appreciating those around you.

I was reminded today that I'm never at a loss for words. This is probably the truest statement ever. I'm not. 

But right now....on this day....I'm not really sure how to express my gratitude for all of the love and support the Princess Program has gotten over the past year. Last year, I had a Thanksgiving post. And while I typically don't recycle my blog posts from year to year, I think I have to. It says everything I want to say.

But before I do....again....from the bottom of my blonde little heart...thank you to everyone who has contributed to make the Princess Program what it is. For those Princesses who came before us, and for those who will come after us...we appreciate you!!

It's Thanksgiving week! And I'm always super reflective during this time of year (obviously...like most of America).

With that being said, the Princess Program would not be what it is today without our amazing alumnae, volunteers, parents and of course...the Princesses. Thank you for making 2014 one of our best years ever. I am always floored by the amount of "hey Kelby, let me know what I can do to help" or "You need binders stuffed? Just tell me when and I'm there." It warms my heart to know that so many people love the Princess Program as much as I do and are willing to spend countless hours just helping me out.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you for your emails and your words of encouragement.

Thank you for offering to help (even when I don't take you up on it).

Thank you to all my friends that I have shamelessly begged to help with the Princess Program--a program that they have no direct ties too, but find themselves involved simply because they are my friends...SUCKAS!!

Thank you for your endless support.

Here's to 2015. I'm not even sure it can be better than last year....but I'm going to try.

You guys are the best. Again. Thank you.

Princess Brooke Sahm....why I applied to be a Princess!

          I applied for the 500 Festival Princess Program for many reasons; however, it was my affiliation with the 500 Festival that drove my desire to be a Princess.  Looking back to when I was a little girl, I remember attending the 500 Festival Parade every single year.  I always had a front row ticket in all of the parade action because my mother actually works for the company that designs and builds the floats.  Year after year, I remember seeing the princesses in their ball gowns.  They always looked like they were having so much fun up on the float, waving to everyone in attendance.  It wasn’t until 3 years ago when I had the opportunity to work for Expo Design, in building the parade floats that I started to seriously think about applying for the Princess Program.   I was never really the girly type, I grew up with mostly boys; however, after talking to a couple of girls I knew who participated in the Program and hearing their personal stories, I knew I wanted to apply.  They shared with me the many friendships that they made in the program, the many opportunities they had to get out and connect with the community, and ultimately the personal growth and confidence boost that they gained from being a part of the Princess Program.  After 3 years of being behind the scenes of building the floats, actually driving a float in the parade, running the mini marathon, and attending the Indianapolis 500, I knew it was time to apply.  Without question, I filled out my application and turned it in as soon as I could. 

          I still remember what I was doing when I received my email of congratulations from the 500 Festival.  I think I even shed a few tears of happiness I was so excited to be given this opportunity to represent my school, my city of Indianapolis, and the 500 Festival in such a big way.  My time as a 500 Festival Princess is something I will never forget.  The friendships and connections that I made, the personal growth and confidence that I built, the outreaches I participated in, and the feeling of being on cloud 9.  It was all just unforgettable.  I am so glad that I had the opportunity to participate in the 500 Festival Princess Program, it is something I will always take with me, and I truly believe…once a princess, always a princess. 

Princess Elizabeth Lecher....why I applied to be a Princess!

Sure, I could talk for hours and hours about why you should apply to be a Princess. But why not hear it from the girls themselves? So we will be featuring some of the 2014 500 Festival Princesses over the next few weeks, and you will get the opportunity to hear from them directly about why they decided to apply to be a Princess!

First up, the darling Elizabeth Lecher! Elizabeth recently graduated from Purdue University and is now working for Archer Daniels Midland. She's fantastic and generous and kind-hearted and stunning and just amazing!

Why I applied to be a Princess!

The month of May in Indiana is electrifying and jam packed with events, starting out with the 500 Festival Mini Marathon and ending with the greatest racing spectacle in the world.  What an honor to be able to represent the state of Indiana as one of the 500 Festival Princesses.  But what does it take to be able to hold such a title and carry that much responsibility?  That was the question I found myself facing when I sat down to fill out the application to be one of the 33 500 Festival Princesses. 

I need to provide some background information that will help in understanding why I struggled to decide if I had what it takes to be a 500 Festival Princess.  You see, all of my life I have been what I like to call “fluffy”.  Before I go any further I want to make it clear that there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with being “fluffy”.  I have never let my size keep me from participating in activities and neither should anyone else.  I was in the top 10 of my class, President of the FFA, 10 year 4-H member, Drum Major, Drama Club member, and Varsity Letterman in High School.  While at Purdue I rode on the Western Equestrian Team showing horses, was an Ambassador for the College of Agriculture, worked in our Center for Career Opportunities helping students prepare for career fairs and finding internships, AND I was Vice President of Standards for Alpha Omicron Pi.  There was nothing I wanted to do that I didn’t participate in.  They sky was truly the limit. 

Looking at today’s society however; you can understand why I may have questioned if I had what it takes to be a princess.  There is so much pressure on women to maintain a “perfect image”.  What I quickly learned is there is no such thing as a “perfect image”.  Everyone is unique.  Everyone is beautiful in their own way.  What was holding me back in showing the world smart, beautiful, talented, and yes “fluffy” women can be princesses and do a phenomenal job representing their home town and state?  NOTHING! Nothing should have been holding me back in applying.  This was my chance to show young girls that your size DOES NOT MATTER.  If you set your mind to something, you can achieve it. Love who you are and blast out of your comfort zone and show the world how truly awesome you can be.  It’s your ambition, values, and drive in life that determine what you can and cannot do.  Talented, driven, intelligent, values based women are exactly the type of women wanted to serve as ambassadors for the 500 Festival.  Being driven off those ideas, my journey as a 500 Festival Princess began.  I filled out the application, went through the interview rounds, and before I knew it I was wearing a tiara and sash that would accompany me during an unforgettable experience of a lifetime.  

Serving as a 500 Festival Princess allowed me to partake in numerous outreach activities.  Princess for a Day events, carnivals, schools, after school clubs, parades… the list goes on and on.  I was able to experience the 500 Festival and the Indianapolis 500 in a once in a lifetime kind of way.  And to top it all off, I was able to make 32 friends for a lifetime.  We will always share a bond being in the same Princess Class.  Am I glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and applied to be a 500 Festival Princess? Without a single doubt.            

inspiring the next generation.

Remember that one time when you had a dream that you were an actual Princess? That you had a tiara or crown on your head? That you ruled over a kingdom and had the power to help those who need help? The power to get up in front of the people of your kingdom and lead the charge? To be so encouraging that little girls wanted to come up and meet you? Shake your hand? Give you a hug?

For most people, that was probably several years ago after watching Tangled or something.
(for me, it was last night after watching Tangled!)

But that's EXACTLY what our Princesses get to do! They get to be those inspirational role models every day! They get to work with the younger generation--teach them. Inspire them. Challenge them.

That's what this program is all about.

Empowering Women.
Power. Purpose. Passion.

power. purpose. passion.

So I get asked this question a lot....

"What exactly is the Princess Program?"

Wow. Hmm. That shouldn't be a difficult question. I mean, c'mon. I live and breathe this Program. I love this Program. I was a part of this Program. But I mean, honestly...how do I describe the Princess Program without taking up 4 to 5 hours of the person's time??

And 4 to 5  hours is just a low-ball time estimate.

It's extremely difficult to describe the Princess Program in just one sentence. But how about just 5 words....

The 500 Festival Princess Program is about empowering women. We hope all of our Princesses feel like we gave them the tools and resources to take over the world. We want them to feel equipped to lead, to change, to advance, to drive, to launch. We want to be a culture that gives college women every advantage possible. 

More importantly (or equally as important) our Princesses have power. They have purpose. They have passion. We want every young women who comes through our program to know/embrace/understand/embody power, purpose and passion. 

So what exactly is the Princess Program? 

Great question. I'm glad you asked.

It's about empowering women through power, purpose and passion. 
And we have the time of our lives doing it!