Well the day is finally here, I am leaving for 7 days in Toronto!  Myself and 71 beautiful girls will be competing for the crown this week to become the next Miss Teen Canada-World 2010!  I am all ready to go, I have 8 bags packed and 2 of them are just for shoes!  Oh dear, I don't know how all of my luggage is going to fit in my car.  Give me a break, every girl needs her shoes.......................ok, maybe I over packed just a little!  I promise I will keep you updated throughout this whole week, so follow me on Twitter and Facebook!  I am so incredibly excited for the pageant to begin.

The voting has already begun!  The contestant with the most votes will receive the "People's Choice Award" and be fast-tracked to the Top 20!  Click this link, Vanessa's profile and it will take you to my link on the Miss Teen Canada-World 2010 website.  Underneath my picture, you will see how to vote and the vote tally.  In order to vote you have to sign up as a VIP MEMBER.  You will have to confirm your registration in your e-mail and then you can VOTE!!!  I just want to say thank you to everyone again for following me throughout this amazing journey!  Wish me luck!

Love you guys :)

Vanessa

Thank you to Earle and Fran Keatley of Gallery 282 for taking these amazing photos and being so supportive throughout my jouney to the Miss Teen Canada-World pageant!!

Founded in 1995, Free The Children has grown into the largest network of children helping children through education.  At the young age of 12, Craig Kielburger caught the world's attention when he powerfully spoke against child labour.  He created somewhere for the youth to feel that they can help, that they have a voice to make a difference.  Free The Children has created some of the world's most influential youth to empower and to positively change the lives of their peers around the world.  Over 1 million youth have stood up to the challenge, to have their voices heard around the world sacrificing their time to be involved in innovative programs in more than 45 countries.  Free The Children has built over 500 schools and over 1 million people have been provided with access to clean water.  This is only a little taste of what Free The Children really does.  They also provide healthcare with basic medical supplies, education  and alternative income in impoverished countries such as Kenya, Haiti, Sri Lanka, etc.  Free The Children is changing the world for the better, each and everyday.  "Free children from poverty.  Free children from exploitation.  Free children from the idea that they are powerless to change the world".

In 2002, Craig Kielburger also founded "Me to We" which is a group of social enterprises seeking support for the work of Free The Children.  Me to We is all about focusing less on yourself, by focusing more on helping others.  It is a for-profit company and it redefines the difference between business and charity.  Me to We encourages people to make changes in their daily life by making socially conscious choices which will make a huge difference in the long run.  This is where one of Free The Children's partners comes in, "Me to We Responsible Style" co-founded by Oliver Madison, providing ethically manufactured clothing to the public.

 Me to We Style gives the consumer the opportunity to make the right decision to help people across the world have a better life.  All clothes are manufactured in Canada where adults are paid a fair wage.  Most of the clothes that regular consumers buy have been made in sweat shops around the world by underage workers and adults who are getting either underpaid or not paid at all and are subjected to working in an unhealthy environment.  Me to We Style ensures that their clothing is all made from certified organic cotton and viscose from bamboo.  They have comfortable and stylish designs made for everyone of all ages.  Me to We has created products for people to make the right choices that help make a difference.

Fifty percent of all purchases are donated to Free The Children.  This creates a better, healthier life for children and their families in third world countries around the world.  Check out this Me to We Style video to learn more about the way Me to Way Style helps Free The Children succeed.  By generously donating the percentage of all their sales, they are creating more opportunities for Free The Children volunteers to make an even bigger difference by expanding across the world to give access to clean water, build schools, and truly change the lives of many in need.  Also, for every t-shirt that is purchased Me to We plants a tree.

Me to We Style has become very popular with individuals, schools, charities, fundraisers and corporations across Canada and the United States.  You can custom design your clothes to make it your own.  Miss Teen Canada-World 2009, Siera Bearchell, designed her own t-shirt, and promotes youth to take on the challenge to make their own fundraiser for Free The Children.  See Siera Bearchell's Me to We Style video.

For many of us it is hard to make a unique, interesting fundraiser that people will enjoy.  Me to We Style has made that easier to us, with fantastic ideas and awesome clothes.  To get yourself involved go to Me to We Style and Free The Children's websites and become a part of the global phenomenon of children helping children through education.

                                                                                                                                      Vanessa Stead

Coming this fall CTV presents a new and thrilling view on the world of the performing arts. A never before seen look into the world of dance and it's principles. "Live & Love Dance" dives deep into the life of a dancer, showing many different aspects of what makes a performer shine. This program aims to enlighten the world and grace it with the knowledge of different dance styles, techniques and ethnic origins. Also looked at is the short career of a dancer and how to make it longer by keeping their body and mind healthy, learning about potential injuries they face and the different rehabilitation methods offered.  In order to meet this goal, distinguished guests from the world of dance will be brought in to share their knowledge. Specialists in nutrition and fitness will offer their knowledge on how to keep in top shape. The show will bring dancers and choreographers together to see what's in store for the future. It will provide a platform for new and upcoming dancers and choreographers to show what they have to offer in the industry. Many dancers have difficulty breaking into the business, this will give them the opportunity to be noticed and hopefully provide them with many job opportunities in their future. It will not only host individuals, but also groups and companies as well.  It is time for dancers, and also choreographers to get noticed and for once be in the spotlight. Dancers will not only be the background dancers to singers; it is time for dance to come to the forefront of show business.

"Live & Love Dance" will be hosted by Vanessa Stead.  She us a dancer herself with 14 years of experience. At the young age of 17, Vanessa is just breaking into the business. She has plenty of knowledge on how to keep your body strong and your mind fresh. She is also the producer of the show, and thought it would be a great experience to create a show that relates so much to her own life. Vanessa feels the show is necessary for the on-going growth of the dance industry. Dance is in very high demand and Vanessa believes that many talented people are falling into the shadows. Also along with producing and hosting the show, Vanessa and her team of 5 made up of agents, dancers, and choreographers will be searching for the next biggest star. All guests on the show will be personally selected by Vanessa and her team. She will personally be taking many classes to check out new choreographers, talking to dancers, and finding the most qualified nutritionists, doctors, and fitness instructors in the business. She wants her show to be filled with amazing talent, helpful information, and of course spectacular entertainment.

Now let's talk about the outstanding team "Live & Love Dance" has to offer. Starting with DJ Reds, he is well known in the Toronto nightlife, and also was a dancer himself.  He is able to entertain a wide variety of audiences and has a great taste in music. For his charismatic personality and handsome charm he was a perfect fit for the show. Dr. Josie McIntosh will appear regularly on the show each week.  McIntosh knows the world of dance, since she herself was an aspiring dancer. She turned in a different direction when she was 21 to pursue her other passion, to become the person able to educate and help dancers with healthy eating habits and injuries. She specializes in nutrition and physiotherapy. The show also provides various agents including the well known Toronto based, Cobalt Talent Inc. They will be there scouting talent at each taping of the show.

Along with all the guests and performers there will be an opening dance number to every show choreographed by guest choreographers. This number will include anywhere from 10 to 20 female and male dancers who will change every show. This will provide many dancers in the Toronto community with a job each week, including rehearsal time along with the opportunity to be seen by some of the best people in the business. Dancers will be chosen from video auditions and resumes that can be sent to Vanessa@live&lovedance.com.

"Live & Love Dance" is very thankful to all its' sponsors. The fabulous Canadian women's clothing store Aritzia will be dressing our host, Vanessa Stead at every show along with our dancers in the opening numbers. Aritzia is inspired by connecting everyone by bringing everything we love together in one place including books, magazines, music, and fashion. The show will give Aritzia a great opportunity to introduce new fashions and designs to the viewers.

We are thrilled to have Studio 600 Salon as our hairstylists for the host, guests and all the performers on the show. Studio 600 is owned and operated by Roger Dukeshire, who is a licensed hairstylist since 1998 with 20 years of working with hair extentions. Hair and fashion play a huge role in a successful television show. Even if the show is not focused on those two topics, secretly viewers are looking for new hair styles and fashions. This is why "Live & Love Dance" needed the best in the industry.

Get ready for a fresh, new show with extraordinary talent, and valuable information. To be a great performer you need to have the talent, the passion and most of all the heart. You have to completely dedicate your life to your dreams, and have the strength in your heart to succeed. Tune in and find out everything you need to know about the dance life, and so much more on Friday, October.22nd at 3:00pm for "Live & Love Dance".

I would like to share a story with you that temporarily turned my world upside down earlier this year.  When I thought everything in my life was full of amazing surprises and was going exactly in the right direction, something I didn't see coming happened.  I was diagnosed with a heart Arrhythmia called Supra ventricular Tachycardia (SVT).  This is a heart condition where a sudden fast heartbeat occurs, mine getting up to 220 beats per minute, which as you can imagine can be extremely dangerous.  For me these episodes would last around 1 to 2 minutes.  This had only happened to me a few times over the past several years and I didn't think much about it, but in September of last year it started occurring more frequently, around twice a week, sometimes even twice a day.  I would only experience this when I was dancing for a long period of time and when I was very tired.  I didn't think anything was wrong with me, I just thought maybe I was pushing myself too hard or I couldn't handle the intensity.  My instructors were beginning to get concerned with what was happening to me.  I would have to stop dancing right away and take a lot of deep breaths in order to get my heart rate down.  I became so used to this uncomfortable feeling that I was sure it was normal and there was nothing wrong.  For almost three months I managed to ignore everyone that was telling me to get help, I convinced myself I was perfectly healthy.  The only people that didn't know what was going on were my family.  In December my dance instructor told my mom what had been going on which is when all of the doctor's appointments started.

At the beginning of January I went to my family doctor and she referred me to a Cardiologist to get it checked out. I began really thinking about my heart and what was going to happen at that appointment, but I wasn’t really worried. A couple of weeks later I had the appointment with the Cardiologist at which time they ran a bunch of tests. The doctor gave me a Holter monitor that I was to wear as much as possible, but particularly when I danced.  I was supposed to wear it for 2 weeks or until the problem was captured on the monitor.  Exactly 2 days later at dance, my heart incident occurred again and luckily enough I was wearing the Holter monitor.  I transmitted the results that night. The next day I got a call from the Cardiologist for me to come and meet with the doctor to review the results. A few days later my parents and I went to the appointment with the doctor.  For the first time during this whole ordeal I knew something was wrong. I became very frightened and I had this feeling that I wasn’t going to be okay. I really did not want to go in to find out what was wrong. He told me I had a heart Arrhythmia called SVT that I was most likely born with and informed me that I had to have a procedure on my heart called a Catheter Ablation. This is a procedure where they insert several wires in your groin and neck through arteries that feed through to you heart. They recreate the arrhythmia, identify where on the heart it is and then burn it off. This is supposed to eliminate the heart arrhythmia, if they can get it. The doctor informed me that I could no longer dance until I had the Catheter Ablation and it could take anywhere from 3 to 6 months to get the procedure done. When he told my parents and I the news it hit me like a brick wall, I was in total denial. This would have meant I would have had to stop dancing completely and miss my whole competitive season with my studio. I pretty much thought my whole life had ended. There was no way I could stop dancing, it had been a part of my life since I could walk.  I take dance very seriously, it is very important to me.  My dad kept reminding me that my health needs to come before dance but for some reason I could not see that.

My mom had been talking to people she knew who are doctors and nurses, trying to find out more about my diagnosis and the procedure and trying to get an earlier date for my procedure.  One of the receptionists at my dance studio also has a heart condition, although a different type, and she had already gone through the same procedure.  She made some calls to St. Michael's hospital for us which I really believe helped.  In addition to this my dad's cousin works at Sick Kids Hospital in Cardiology and she was doing everything she could to help me.  Both hospitals are amazing and we had decided that we would go wherever they could take me first.  I was so thankful for everyone's support trying to help get me in the hospital as quickly as possible.  I especially want to thank my mother, because if it wasn't for her and all of her research, phone calls & e-mails I don't believe I would have had a chance at getting an appointment as fast as I did.  Miraculously I had an appointment to have the procedure done in 3 weeks.  For the next 3 weeks, I went to dance and did not completely stop dancing, but I had to be very, very careful.  My instructors and my mom kept a very close eye on me at dance.  I am a very hard worker and a very dedicated dancer, I give 110% effort always and for me to only give 50% effort was very hard.  It killed me to see myself this way, and not able to do what I love the most.  I was just praying that everything would work out and I would be able to dance again.

About a week before my procedure I started to get very worried and scared.  The procedure came with risks, just like anything else.  There were also no guarantees that they would be able to remove the arrhythmia.  I was too scared to even think about that.  Before this,  I had never been in the hospital or had anything wrong with me, so to have something this serious be my first experience in a hospital was very scary.  Thanks to the great doctors and staff at St. Mike's the day of the procedure went very smoothly.  Everyone at St. Mike's were all very nice to me.  They made me feel very comfortable and were very helpful.  My sister said they treated me like I was 5 years old because I was so much younger than the others patients in Cardiology.  The doctor told my family that there is a 95% chance that the SVT is gone, but if it does come back I will have to have the procedure done again.  The actual procedure took 2 1/2 hours, and then I had to stay overnight.  I was so grateful to have my mom, dad and sister all there to support me through this whole ordeal.  My boyfriend, my best friend & her mom and two of my sister's friends came to visit me that night.

After experiencing everything I went through, it gave me the urge to help.  I wanted to raise money for the Heart & Stroke Foundation.  I learned many things about the heart, and wanted to be able to help out a little bit.  Part of my platform is to teach people on how to eat right and stay active.  This totally relates to the heart in order to prevent strokes, heart disease and other heart problems.  Therefore, throughout my reign as Miss Teen Whitby-World I have not only been fund-raising for Free The Children but also for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada.  It was late February by now and I had a lot of work ahead of me, but I knew I could do it.  The only advise I want to leave you with is, if you ever think there is something wrong with you, no matter what it is, or something just does not feel right, do not ignore it or be afraid to tell someone and get help.  The earlier you catch the problem, the faster, and easier it is to cure it.

Vanessa

BIG BIKE RIDE FOR HEART & STROKE

On May 17th I participated in my first Heart & Stroke fundraiser..............the "Big Bike Ride for Heart & Stroke"!  It was tons of fun and felt really good to be involved with something so close to my heart!

See attached video from my Dance Workshop for Free The Children!

Thanks to Peter Swift for all his work on the video!

My third and final fundraiser was a bottle drive!  Over the past two weeks I have been collecting beer, wine and liquor bottles and cans with all of the proceeds going towards Free The Children!  I began by handing out over 100 flyers throughout my neighbourhood and then calling everyone I know.  I also handed out flyers to the parents of everyone who attended my dance workshop.  I drove around to all of the houses picking up the bottle donations and then returned them all to the beer store.  I ended up with over $100 for Free The Children.  Now that's a lot of bottles!  Thank you to everyone who contributed to my bottle drive.  I greatly appreciate it!

Mark you calendars, voting for Miss Teen Canada-World 2010 begins JULY 10th!  The contestant with the most votes wins the People's Choice Award and will be fast tracked into the top 20!!!  Thanks for your support.

Vanessa :)

DANCE, DANCE, and some more DANCE! Last Tuesday, I held a dance workshop as one of my Free The Children fundraisers. There were 21 girls who attended, and since it was their last day of school there was a ton of energy and smiling faces in the room. Since the ages ranged from 8 to 15 year olds I thought it was going to be very difficult to keep them equally challenged and at the same time having fun. Everyone was so amazing and talented, we had such a great time. I started with a warm-up which consisted of stretching, technique and conditioning. Then we did some jazz and lyrical technique down the room and at the end of the 2 hours we did a funky jazz combination to Miley Cyrus' new song, "Can't Be Tamed". All the girls worked it and did an awesome job!  After the workshop I treated all the kids and parents with ice cold jumbo freezies! Trust me we needed something cold.... it was a very hot 2 hours!

I want to say thank you to Diane and Angela of Hoofer's Performing Arts for donating their studio space to me for the workshop, and also to all the kids and parents for their donations and for coming out to support Free The Children !!

Whitby, Ontario- Population 120 THOUSAND! What a beautiful little town it is! Just a quick 45 minutes from downtown Toronto, I wouldn't wish to have been born and raised anywhere else. It has everything you need; from historical roots and scenic parks and lakes, to its vibrant entertainment, restaurants and sports complexes, not to mention its top notch schools and probably some of the nicest people you'd ever meet.

Whitby has a quaint downtown area with some unique shops and restaurants. It is also home to a thriving nightlife comprised of local pubs and night clubs which perfectly suits the large university and college student population. Downtown Whitby was also very lucky to receive a beautiful brand new public library just a few years ago.

If you take the main street of Whitby, Brock Road (Hwy 12) and drive south you will eventually drive into Lake Ontario. We have our very own marina, Port Whitby Marina complete with a lounge, bar and patio. Also along the lakeshore you will find one of my favourite places to visit, Heydenshore Park. It has a bike path that runs to Oshawa going east and all the way to Toronto going west. It is a beautiful spot, always full of people biking, rollerblading, walking, having picnics or just sitting and watching the gorgeous view. Just along the lakeshore is also Lynde Shores Conservation area. It is great for people who want to go hiking, cross country skiing, fishing or bird watching.

We are also known in Whitby for being the home of Trafalgar Castle, an all girls private school in an actual castle, built in 1859. They have students that come from all over the world to live and go to school there from grade 5 to 12. I have fond memories of Trafalgar Castle, not as a school, but for summer camp. I went there to summer camp for 3 years when I was younger. It was a lot of fun.

Another interesting place in Whitby, is the Whitby Mental Psychiatric Hospital ( now known as the Ontario Shores Centre). It originally opened in 1916 and was one of the most modern facilities of its kind at that time. It also served as a military hospital in WW1. The former Doctors' residences are the only two original buildings left on the site.

North on Hwy 12 is the Village of Brooklin, which is another part of Whitby. Brooklin began as nothing but farms, but it has grown like crazy over the past few years with tons of new homes being built. It is also the home of the annual Brooklin Spring Fair which takes place on the first weekend in June. This is an attraction that brings people from all over the Durham Region.

One of Whitby's most famous sites is Cullen Garden's miniature village. It has closed down now unfortunately, but I have some great memories from there. My parents used to take my sister and I at Christmas, Halloween, and in the summer to see the shows and all of the different miniature villages that change with the season. I'll never forget my dad taking me once, just him and I. I was only little and it was winter and my mom had asked him to dress me warmly because we were going to be walking outside. Well he dressed me with so many layers of clothing that I could hardly walk. When he took my layers of clothing off later I was soaking wet with sweat. I think he was a little too cautious! We have laughed about that for years now. I guess I looked pretty funny!

Whitby would not be complete if it wasn't for the Whitby Entertainment Centrum. The main attraction is AMC 24 Theatres, where my friends and I regularly go to see movies. The complex has various restaurants including Jack Astor's, Shoeless Joe's, Wild Wings, Mr.Greek, Montana's, Mongolian Grill, Milestone's, Lone Star, Subway, and Boston Pizza. My recommendation is always Jack Astor's, it is one of my favourite restaurants in Whitby. They have great service, and of course awesome food. There is also a perfect place for date night, a dessert restaurant with a very romantic atmosphere, called Demetres. It has the best dessert menu in town! There is a lot of fun for children also at Putting Edge, a glow-in-the-dark mini-golf course, and Chuckie Cheese. This complex is one of the busiest areas in Whitby. On a Friday or Saturday night good luck finding a parking spot.

I would also like to mention the home of Whitby's #1 burger, Starr Burger. Many people enjoy going to the 50's styled diner to enjoy their favourite burger and fries. It is extremely popular to the Whitby civilians. Another restaurant in Whitby, which just opened a few months ago is The Brock House. The owners also own two other restaurants, Shrimp Cocktail in Oshawa and Hot Rocks in Whitby. I can honestly say The Brock House is my all-time favourite restaurant I have ever been to. The menu is very diverse to accommodate various tastes and budgets.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following sponsors for their generous donations:

Dr. Ronald Sperber, Whitby Orthodontics

Fortress Technology Inc.

Jack McCarnan, Retirement Income Planning Services

Gallery 282

Friends & family who supported the Casino Rama Bus trip

Depending on your fancy, there is a lot to do in the little town of Whitby! There's something for everyone. If you get the chance, you should stop by and pay my town a visit. I'm confident that you won't be disappointed. Who knows, if you end up at one of my favourite spots, maybe we'll run into each other!

Bye for now!

Vanessa

The Oshawa Hospital Foundation and the Albis family held their 7th annual fundraising gala once again this year at the beautiful, Tosca banquet hall. All proceeds from the event will go to the Pediatric Department at the Lakeridge Health Oshawa Hospital.

I volunteered at the event which was absolutely spectacular. It had beautifully decorated tables with gorgeous centerpieces and huge chandeliers throughout the room. Once again I was able to meet some fabulous people from the community, including Whitby Mayor Pat Perkins (pictured below), Clarington Mayor Jim Abernethy and many prominent business owners from Durham Region. Also in attendance to support this great cause were the honorable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance for Canada and his wife Christine Elliot, Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby/Ajax.

Thanks to Ashley MacInnis at the Oshawa Hospital Foundation for allowing me to volunteer at such a great event!

I even contributed to the silent auction by bidding on a signed pair of pointe shoes worn by Heather Ogden, a principal dancer at the National Ballet of Canada... and won my bid!! I saw her perform earlier this year at the National Ballet's performance of Swan Lake.

I love participating and helping out at these events in my community and only wish I had more time to attend them all!

Vanessa :)

 http://www.snaposhawa.com/index.php?option=com_sngevents&id[]=168095