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A Note from Mrs. Colorado 2021 - Danette Haag
Martin Luther King Jr said it best
Martin Luther King Jr once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?” As a young teenager I initially was introduced to community service as a requirement for a school group. I choose to volunteer at a senior day center and after my first hour I was hooked. The ability to help others and bring a smile to their face was contagious! Now 25+ years later I still carry the same passion to help others in our community. As many of you know my year as Mrs. Colorado American has focused on supporting the needs of the terminally ill and their families largely due to my experience of my father’s terminal illness, Frontotemporal Lobe Degeneration, also known as FTD or Pick’s Disease. I have partnered with organizations like Make-A-Wish, HopeKids, Project Angel Heart, There with Care and AFTD (Association of FTD) to be able to help families, like mine, who have a loved one with a life-threatening or terminal illness.
As Mrs. Colorado American it is also important to help our Colorado communities! On December 30, 2021, the Marshall Fire ripped through my neighboring communities of Louisville and Superior and was making its way to my community of Northwest Arvada. Being out of town at the time I first learned of the fires from a neighbor and then turned to social media where I learned the fire had spread to residences. As I watched social media and national news coverage, my heart sank for the families who had minutes to flee their homes, some barely having enough time to grab their pets before leaving behind a home full of memories. Those that know me, know that I am a solver by nature – if I see a need, I immediately start figuring out how I can help rather than waiting for others to help. As I was thinking through different ways I could help families immediately and from out of state, the Marshall Fire got personal – I received a text message ordering my neighborhood to begin pre-evacuation immediately. The feeling of helplessness hit a whole new level – now not only am I not in Colorado able to help those impacted by fire, but now I am not even home to be able to help save my family’s cherished memories. Thankfully, I have an amazing friend and neighbor who immediately offered to get our cat Roscoe and each of my kids’ baby memory boxes and to bring them with her when it was time to leave. Thankfully a few hours later the pre-evacuation order was lifted, and my neighborhood was safe from the fire.
I share all of this with you because it fueled my determination to help the 1,000+ families who lost their homes to the Marshall Fire. Had it not been for the heroic efforts of first responders, my family could have been one of the 1,000+ affected. Upon returning back to Colorado, I began connecting with various organizations that were in need of donations and/or manpower to help meet the need of the Louisville and Superior communities. One of the amazing gifts of participating in the Mrs. Colorado Program is that you immediately gain a sisterhood of local titleholders, many of whom share a passion to help their communities too. With less than 48-hour notice, I was able to gather my sister queens Emily Sanders (Miss Colorado for America Strong) and Danette Haag (Mrs. Colorado America) to volunteer with me at the Arvada Elks donation site. We spent several hours sorting and organizing donated clothes for Marshall Fire victims! To see the Elks Lodge filled with donations was heartwarming. Coloradans stepped up to help those displaced by the fire.
Most recently, I was able to gather my sister queens and local titleholders to volunteer at the A Precious Child Marshall Fire Relief Center that is being run out of a vacant department store at the Flatirons Mall. Three of us were responsible for running donations from the arrival center to the sorting and organization center and then assisting with sorting and organizing donated clothes. We were quite the spectacle – pageant queens learning how to maneuver pallet jacks! But in all seriousness, being able to see the bottom floor of this department store filled with items for Marshall Fire victims was unbelievable. A Precious Child set up donations in different departments and had items on display as if it were a true department store. Seeing the care the organization put into in making sure they had both quality and quantity donations, but also that the relief center was set up in a way that helped the fire victims maintain dignity was extraordinary. We hope to be able to arrange a Mrs. Colorado Program volunteer day at the A Precious Child Marshall Fire Relief Center giving an opportunity for local titleholders throughout the state to help make a difference to those impacted by the Marshall Fire.
I encourage everyone rather than waiting for someone else to fill a need, take the initiative and do what you can to help fill the need. As my dad taught me - you never know when you may be the one in need, so do what you can while you can!
Join In
Please RSVP to attend the Zeroground Mental Health Workshop
Mrs. Littleton 2022 helping her community
TIS the season for giving
Mrs. Littleton Colorado sponsored a family for Christmas from the Salvation Army. We delivered our gifts for our family today. We wanted to share some photos.
I was selected earlier this year to represent the city of Littleton at the Mrs. Colorado Pageant in April 2022. I am very excited to represent the city and give back to our community.
Fun Video of Friday Rehearsal during pageant weekend.
Share your story and make an impact in the community. We want to hear your story.
Autograph Cards from 2020 Queens
Every year the queen has Autograph Cards made for their community appearances. Below are slices of the 2020 queens autograph cards.
2020 Mrs. Colorado Nicole Covney
2020 Mrs. Colorado American Sylvia Waller
2020 Miss for Colorado America Juliet Abdel
Ever wonder what a typical pageant gal looks like?
They are educated, committed, mothers, grandmothers, mentors, change seekers and more. Here is a great article about our Mrs. El Paso County 2022 - Regina English and her non-profit program BeYou.
Jovani Trunk Show Coming to TBC
The Mrs. Colorado Pageant has partnered with The Bridal Collection to bring in a Jovani Trunk Show. Call The Bridal Collection to book your personal shopping appointment time.
Can you find Emily in the Highlands Ranch Lifestyle Magazine?
Our Emily Sanders, Miss Colorado for America 2021 is featured in her Highlands Ranch Lifestyle - go grab your copy now! Thank you Highlands Ranch Lifestyle!
Cover of Highlands Ranch Lifestyle Magazine
Mountaineer Story on Mrs. Colorado 2021
Are you following our Mrs. Colorado 2021 - Danette Haag? She spoke at Fort Carson a bit back and the local paper wrote an article on her.
Here is a small piece of the article:
“Flawless is really about beauty being so much more than just skin deep … today I want to show you what that really means and what that feels like to see your own true beauty,” said Danette Haag, inspirational speaker and Mrs. Colorado 2021, during a visit to Fort Carson Aug. 31, 2021.
Fort Carson spouses, Soldiers and Colorado pageant title holders gathered at the Chaplain Family Life Center to listen to Haag’s inspiring story about faith and resilience after a fire burned about 70% of her skin when she was 10 years old.
Cathy Howell, physical security specialist, Directorate of Emergency Services, and Mrs. Fort Carson, invited Haag to speak on post.
“I was inspired by her story, and as military spouses we go through a lot,” Howell said. “I asked her to come to Fort Carson because as military spouses we tend to put everybody else first. I thought her words would encourage some of our military spouses and Soldiers here on Fort Carson.”
To read the rest of the article, click here.
Toy Drive - We need NEW toys - Drop off September 1- October 27
We will be filling the Santa’s Workshop located on Fort Carson Army Base. Please bring a new toy for any child between the ages of 1 and 16 years old. We would love for you to individually host a toy collection to help gather as many toys as possible between September 1 and October 27. We will take all the toys to Fort Carson Army Base in Colorado Springs on October 28 and fill up Santa’s Workshop.
We need your help and support. We need toys.
If you need to drop the toys off, call Emily to drop off. 303-593-1199
Thank you Sono Bello for featuring our Miss Colorado for America 2021!
Thank you for Sponsoring Emily in her journey to Miss for America Strong - From the Sono Bella website -
Meet Emily: Mother, Model, Entrepreneur, and Women’s Health Advocate.
Sono Bello is proud to announce that we will be sponsoring Emily Sanders, a patient of ours, as a contestant in the 2021 Miss America Strong competition in Las Vegas this coming November.
This past year and throughout her life, Emily’s physical and personal transformation has been inspirational, and we are honored to help share her story with the world.
Emily is a women’s health and safety advocate. She works closely with The Blue Bench, a non-profit that focuses on rape prevention and providing much-needed support to the survivors of sexual assault.
Please hop over to the Sono Bella Blog to read the remainder of the Blog Post! Thank you Sono Bella!
https://www.sonobello.com/about-us/blog/meet-emily-mother-model-entrepreneur-and-womens-health-advocate/
Mrs. Colorado 2021 Biography on Blog
Then I had a vision of me and 30 other women on stage, all dressed in gorgeous gowns. When I looked around, I didn’t see me as the ‘scarred lady’ in the middle. When I looked around, I saw their life scars too. I saw their insecurities. I saw their life battles. I saw their pain. I saw their triumphs. I saw their scars too and I felt included. I was just like them! So, I bravely followed that God push and competed.
2021 was my 3rd year competing for the title and each time has been filled with personal growth and connection with incredible women. Learning so much about myself, and that broken little girl healed a bit more each time I did the pageant prep and experienced the magic of pageant week. Putting the pieces of that shattered childhood dream firmly together as I gradually improved my skills in this sport of pageantry.
At 50 years old, this once very broken little girl, won the title of Mrs. Colorado 2021! I am deeply blessed and honored to be the title winner. Carrying this prestigious title and wearing this incredible crown validates all that I share in my message as an inspirational speaker. Our true beauty really does radiate past any scar of life, if we let it. Inspiring others to not let any insecurity, doubt, fear or pain of life stop us from doing great things. And sending the powerful message that when you deeply love and believe in yourself then anything can happen. God truly does bring Beauty from ALL Ashes of life.
“Be bold in faith, lead with love and never be afraid to shine your True Beauty.”
Danette Haag
Mrs. Colorado 2021
The Phoenix Society Article on Mrs. Colorado 2021
Here is a piece of the article written in The Phoenix Society -
The healing, self-love, and self-acceptance has been a long journey; but I can with 100% honesty say I love the skin I’m in!"
PHOENIX: AS A CHILDHOOD SURVIVOR, WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE GROWING UP?
Danette: As a young girl, and for many, many years after, the hardest part was finding my beauty again. Before my injury, I loved myself and wanted to someday be Miss America. After my injury, that dream was shattered and I never thought I would ever be beautiful again. Everything I saw on tv, in the movies confirmed that because of my scars, I was no longer beautiful in any way. After all, it was always the bad guys, the monsters, and evil characters that had the scars – NEVER the beauty queens. I struggled incessantly to redefine beauty so I could somehow love my reflection again so I could somehow stop feeling ugly, embarrassed, and shameful.
It was a constant inner battle that through faith – in God first and foremost, and from that growing faith I learned slowly to also believe in myself. The shame and embarrassment of looking so different were replaced with the knowledge that I am priceless. After a couple of decades, I started seeing my many scars as God’s masterpiece of art that was created when I walked through fire as a child. The courage and strength that my scars represent make that artwork priceless. And out of that powerful, positive life perspective grew self-love and immense pride for all that I’ve endured as a burn survivor.
PHOENIX: WHAT LED YOU TO COMPETE IN PAGEANTS SO MANY YEARS LATER?
Danette: This is my third year competing and I’ve worked so hard and learned so much about this amazing pageant system to compete strong. The first year (2019) I didn’t place. In 2020, I was a semi-finalist in the top 12. And this year 2021, I won the crown! I had help with pageant coaching and worked hard preparing for interviews, especially the stage competition in swimsuit and gown with my many-body scars.
I first had the spiritual push to compete in early 2018 and kept denying that thought because I believed the pageant world wouldn’t see my beauty. As a public speaker I was sharing my FLAWLESS program and telling women I see myself the way God sees me.
Then I had a vision of me and 30 other women on stage in our gowns. When I looked around I didn’t see myself as the ‘scarred lady in the middle.’ As I looked around I saw their scars too. I saw their life battles, their insecurities, their pain, and their triumphs. Seeing their scars made me feel included because we ALL have scars. And that’s when I decided to overcome my fear and enter this competition of beauty. The journey has been powerful and rewarding in so many ways! Faith over fear because I know I am always enough!
Click below to read the whole article!
Congratulations Mrs. Colorado 2021 - Danette Haag!
Parker Chronicle Article on Miss Colorado for America Strong
Highlands Ranch resident Emily Sanders was crowned Miss Colorado for America Strong on June 5. As Colorado's representative, Sanders will now move on to the national stage to compete for the Miss for America Strong pageant in Las Vegas in November.
Sanders, who grew up in Thornton, said she was excited to win the competition, in which she said she was working to find herself. Sanders said that in her 20s, she left Colorado to be a showgirl in Las Vegas. She returned 10 years later, got married, had children and got divorced.
After divorce, Sanders said she went from full-time mom and wife to figuring out who she was and what she wanted.
“This was my first time competing in a pageant at 46 years of age,” Sanders said. “In doing this pageant, I have really learned more about myself. I was confident. I put everything into it. I knew if I did not win, I had put everything out there.”
Sanders said the pageant was a good fit to help her move forward. According to the pageant website, many women who join want to make a difference with an issue or cause, or want to celebrate a milestone or reach a goal to be stronger.
Sanders said she learned about the Colorado pageant by working with a friend before entering. She said it is important to her that the cliché that beauty pageants are about being a “Barbie Doll” and not about personality and talent is wrong. Sanders said she was honored to compete alongside many accomplished women in the Colorado competition, where most of the contestant scores came from the interview phase.
Sanders said while she had stage experience after performing in Las Vegas, learning the choreography and the pageantry of the Colorado event came with a learning curve.
Part of what drew Sanders to doing the Miss Colorado for America Strong pageant is the emphasis the program places on community engagement. Sanders said she is particularly interested in working with the nonprofit organization Blue Bench, which works to eliminate sexual assault and the impact it has on victim's lives.
As a rape survivor, Sanders said she is passionate to help victims understand it is not their fault, and wants to participate in the educational aspect of the programs.
Sanders said she was assaulted as a junior in high school but did not deal with the impact the incident had on her life until she was well into her 40s.
“I realized there were a lot of things I missed out on in my adulthood because I never addressed all of that,” Sanders said. “I can pinpoint events in my life that may have been different had I just dealt with a little bit of that. Then again, maybe I just was not ready.”
Sanders said while she is open to working with any local nonprofit organization, she is also interested in causes supporting breast cancer and in helping contractors get their own businesses off the ground.
When she is not preparing for a pageant, Sanders is business owner in Centennial. Sanders owns the Ilaria Salon and Medical Spa.
To work with Sanders or request her to make an appearance at community events, or programs, email the pageant office at hello@mrscoloradoamerica.com.
Crown Photo Shoot
The 2021 queens headed to Graphique Fine Art Photography for one of their official photo sessions. If you have not been to Megan Anderson’s studio, you are missing out. She does everything from babies, engagement, senior photos and more. I highly recommend her. Visit her website at Graphique Photo
We are so excited to see the newly crowned queens official crown headshots and more!
2021 Queens Crowned
Congratulations Mrs. Colorado 2021 - Danette Haag
Mrs. Colorado American 2021 - Corrie Francis
Miss Colorado for America Strong 2021 - Emily Sanders
Best in Interview - Corrie Francis
Best in Swimsuit - Danette Haag [Award chosen by Special Awards Judge not judging panel]
Best in Evening Gown - Dr. Quinta Mancho [Award chosen by Special Awards Judge not judging panel]
Longest Married - Tracey Drayton - 40 years married
People’s Choice - Andrea Hall
Best in Interview - Becky Swanson
Best in Swimsuit - Becky Swanson [Award chosen by Special Awards Judge not judging panel]
Best in Evening Gown - Becky Swanson [Award chosen by Special Awards Judge not judging panel]
People’s Choice - Emily Sanders
Year in review with Mrs. Colorado American Sylvia Waller
Take a photo journey of the 2020 year as Mrs. Colorado American Sylvia Waller. Thank you for your year of service.
Mrs. American Pageant with Sylvia
After 10 amazing days of pageant week in Las Vegas, we are home recuperating from all fun and excitement of competing for national titles. Although exciting it was emotional and physically draining. This experience was a chance of a lifetime for me! I am so honored to share this journey with my sister queens Mrs. Colorado Nicole Covney and Miss for Colorado Juliet Abdel. At age 61, I competed with women young enough to be my daughters. I am so proud to represent the baby boomers, the underrepresented. Making it to the top 15 And winning the Fitness Award was extremely humbling. To God be the Glory!
Team Colorado made a strong presence! Congratulations to Mrs. Colorado America-Nicole Covney for placing in top 15 and best whimsical costume; and Miss Colorado for America-Juliet Abdel she placed in top 6. Way to go Team Colorado. Thank you, ladies, for your friendship and support. 2020 was a year of uncertainties and we navigated our reign together. I truly feel we developed a lifetime bond of sisterhood.
