a few photos to give you a sneak peak into what we were up to :)

Miss Black Ohio USA Speaks: Inspiring Our Youth! [Video]

Miss Black Ohio USA Talented Teen Speaks: A Day of Service

UCrew and the Mayor !

Happy MLK day everybody! I hope you decided to go out and give back in any way that you are capable of=) Today I went to the Veterans Memorial. This event was filled with amazing speakers, dancers, singers, and actors! There also was a volunteer fair going on that consisted of 21 non-profits from around Columbus,Ohio that represented their organization and provided opportunities to anybody willing to take advantage of them!

Miss Black Ohio Speaks: Excitement!

Hello all!

I am currently in the Columbus airport waiting to board my flight to Washington DC! I am so excited to have my first Miss Black USA experience of the year :) I can't wait to meet the other contestants, speak about the Heart Truth Campaign, take wonderful photos AND show DC what Miss Black USA contestants are made of!

I know that this will be a wonderful experience! Stay tuned, I plan to take A LOT of pictures :)

With love,

Miss Black Ohio
Kayla Hardimon

Miss Black Talented Teen Ohio 2012 Speaks: Service!

I am so honored and blessed to have this title as Miss Black Talented Teen Ohio 2012.  So far with my title I have worked at the voting poles, spoke to teens in Dublin with Youth to Youth International, volunteered at Habitat for humanity, and volunteered with a Gifts of Love charity. Recently I have created a workshop tilted Beyond Beautiful that challenges young females to live beyond the expectations of other and to know the real meaning of  beautiful instead of societies definition of it. I look forward to all the amazing opportunities and blessing that are coming my way=)

Youth @ the Booth: 

I worked at the voting polls on November, 8, 2011. I had the opportunity to work there through an organization called Youth at the Booth. I enjoyed working this long 15 hour day because it gave me a chance to see what the atmosphere at the polls are like , as well as an opportunity to met and talk to the people of my community. I will be voting in the upcoming election. As a young African American woman, I know of the struggles of women who came before me, and how they fought selflessly so women today can have the right to vote. My hopes would be that all young voters educate themselves on current political topics so we all can be informed voter, come November and let are voices be heard!

Youth to Youth International: 


Youth to Youth is youth led adult guided organization. I have been apart of this program for 3 years . Through this organization I have made friends and mentors who I look up to for guidance ans support. Youth to Youth meets every Wednesday from 6-8 at 1440 Fields Ave , Columbus Ohio 43211 . If you are High School Teen living in the Columbus area or surrounding neighborhoods I strongly encourage you to come on down! (you wont regret it!)On December 5 2011( My Birthday) I had the opportunity t to go to Dublin Teen Institute and speak=) I did a workshop called Tenspiration , witch discus 10 ways to inspire yourself and others in your community.

Habitat for Humanity: 

I had the chance to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity with an Organization called Ucrew. Ucrew is s service leadership organization that I have been apart of since October. I enjoyed volunteering at Habitat for Humanity Restore because I know the work I did that day will greatly benefit others who are less fortunate than myself. 

I look forward to continue to work with Habitat for Humanity. I am Vice President of my Senior Class at Fort Hayes , currently I am planning a Senior service day event . I will organize a day where my senior class can go to Habitat for Humanity , with hope that they get just as much out of the experience as I did.

Gifts of love: 

Over Winter break I did a Gifts of love Charity event, I passed out gifts to underprivileged families . While at the event I met tons of cool deserving people.This event showed me how great it is when people come together to better the life of others =)

Te-Te and myself 

                                           

Don't Let the world change your smile , let your smile change the world. Stay posted to see how my Beyond Beautiful Prevention works out =)

Miss Black Ohio Speaks: The Year Has Begun!

2012 is here! I am so blessed to see the beginning of another year. As I think about all of the things that are ahead of me in 2012, I can't help but be very VERY excited. I have so many wonderful things that I would like to accomplish this year.

The Miss Black Ohio organization now has an official partnership with the Girl Scouts!
This year I will be able to continue to instill the importance of true beauty and a "Woman's Worth" into young women around the state of Ohio. I am very excited about this partnership! Just recently I was able to co-host a self-esteem workshop with 3 girl scout troops in Cincinnati.

The workshop was a great experience. It's so wonderful to hear young women speak about what they believe true beauty is, and to help them build a strong sense of self-esteem. The girls had so many great ideas and were truly an inspiration to me. While my goal was to teach them, I learned a lot as well.
Along with working with the girl scouts this year I am excited about working with the Boys and Girls Clubs as well.
I truly desire to make a difference! There are 8 months left before the national pageant and 10 months before my year as Miss Black Ohio comes to an end, and I promise to make the most out of every single moment.