My last event before the Miss Teenage Canada pageant was the Minnedosa, Manitoba Agricultural Fair. It was a big horse show! I’ve never been to a horse show before, so this was very exciting. They had the largest horses I have ever seen!

I got to hand out awards all day to the horse show winners. I even got to take a ride on one of the large horse carts! I was pretty nervous, but once I finally got up there it was so much fun!

Thank you to everyone in Minnedosa for having me and for making this event possible. I can’t wait to come back!

I had a blast at the Lac Du Bonnet Canada Day Celebrations! Lac Du Bonnet always has so much going on in their little town, and their fireworks are one of the best in the country, so I was so excited to have a weekend full of amazing events to participate in!

My activities in Lac Du Bonnet started with the kids activity zone, where I found my hidden “talent”, face painting! They just threw me right into it as soon as I go there. I was really nervous at first, but when I saw the kids liked what I was doing, I had a great time!

My day continued with collecting donations for next years Canada Day fireworks. I was really happy to be able to meet a lot of new people and get more involved with the community. The people in Lac Du Bonnet are so friendly!

I got interviewed before the fireworks. They asked me about pageants and the national pageant I will be attending. I also talked about how I do strongly encourage girls to do pageants, because like I have said before, it’s not about how you look, it’s about what’s on the inside that really counts.

The fireworks were amazing! I have never seen so many people gather to see 20 minutes of fireworks in my whole life. It was beautiful and more then I could have ever wished for.

The second day I got to participate in the parade. A very generous man from the Lion’s Club (they make all the Lac Du Bonnet events possible) let me ride in his car. I got a banner custom made that said “Miss Teenage Manitoba.” I loved throwing candy to all the people around me and seeing the big smiles on their faces.

The last event I got to participate in was the talent show. Now I usually perform in talent shows, but in this case I actually got to judge it. It was very interesting being on the other side of the table and I loved it!

Thank you to everyone who made the Lac Du Bonnet Canada Day Celebrations and activities possible. It was such a great experience and I hope to be back next year!

What is a platform?

“A pageant platform is a cause that a contestant chooses to volunteer her time to either bring awareness to, raise money, or implement a program she has created that will help address a problem.” -winningthroughpageantry.com

It actually took me quite a while to come up with my platform. The first one I chose was congenital heart disease in animals and humans, because I personally felt like the topic wasn’t talked about enough and most people don’t know that animals can have congenital heart disease too. However, I had a very hard time finding any charities that supported this cause, and over time I realized that my true passion was in a different topic. I knew I wanted my platform to involve animals, because that topic is very close to my heart. After a few months of going back and forth from topic to topic in my head, I finally decided to make a decision. So I did some research and brainstormed some ideas with friends and family, and I finally came to a solid decision of what I wanted my platform to be. I am so happy about my decision and can’t wait to finally announce it.

Save a Life-Opt to Adopt your Pet from a Local Animal Shelter

My platform encourages people to adopt their pets from animal shelters for a number of important reasons that I believe society should be more conscious and aware of.
Puppy mills are businesses who breed and “raise” animals in terrible conditions. They leave them alone for days at a time in small cages along with hundreds of other animals. These animals have no human companionship and after their fertility wanes, the breeding animals are killed, abandoned or sold to another mill. This is why inbred animals that you can buy at your local pet store often have behavioral and physical problems.

Don’t be fooled by pet stores. Make sure that before you buy your animals that the pet store is not supporting the puppy mill industry. As soon as you buy your animal from a pet store, they are replaced by another animal just like the last one, which makes the puppy mill breed more animals and supports that awful business. This needs to stop, and I don’t think many people know where their beloved pets are really coming from. Some pet stores get their animals from shelters, and it will usually specify on a label or identification tag if they are from a rescue. If you are not sure, then go directly to a shelter to buy your pet. There are millions of animals, many of which have spent their entire life in a cage at these shelters waiting to be adopted and they are usually not inbred, so will have better health in the long run.

Unless you personally visit the place where your animal was born and where their parents live, the animal is likely from a puppy mill unless their identification tag says otherwise.

Save a Life: Opt to Adopt your Pet from a Local Animal Shelter.

I wanted to take an opportunity to thank everyone who has read my blog so far. I have really enjoyed being able to write about all of my experiences and journeys this year and will continue to keep you all updated on what I’m doing in Toronto in the next week!

For my second blog assignment, I got to send an article to Streetchic magazine in Toronto to show off our fashion sense here in Manitoba. So I searched the streets of Winnipeg looking for the perfect place to ask people about their outfits. I chose Bannatyne street in the Exchange District in Winnipeg. Of course I went on a Friday evening when things in the area were hopping.

I picked four lovely ladies who I thought were not only wearing gorgeous and stylish clothes, but who also demonstrated confidence and had a big smile on their face. I could tell that they felt beautiful in their own skin, which is so important. I didn’t hesitate to go up to them and ask a few questions about their style.

Meet Erika
The first beautiful lady I got to meet was Erika. Erika is a thriving and passionate business owner who owns the original Magic Room in downtown Winnipeg. The Magic Room is a nail salon, a spa and a cosmetic store all in one building. Erika got her Masters of Business Administration in fashion in Paris. Erika was wearing a beautiful white sheer bodysuit underneath a pleated front zip grey skirt with faux snake skin black block heel boots and black ankle socks. She bought all of her clothes about a year ago. Erika describes her style as classic and trendy.

Meet Gorete:
Gorete is a counselor. She loves to stand out and look unique. Her style is very colourful and she likes to mix and match different outfits, shoes and jewelry. Gorete was wearing a stunning white lacy dress, pink shoes with a rainbow heel and a matching pink handbag. She also wore a very nice stone necklace and earrings.

Meet Ira:
I was so amazed when I saw Ira at how she made a pair of old ripped jeans look so classy! Ira is a technical designer. She describes her style as “boho meets off duty rockstar.” She also loves to stand out. Ira wore a loose and very light weight orange and white shirt that tied up at the front. She paired it with black ripped jeans and faux alligator skin and leather black shoes with bright orange socks. She also held a faux alligator skin purse. She bought all of her clothes in Montreal.

Meet Kelly:

Although Kelly’s outfit looks very classy and expensive, she actually created most of her outfit from hand-me-downs. Kelly wore a beautiful sheer white dress that buttoned up and tied up at the front. She got this as a hand me down from her step mother. She is also wearing black sandals and carrying a black leather handbag. Kelly describes her style as preppy but feminine. Kelly’s look is perfect for any setting and any occasion.

And lastly, Genavieve (me)!

I am 17 years old and from Winnipeg. I hope to go into forensic psychology and one day become an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) officer. I want to make a difference in the world in everything I do, so I thought that this would be the best career for me. I am currently working at a spa in Winnipeg as a skin health sales associate and have also worked in different clothing stores because it is very important for me to ensure that people always feel their best and I want to empower people to feel confident in themselves and to embrace their individual unique qualities. I would describe my style as sporty and preppy, but I always like to keep it classy.

I’m not going to lie, the dress I’m wearing in this picture is only $10. I want to make sure that people know that you absolutely don’t need to spend a fortune to look beautiful. As long as you feel confident and feel good in your own skin, that’s really all that matters. Love yourself for who you are and don’t let anyone tell you that you need to change the way you look or dress. Everyone is unique and beautiful just the way God made them.

“The more you are like yourself, the less you are like anyone else which makes you unique” -Walt Disney

I can’t believe Toronto is only 2 days away! It seemed like just yesterday that I received my title at the provincial pageant. I’m so excited to meet all of my pageant sisters and make so many memories.

I got the privilege of meeting up with Ashley Kaboha from Kaboha photography and she did a beautiful photo shoot of me. We decided to start off with a very natural look at the Trappist Monastery here in Winnipeg. We took some pictures in this beautiful, sunset-lit room in the ruins. She did my hair and created a headband out of rope and some leaves that she found. It was magical.

The next location we went to was the Forks in Winnipeg. We wanted a very night city look, so we darkened my makeup and took some pictures in front of the Human Rights Museum. I had a big group of teenagers run over to me wanting a picture, so we all took a big group photo.

Ashley’s dad, Don Moore, is a videographer who decided to come along and take some shots of Ashley and I doing the photo shoot. He put together an amazing video for me!

My experience with Ashley Kaboha and her dad Don Moore was so special for me. It was my first official photo shoot as Miss Teenage Manitoba 2017 and they by far exceeded all my expectations of what it would be. They are both extremely creative and talented individuals with kind hearts, and they work hard! I highly recommend them if you ever need a film created or a photo shoot done. Thank you Ashley and Don for all of your support on my journey to Miss Teenage Canada and for doing this photo shoot for me. You guys are fantastic!

As Miss Teenage Manitoba 2017, I have gotten to experience and see different parts of Manitoba, some that I didn’t even know existed! Just looking out the window of my car on my way to these different towns has really given me an opportunity to see how beautiful our province really is. I never really got an opportunity to look at and enjoy how bright and colourful a field full of canola is, or how amazing our Manitoba sunsets are over one of our lakes. I really thought hard about this blog post since there are so many beautiful parts of Manitoba that I could talk about that it was hard to pick just one.

I discovered the town of Lac du Bonnet when I was about 8 years old. My parents bought our first family cabin about 20 minutes out of the town. I was so excited to hear that it would be a cabin on the lake. I love fishing, swimming and all water sports, so knowing that I could do all these things right out my front door was very special. We’ve been through 2 cabins in Lac du Bonnet so far, and I’m very happy that we finally have one now that is a perfect fit for our family. We have had our current cabin for 3 years and I hope there are many more years of fond memories to come.

The first thing I really want to talk about are the Lac du Bonnet area sunsets. I have never in my entire life seen so many bright colours that fade into each other so perfectly, and such a round and bold sun. My cabin has the perfect view of it, so I get to enjoy it every evening that I’m out there. Luckily, I was able to snap a few pictures of it on some of the best nights!

The next thing I want to talk about is the lake. Lac du Bonnet lake isn’t as well known in Manitoba as some of the other lakes, but it is gorgeous. The fishing is great, the water is warm, and when it’s calm, it looks like glass. It is definitely somewhere I would recommend if you are thinking of going camping, or even just on a day trip!

The last thing I want to talk about is the town of Lac du Bonnet. Yes, it is quite a small town, but it has a lot to offer and a lot of personality. I was lucky enough to attend their annual parade, judge their talent show, help collect donations for their Canada Day fireworks and watch their Canada Day fireworks. Lots of people say that the Lac du Bonnet fireworks are some of best in all of Canada. I thought they were absolutely amazing, and I wish more people across Manitoba knew how great the fireworks there are. I even took a little video clip to show you! Everyone is so friendly in the town, and the whole community really comes together to help each other out and make the town the best it can be. They also have a great farmer’s market that happens every Saturday, where people bring their homemade arts, crafts, food, and much more!

I love Lac du Bonnet. The calm evenings, the wildlife, the friendly community. I definitely recommend this as a place where people should visit in Manitoba. They always have little events, fairs, parades, and much more going on. It’s a perfect place to go if you want to just spend a day by yourself, or bring the whole family. You will not be disappointed!

I love being able to travel across Manitoba and meet new people and go to towns that I have never been to before. One of these towns was Treherne, Manitoba. It’s a small town, but has lots of personality. I got to attend their summer fair and I was asked to sing a set list of my choice. They set me up on the back of a trailer and I sang some of my favourite songs in my cowboy boots. What a fun time! I definitely want to go back!

I had such a fantastic time at Paws in Motion in support of the Winnipeg Humane Society! I love animals so much and I believe all animals deserve a safe environment and should have access to the proper care that they need. I strongly support the Winnipeg Humane Society and what they do for animals. They protect them, give them a home, care for them, and support them medically while they wait to be adopted.

I got to bring my three dogs, Bandit, Peanut, and Goldie with me on the walk. Bandit has arthritis in his legs, so I carried him for some of the way when he got tired. I got to lead the walk and it was such a beautiful day out! I walked with hundreds of other people with their dogs who were supporting the Humane Society with me, and it was very heart warming.

I encourage anyone who is thinking about adopting an animal to go to your local humane society or rescue shelter. They have thousands of animals waiting to be adopted.

For the Miss Teenage Canada pageant, the charity that I am
fundraising for is Free the Children or “WE”. Free the Children empower’s change with resources that create sustainable impact. They do this through domestic programs like WE Schools and internationally through WE Villages.The organization focuses on young people, with programs in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. for service learning and active citizenship, and international development projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America focused on children and education.The organization runs programs in approximately 10,000 schools in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. for service learning and active citizenship, with the aim of empowering youth to become socially engaged. WE does things like build schools in Kenya, help mom’s in 3rd world countries make a living for their families, create opportunities for people in countries like Haiti.

WE Schools, their educational program, is a model for youth empowerment that challenges young people to act with intention, and lead with compassion and the conviction that together we all can transform lives locally and globally.WE helps young people understand the issues and how they can help, and then provide them with the tools to take action and connect them to other like-minded change-makers, creating a global community bound by compassion.WE Schools combines unique curriculum, educational resources and action campaigns; it’s a movement of students and educators who believe that some of the most powerful learning experiences happen when you make a meaningful difference in your communities and for the world.

People making a difference is very important in the Miss Teenage Canada pageant. I strongly believe that if we all come together, we can make a huge and positive impact on not only the country, but the world. Your support and donations for this campaign would be very much appreciated. Thank you so much! The link to my fundraising site is below:

http://fnd.us/e1FSna?ref=sh_06bnl3

Thank you so much!

“I’m going to the Miami Summer Fair and Rodeo!” “Miami in Florida?” “No, Miami Manitoba!” This is the conversation I had with lots of friends and family before going to this event. Yes, there is a place called Miami in Manitoba, and it is such a cute and happy town. In Miami, I got the privilege of being able to sing Oh Canada before the rodeo, I got to play and make cupcakes with the kids in the kids fun zone, I got to do a radio interview with Noah Olfert, where I talked about the provincial pageant and the Miss Teenage Canada pageant coming up in August and what pageants mean to me. I also got to watch my very first rodeo!

The Miami Summer Fair and Rodeo was a great experience and I’m so happy I got to visit this great town. I can’t wait to go back again someday!