Mackenzie’s View: Supporting Shriners Hospital for Children

Well hello everybody! I can’t believe it is the end of September already! I have been in school for a month and a half and LOVE it!

Over this past month, I have been a very busy Little Miss. From parades to community service projects; my month has been amazing. I made the fourth-grade girls basketball team, started year two of tumbling at Twist and Shout, and began piano lessons with my fantastic instructor, Ms. Kathy Tock. 

The highlight of my month was being invited to the Shriner’s Walk of Love and picnic. I had the opportunity to help out during the event, and walk alongside past and present patients, and those amazing Shriners. I got to hang out with my papa, who is on the Divan for Ansar Shrine and the current President for the Illini Shrine Club. I also got to hang out with the one and only Mr. Blaine Scott, the 2019 Ansar Potentate (the man in charge). FINALLY, I got to meet Ansar Shriner’s ambassador, Preston, and his sweet family. 

Let me tell you a little about my new buddy, Preston. Preston is nine years old, my age. He has more energy than my siblings, and I have all together! I enjoyed watching him while he took the lead and walked the entire Walk of Love, ran around petting the animals, being a good magician, climbing up with us to the top of a BIG tractor, picking buckeyes together, playing, and just being a happy kid. 

Do you want to know why I think he is impressive and inspiring to me?  Preston has a prosthetic leg. If you didn’t know him, you would have no idea. Why is that? Preston does not let that stop him from enjoying his life. He began his journey with the Shriners a while back. The Shriner’s Children’s Hospital provided his family and him the right medical attention he needed. Now, he can run around, play, jump (off of everything ha-ha); all because of his new leg! It is a pretty sweet one if you ask me! It is camo (MY FAVORITE) and has the STL Cardinals emblem on it (GO CARD)! Preston is happy, hilarious, healthy, and he is a ROCKSTAR. I can’t wait to see him in November!!! 

The reason my platform is the Shriner’s Children’s Hospitals is because of what they do for children. I have now had the honor to meet several patients that have benefited from their services at little to no cost to the families. I have had the honor to hug, high five, and shake the hands of some pretty amazing Shriner’s Hospitals children since helping out these last couple of years. 

I have started a fundraiser for the Shriner’s Hospitals. I have been invited to a couple of events at the end of the year for the Shriner’s. With that said, for Christmas, I want to give the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital a gift. I designed, paid for all by myself, embossed bracelets. They say I Support Shriners Hospitals and has their toll-free number on the back. At the end of the year, I plan on presenting a check to the Shriner’s Children’s Hospitals. I would love to make a great contribution to this amazing hospital, who have helped ROCKSTAR children, just like my new BFF, Preston. Thank you to the Mahomet IGA for letting me set up one afternoon, and to all those that have donated already. Thank you, First Mid Bank, for inviting me to set up there as well. I will be taking you up on that offer very soon!

If you have a business and you would be willing to let me set up a table to request donations for these awesome bracelets; you have no idea how much I would appreciate that. Just let me know!

Unit next time…be kind, be awesome, and just be yourself.

Love, Mackenzie Bonham 2019 Little Miss of Illinois