My mom spent all day yesterday and part of today, sewing on my evening gown, to get it ready for the pageant.   Our frontroom became a sewing and fitting room for the two days.    The dress turned out great.  I love it and know that a lot of time and effort went into it by my mom.    Thanks mom, I know you go out of your way to do things for me so I can be successful in the things I like to do.

Me to We is one of the corporate partners to the Free the Children Foundation.  Free the Children was founded in 1995 by a compassionate young man, Craig Kielburger, and then he later went  on to found the organization called Me to We. Free the Children has visited over 60 countries, has built over 650 schools bringing the fundamental right of education to over 55,000 children everyday.  Hundreds of communities have benefited from its water, sanitation projects, medical resources, and alternative income programs.  The reason they are able to do this is because partners like Me to We provide funds, so they can do this work.   Both these organizations are about changing the conditions of poverty in the world.

Since Me to We has been founded, it has developed a highly effective model for creating social change.  With every eco-friendly T-shirt purchased, that is sweat shop free and child labor free, made from organic cotton or fibers like bamboo,  a tree in planted in a third world country.  And every time you purchase a book written by Craig Kielburger, made from 100% recycled paper, a book is given to a child.  So the sale and purchase of items raises money, that is then donated to the Free The Children Foundation to do their work. 

With every annual profit made from Me to We, 50% of it goes directly to Free the Children and the other 50% goes to Me to We in order to keep the business running.  Me to We has became involved with Free the Children for one simple reason: “The development model makes sense, and we’ve seen it change lives, time and again.”  As Craig Kielburger announced on the Me to We website.  Free the Children being and international organization is limited in how they can fund raise in different countries.   Me to We on the other hand operates under  a different set of rules and therefore, in a way, makes money to support the Free The Children Foundation so they can continue on there work.   They also are a major education organization to teach youth about how they can get involved and help.

Me to We and Free the Children support countries such as:

• Ecuador, South America
• Haiti, Latin America
• Kenya, East Africa
• Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia
• China, East Asia
• India, South Asia

Each year Me to We has its own celebration, called “We Day”.  We Day is a one-of-a-kind event that is celebrated on one chosen date of the year.  It is created to celebrate the power of young people and to create positive change in the world.  It is a free of charge event and is open to any school that wants be part of the experience.  And since its first celebration 4 years ago, it has had 51,400 students from across the country attend We Day .  Those same student have brought the message back to their schools, and this encouraged hundreds and thousands more to support Me to We.  It hosts speakers are people such as: His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, The cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation, Jessi Cruickshank host of MTV’s The After Show, Craig and Marc Kielburger, founders of Free The Children, and many more.  It has also hosted a variety of performers such as: Sarah McLachlan, The Jonas Brothers, Hedley, K’naan, Justin Bieber, Jason Mraz, Louise Kent, and many more.

Me to We is a great foundation!  I highly support Me to We, and their volunteers, sustainable developments and its' work in general.  It’s good to know that there is such compassionate, kind hearted people in the world that care so greatly about the state of children all over the world and the children of tomorrow.  It is an honor to be one of those children, and one of those compassionate, kind hearted people here in Canada.

I fully agree, encourage the support and aid of those in the third world countries.  In trying to represent my country, Canada, I think we should find the help and aid for everyone, and everyone should contribute to making sure that everyone in the world is fed, clothed and sheltered with clean water and a good education.

Keilburger, Craig, and Marc Keilburger. "Excerpt from Finding meaning in a material World ." Oprah Winfrey Show. N.p., 30/05/2008. Web. 7 Jul 2010. <http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Me-to-We-Finding-Meaning-in-a-Material-World/1>.

Mclennan, Pam. "Free the Children’s Kielburger at Ottawa’s Writer’s Festival ." The Epoch Times. N.p., 28/10/2009. Web. 7 Jul 2010. <http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/24088/>.

My sister, Miranda Shannon

CTV, Initials. (2010). We Day. Retrieved from http://weday.freethechildren.com/

Craig, Kielburger. (2010). Free the children organization. Retrieved from http://www.freethechildren.com/

Craig, Kielburger. (2010). Me to we. Retrieved from http://www.metowe.com/

Ligaya, Armina. "Cbc News In depth: economy." cbc news. cbc news, November 12 2007. Web. 6 July 2010. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/economy/poverty-line.html>.

Population Below Poverty Line. (Weekly). The World fact book. Washington, DC.

Well today my mom, my sister, and I went to Saskatoon so I could narrate a documentary by Angela Edmunds, filmed in Cumberland House, Saskatchewan. The documentary about Aboriginal children from Charlebois School getting together and building a eco-friendly passive solor home.  In order for me to narrate this documentary, I had to spend a couple of hours in a recording studio.  And while I was in the studio, my mom and sister went and picked up my evening gown that we had picked out before hand.  It was my first time in a recording studio, and I had tons of fun!  Being a singer, it was a good experience for me to get the feel of the studio and know how the studio works.

I worked with Angela a few months ago on the My Wise Mentor film, another documentary, where I was the host/interviewer.  I got to interview women scientists and engineers.  My Wise Mentor encourages young girls to pursue careers in male dominated education programs at University like engineering and the sciences.   It was great to work with her.  She has such an uplifting personality!  She knows I've been a singer for years, (above is my Twinkle Twinkle Little Star performance and the other picture is CMTC - Toronto where I came in 2 in singing competition) and after talking to her about working on my demo tape in the studio, she is going to talk to her friend who has just finished recording his new album to help record my demo.  So as soon as Angela gets back from her trip, we will set a date up and I will get my demo tape recorded!  All in all it was a fun packed day with the girls, I accomplished alot today, I got my evening gown, travel supplies, and a well narrated documentary recorded.  I would like to give thanks to my mom for driving me to Saskatoon, helping me choose and pay for my gown, and a Thanks to Angela Edmunds! :)

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Since I am First Nations, Mother Nature and things of the earth including the animals are very important in my culture.  All things have a spirit and are greatly respected.  There are many traditions and ceremonies in which Mother Nature is involved.  Also, since I am a teen, I think reaching out and teaching the youth and teens of today how to deal with problems they are going through or will go through in their life is important.  Having someone or something inspire and encourage them to walk down the right path.  So the location for the movie will be in the mountains and hill because I love being in the country with the mountains, cool air, lakes, and rivers.  Thick trees,  wild flowers, berry bushes, soaring eagles, my love for warm weather and rain will also be portrayed in the show.  Outside feels like home.  I have chosen to work with the problems teens will face in their daily life as well because I am a teen and I will and can relate to some of these problems.

My movie would be about an hour and a half long.  It will feature me and my best friend Sam along with our horses.  Two best friends (Sam and I) and out families living in a small town in the mountains. The two families go away for the weekend to their cabin at a lake at the base of the mountains. The two families stay together, and the best friends are very happy they get to be with each other. At the cabin they, have 6 horses. Michaella’s favorite is the all white horse with blue eyes, called Whitey.  Her best friend Sam’s favorite horse is the tanned horse with dark legs and dark hair, her name is Whisper. The cabin is very close to the lake, all they had to do is walk through the trees on a path that was made over the years.

They loved to go boating, at night they would turn off the boat in the middle of the lake and watch the stars.  Michaella and Sam would go on their annual trail ride up the mountain. They would go to the same spot every year with the two horses they loved most. The two horses spend a lot of time together, they showed great amounts of affection towards each other.  One day they were to leave for the trip they had found out Whisper was pregnant with Whitey’s colt, they were thrilled.

But this year was different, this year Michaella’s horse, Whitey had gotten out from the pen and was hit by a semi not far from the cabin.  So instead of taking the horses now, they hiked up the horse trails on foot.  Michaella was devastated when Whitey died, and Whisper was just not the same anymore, she was slow and started to get a bit aggressive.  When the colt was born, it looked exactly like Whisper but with blue eyes.  Going to the cabin was just not the same as it used to be.

Michaella and Sam had a lot in common but they began to grow apart after the horse died. or maybe it was just because they were getting older.  Sam found a boyfriend and it seemed that  she didn’t have time for her best friend anymore.  So Michaella just stuck to herself.  Michaella was more of a shy girl then Sam was, she liked to be alone, and liked to stay focused on her schooling and work.  Sam started to walk a different path then her.  She started drinking, and would rather go to a party then spend time with her best friend.  Michaella was scared Sam might get involved with drugs one day.  Michaella’s mother told her that it was normal to grow apart as you get older.  That things change as you go your separate ways. The distance between Sam and Michaella grows.  Michaella has a career and future ahead of her that Sam wouldn’t be much involved with anyways.  Everyone keeps telling her that everything happens for a reason.   But even that was hard to understand.

As Sam and Michaella grow apart they started to hang out with different people.   Michaella's mom saw that Sam was on a slippery slope to no where  and worries that Michaella will loose her focus on her plans. Sam knew that Michaella had plans, but she still tried to make Michaella walk down that path that Michaella didn’t belong too.  The split between them went on.  They rarely ever talked.  It was very hard for Michaella to resist going to those parties and having that kind of fun, because she didn’t want to lose her best friend that she’s had since elementary.  It hurt her a lot, but her heart was in the right place, her mind was set to her goals and future, and she knew what she wanted in life. And it wasn’t partying and following someone else down the garden path to no where.

Whitey and Sam was all Michaella really ever had as friends.  She knew some people didn’t like her, maybe because she wouldn't party and drink, or maybe because she already knew what she wanted out of life.  The rumors made about her were treacherous, and now she had no one but herself and her mom.   All these losses put a lot of pressure on  Michaella, and made her feel alone not having someone to talk to.  Although she had her mother to talk to, there were just certain things you need a best friend to relate to, which she not didn't have.

Sam made choices and Michaella made choices.  The star knew that for the time being friends and the pressure caused by loss would go away, family is always there for support and encouragement and she would meet knew friends...........and then there was always Whitey's colt.  The movie is about the pressure and emotions of being a teenager and all those things that parents miss and people don't see are going on that could end in disasters.  When my mom is telling me things, she starts with, "I wish someone had told me this when I was young" or "if you do this, then this will happen."  And each time you come to a problem there is more than one path to follow to get to your destination successfully.  That is the Final Path, the one you want to be on.

Why would they fund my movie?

Faze Media is a popular magazine that reaches out to teens with a variety of different topics and ideas.  Teenage depression which can sometimes appear to the teen as unbearable can be worked through.  Reading about things like this would be of great interest to teens.  My movie is about choosing the right path in life and teen problems.  Family support is there for you even when you think its not.   Since Faze Media is a great inspiration to teens and the movie is an inspiring story, it’s the perfect match!

Jergens is a beauty product for men and women.  Many teens use it along with adults.  I even use Jergens products. They are great on my skin and help me feel like  I’m looking by best.  And since they make teens, even adults, feel like they are looking their best Jergens would be a great supporter for my movie.

What’s in it for them?

They would receive great amounts of advertisement and recognition.  Faze Media and my 'made for TV' movie, are both inspirational.  Jergens has a product that many teenagers would use if they knew about them.  It would draw a lot of teenage viewers who might then purchase or subscribe to their magazine or buy their products.   Also what ever amount they sponsor me with, they will be able to file it for their taxes.

Does your idea speak to their market and brands?

Yes it does.  In the case of Jergens the teenage girls like to buy products and they would see the sponsors, who would have commercials on the breaks during the movie.   Faze Media and the movie are both trying to reach and teach teens about the important aspects in life and problems they will have or go through as a teenager.  And it’s all about walking down the right path, with your mind and heart in the right place.

Biggar, Saskatchewan is a small town of 2500 people situated 100 kilometers west of Saskatoon and 100 kilometers south of the Battlefords.  I have lived here for at least half of my life.   Although we are small, there are many interesting people and things here.

Biggar is the home of the Hanson Buck.   In 1993, Milo Hanson of Biggar shot the largest deer with measurements that broke records.  It turned out to be the World Record White Tail Deer scoring 213 5/8.  The spread on the horns was 27.2 inches and it had 10 main points exceeding 11 inches.  So in 1995 this monument was built and set up as you come into Biggar from Highway 14.  It is 11 feet high and about twice the actual size of the animal that was shot.   Every year the town has a dinner called “Buck Night”.    All the hunters bring their trophies and there is a dance.  My brother said he had to rescue a girl from the top of the monument one night because she got up there and couldn’t get down.  The deer is made of iron, mesh and fiberglass.  I don’t think I’ll be getting up on there anytime soon.  It’s a long ways off the ground.

Biggar was also the home of three time world curling champion and Olympic gold medalist Sandra Schmirler.   Sandr a started curling here in Biggar and in grade 1 2, won a provincial championship when her team was undefeated th roughout the se ason.   S he then moved on to the University of Saskatchewan where she made her first appearance in Saskatchewan provincial play downs in 1983.   After that it was the Scott Tour nament of Hearts, provincial titles and then Canadian an d World Championships.   In the 1998 Winter Olympics, Sandra Schmirler w on the gold medal for Canada.   She worked as a color comm entator for the CTV television after these accomplishments.  Ms. Schmirler died of cancer in 20 00 at a very young ag e.   T he park by my school is named  Sandra Schmirler Park.

Championship curler Teejay Surik  was born and lived here in Biggar too.  In 2003, she won the Canadian Junior Curling Championships and then moved on to win the World Junior Curling Championships. She has won other awards and continues to play in the Northwest Territory where she lives and works as a nurse.    Biggar has a great curling program for those who want to participate.  Our curling rink is right beside the arena on the east side of town.

Biggar is a railway town.  The Canadian National Railway yard is on the south side of town.   Many of the people who live in Biggar, work for or are associated with the rail business.    They have a bunkhouse where conductors and engineers stay.    Crews from Melville and Edmonton are here often, because this is the point where they switch trains to go back to where they started from.  One of those businesses is owned by my family.   Red Star Taxi and Crew Transport.   My mom takes crews from the bunk house and drives them to trains and takes crews off trains if they don’t make it to the Biggar terminal in tim e for them to get off their shift.    Lately, however, business has been not been good, because CN has let an outside company come into Biggar to take trips the local companies usually do.   CN hauls all kinds of things through town, here is a picture of military tanks.   We took this picture because it was unusual to see this many tanks all at once going through town.

There are two motels and one hotel in Biggar.   The Biggar Hotel is were I had the ‘steak night’ to raise funds to go to Miss Teen Canada.   Monte and his wife Tammy were great.  Monte has to be the best cook in town because every one loved the steaks.   It is wonderful when the community pitches in to help youth to achieve their goals and supports all youth initiatives and projects.

Every year we have a rodeo here in Biggar.   The KCRA Rodeo comes to town in June and there are lots of t h i n g s to do then.    People come from all over to participate in the events like barrel racing, bull riding, team penning, and buckin g bronc riding.  This year I sang the opening anthem for the rodeo both days.    I was a contestant for the Rodeo Princess.  The three youngest girls took the top three positions.  The rest of the contestants were given beautiful bouquets and a lovely, soft, Rodeo Princess contestant’s jacket along wit a bag of little gifts like lip balm, personal care products. and things like that.    After raining here all week long everyone thought it would be too wet to have the events but the day the rodeo start ed the sun was out and I even got a little sun burned the second day.   It wa s fun for all, especially those who won the events and went home with top scores in their events.   They even had a cotton candy machine and I love cotton candy.               Michaella awarding buckle for Red Star

The Biggar Majestic Theatre is important to me because I do a lot of things in the arts.   I study Royal Conservatory of Music in voice with Kelly Poitras Studios.   Every year the theatre hosts the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association.  Competitions bring quite a crowd to the theatre.  We also have the dance festival here in the spring.   Kelly Poitras facilitates the Youth Musical Theatre and Biggar on Broadway which also hold performances at the Majestic Theatre and in Saskatoon, SK on Broadway Ave.  am waiting to see if I will be in the Biggar on Broadway this year depending on what happens at the Miss Teen Canada pageant in July.     I may have other projects on the go if I am named Miss Teen Canada.    Other than that Ed Cumpstone runs the projector for movies on Friday and Saturday night and volunteers take tickets and operate a small concession booth in the theatre to help keep the theatre running so that we have a place to enjoy the arts and movies.

One of my sponsors is the Biggar Pharmasave.   They are on main street and I like to shop there becau se the y h ave all kinds of gifts and products that can only be found there.    The photo shop is handy too.   Its where we h ad our passport pictures t aken.   We used to live beside Mr. & Mrs. Dyck who are part of the family that owns this business.   I have been fortunate to have continued suppor t from Pharmas ave when we have fundraising events to complete projects that I’m involved with.

Biggar has a museum and gallery.   It has a lot of interesting historical information and antiques stored there as well as paintings from different artists.   We have some famous local artists here in Biggar, like Ann Weekes and Catherine Manning (who is my friend Rachel’s mom and moved to Ontario to finish a doctor degree in art history). Some of the old train equipment and office is set up as a display in our museum.   There is even a display on the Klu Klux Klan (KKK) and explains how Biggar was a center for this type of activities.   I think this is a good thing beca use some people need to understand exactly what some of this stuff stands for and that it is not good or right.   We need to be aware of our past so that we can learn from it and not make the same mistakes for the future.   There were some underground tunnels between buildings here in Biggar at one time but they have been sealed up with cement.  I was in the bottom of one of those buildings and I can see why in modern times they would want those tunnels into their basements blocked up.   Maybe at one time there was a need for them but now, I don’t think so.  http://www.biggarmuseum.com/

Another annual event here in Biggar is the Biggar Fair Days.   We have a parade on the first day.   I was in the parade this year riding in a Cadillac XLR convertible provided by one of my sponsors, Rosetown Mainline Motors.   My mom usually puts one of our vans in the parade but she was busy with me and fundraising this year and didn’t really have the time to get things ready.   This is a picture of our van decorated for the Fair Days Parade.   Each year we add more flowers to it.   So if we keep putting it in eventually it might even be covered with flowers.

One more thing you should know.   I’m from here and this is home to me.  I’m Michaella Shannon and have been lucky to be in the television series, Rabbit Fall which is aired on Space, SCN, APTN, Vision and international stations.   I am the little ghost girl who appears to the Andrea Menard who plays the police woman, Tara.   I model for many fund raising events locally and in Saskatoon.    I like to sing and get called to sing for various events (opening anthems) and fund raisers.   I am Michaella Shannon and hopefully the next Miss Teen Canada - World 2010 will be from Biggar, Saskatchewan.

So we had our Steak Night Fundraiser and it went over very well!  At first I was scared it wouldn't turn out or something would go wrong, but I was wrong.  It  turned out great!  Everyone loved their Steak Dinners and the entertainment, local band: "Touch of Grey", did an awesome job!  It was held at The Biggar Hotel from 6-9 pm, and the dinner included a 12oz steak, baked potato, and Caesar salad.  I would like to thank the Biggar Hotel, Touch of Grey, and my mom for helping me fund raise the money to go to Toronto in July.  The Biggar Hotel did a great job on the cooking, it was delicious!  Thanks to "Touch of Grey"  I was able to sell enough tickets, and thanks to my mom for making this plan a success!  We had lots of fun and cannot wait until the pageant!

Monday night (June 7th) at the Majestic Theatre.   Very entertaining.   It was the year end recital for Kelly Poitras Studios.   Because I study Royal Conservatory of Music (Voice),  I sang in a trio, with the senior vocal group and also sang Patsy Cline's song "Blue" (solo).    The next day I received a phone call and was asked if I would like to sing at the Eagle Creek Jamboree.    They are slotting me in on Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon.     I have to get music ready for that.  It's going to be great fun and what an opportunity.

We held a draw at the theatre to help with fundraising for the Miss Teen Canada expenses.   The first ticket drawn didn't speak up when the ticket was drawn.   The second ticket drawn was my mom's ticket, to she said have another draw.   The 3rd draw went a lady in the audience.     I'm so thankful for the support I have received from everyone in trying to find sponsorships and raise money to get to Toronto.    Thanks to all.

Yeah!   That's me in the Cadillac XLR converible in the Biggar Fair Days Parade.     What a great morning.    Got up early and started getting ready for the parade.   Did my hair and makeup and put on my dress and crown and everything was ready except for the freezies (which we found all of them weren't frozen).     The Cadillac XLR provided to us by Mainline Motors in Rosetown was absolutely amazing.   When I saw this car I fell in love with it.    Ron arrived just after 9 a.m. so that they could attach balloons and put the sign on that I made last night with my mom.     The sign says "Miss Teen Central Saskatchewan 2010"  that's all we could fit on there.  It was framed in blue flowers the same color as my dress.   It was funny because my mom was running all over town getting pictures of the parade.   First she was at the beginning of the parade,  then the middle down by the Pharmasave (one of my sponsors) and then I saw her up by our house near the end of the parade.

After the parade was finished we went down to the third avenue park with photographer, Art Beadle and took some nice pictures it a greener setting.   Sun is shining brightly and you have to keep the sun behind the cameras, but it's hard to stand there and not squint your eyes.   Ron had to get back to work, I wanted to go and meet my friends and visit all the events for the fair.   It was a fun time.   Now I'm going to go and have some more fun!

I really need to say something about my mother.   She has done so much to help me on my way to Miss Teen Central Saskatchewan - World 2010 and now the next step to Miss Teen Canada - World 2010.  She keeps me motivated and keeps me guided in the right direction.   I'm truly inspired.    We spent the day in Saskatoon together looking for an evening gown, but so far I haven't found anything I really like.    We may have to take a trip to West Edmonton Mall before I leave for the pageant.    That would be great fun.   I did however, find another outfit that I really liked and I think this outfit would be perfect for my travels in the future.

Tomorrow is the start of the Biggar Fair Days.     There will be so much to do in the next couple of days.  I will be riding in the Biggar Parade on Saturday in a donated vehicle from Mainline Motors in Rosetown, Saskatchewan.   Curtis the manager is getting a driver to bring the car up just for the parade.   I was suppose to ride on the Rodeo Association float because I am also running for Rodeo Princess however, I will be in the car with my Miss Teen Central Saskatchewan - World 2010 sash.  I plan on wearing the blue evening gown I was wearing the night of pageant and my tiara.

CTV will be in town on Friday to take pictures and talk to people around town.   I'm really looking forward to that.    Sunday we will be getting the consession ready for the recital at the Majestic Theatre.   There will also be a draw and hopefully some help with fundraising.     There are all kinds of events going on around Biggar throughout the weekend.  Most of them will be on Main Street.    I just hope it doesn't rain for the parade.

I tried for a long time last weekend to get a picture on the official Miss Teen Canada - World website without it being  d  i  s  t  o  r  t  e  d  making me look like a   s t r e t c h e d   dumpling.  So there I was, just not getting this resize thing.   We thought there was some kind of  time limit on when you had to have the picture entered on the official website, but they are still working on pictures even now.    I've had the opportunity to change mine a couple of times and hopefully get a nice picture on there, now that I know how to prepare the picture for the site.

When I contacted the site people and told them the trouble I was having Cora at FRANK Ideas & Executions helped me.   They said to use an image resizing website called  www.resizeyourimage.com .     I upload my photo to, zoom in and crop to the required size.   It was fast and much easier than all the other programs we have been trying to use prior to that. 

Please check out my photo and profile at the Miss Teen Canada World website, sign up to become a VIP and please vote for me for the People's Choice Award when the website is updated, up and running.   .

I recently went for a photo shoot with Rona Andreas.   Candace was there to do my makeup.   We worked in the studio for some of the afternoon and then headed down by the river.   It was a little cold and windy.   This was one of my favorites shots.   I'm not sure when we are going to order pictures, but will have to do so sometime soon.

Article by Kevin Brautegam