National Pancake Day!

I bet you didn't know there was such a thing, did you?! But there is! Each year, IHOP sponsors National Pancake Day which is a day dedicated solely to raising funds for the Children's Miracle Network, which just so happens to be the Miss America Organization's national platform. For an entire day, IHOPs all around the country give away free pancakes with the hopes that those eating at their restaurant will donate money to CMN.

I got the wonderful opportunity to volunteer at the IHOP in Lincoln at 27th and Superior. For the evening, I greeted guests at the door, talked to them about the meaning behind National Pancake Day, and ended up making some great friends, too. You would not believe the generosity that poured out from the Lincoln community. Almost every single person that came into the restaurant donated money to the Children's Miracle Network.

One lady in particular will forever remain in my memory of that night. She shared with me that her husband passed away about two months ago and it was always his dream to donate his organs/tissues to a child through the Children's Miracle Network. He got his wish as his family just received a letter from the Nebraska Organ Recovery System saying that his organs and tissues were donated to 60 recipients of many ages. As this amazing woman shared his story with me, she didn't even realize that organ and tissue donation is my personal platform. When I shared this with her, we were both stunned at how ironic it was! She told me she was so proud that I was raising awareness about CMN as well as organ donation, and thanked me from the bottom of her heart. It's amazing how many people you can connect with and how many inspiring stories you can hear by doing something as simple standing at the IHOP entrance. That, to me, is truly what being a titleholder is all about.