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November 27, 2007

Raising Money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

WAY to GO IRONWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

I would like to give a huge Thank You to the entire student body of Ironwood Elementary School. I was fortunate to get the opportunity to personally collect a nearly $1000.00 donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that was collected on behalf of this caring group of young individuals. As I sat with the principal during the morning announcements I realized that this school has numerous programs running that allow them to give back to the community. Way to go IRONWOOD you are on the right track!!!

TNT took Tucson by STORM!!

567 Team in Training participants took part in the 25th annual El Tour de Tucson century bike ride on November 17th. These individuals collectively raised $1.4 million for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to go towards programs such as patient services and research. I was fortunate enough to get the chance to speak in front of this esteemed group of individuals and their family and friends including cycle enthusiasts and Mayor Robert Walkup himself.

I hope that my words of encouragement helped to enlighten many of the Team in Training participants that may not have previously been tied to our mission which is: To cure leukemia, lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. The following morning all of the Team in Training participants joined approximately 10,000 more in the 109 mile cycle ride. As they rode I was able to join in the family fun event by handing out medals to the kids as they finished their 4 mile ride. I am pictured here with two of the youngest Team in Training supporters after they crossed their finish line ;o)

November 15, 2007

Blue Water Triathlon

You just cannot have a complete week with out getting your exercise in. This weekend I brought a team of 20 participants to Parker, Arizona to participate in the Blue Water triathlon. This sprint and Olympic distance triathlon took place in the beautiful Colorado River area and participants actually swam down stream before jumping on their bikes and taking the 35 mile ride into California, across the Parker Dam and ending back at the Blue Water Casino before switching into running shoes for the final 6 miles of the race on foot. All of my participants did a wonderful job and I was proud to be at the finish line to take the photos as they completed their goals of becoming tri-athletes. These individuals collectively raised over $50,000 as members of Team in Training. WAY TO GO TEAM!!!!!







Smith and Engle make me Smile

On November 9, I hosted the one year anniversary for Smith and Engle dentistry. Smith & Engle are the official dentists for the Mrs. Arizona America pageant and have provided me with a complete smile makeover including Invisalines which I love.

Tonight their generous nature was shown again as they raffled off another complete smile make over, a zoom whitening package and many other prizes to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The office was converted into a mini cocktail hour and staging was borrowed by D Frank designs fresh off the stages of fashion week.

It was a wonderful evening with great music, friends, and a toast to the men of the hour and my favorite dentists. These guys are great and definitely make you feel comfortable in a dentist chair from providing their version humor and a shiatsu massage as you recline in the chair. See you soon ;o)

Close to My Heart

On November 8, I was invited to attend a fundraiser for one of my Team in Training participants Terry Wohlgenant. This evening was especially close to my heart because Terry and I have become friends through out his training process. Terry’s became a member of Team in Training, which is an endurance sport training program that I work for. The program trains individuals around the country to participate in marathons, triathlons, and century rides and in exchange the participants raise money to support the Society’s mission to cure Leukemia, Lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. You see it was five years ago this month when Terry lost his wife to a rare form of Leukemia call Chronic Lympocytic Leukemia (CLL) which is rarely found in women especially under the age of 50. I now personally know of two women who have been given this diagnosis and the other women is myself. So as you can imagine Terry and I have developed and interesting relationship that I am sure is difficult for us both at times. But ultimately we are both involved in Team in Training for personal reasons and hope to advance the research of these diseases as quickly as possible for all of these who are affected by them. Tonight Terry rose close to $4000!!

Way to go Terry and Thank you ;o)

Ronald McDonald House Charities

I love being Mrs. Arizona!

On November 2, I spent the evening in great company with one of my closest friends; Mrs. Tempe, Debbie Lee. We helped to sell every raffle ticket in the house to benefit the Ronald McDonald House at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort. Not only did we sell raffle tickets to win spectacular prizes but they also sold the cutest little bears for only a $50 donation that also came with the opportunity to win a Rolex from Coffman and Trout. The silent auction and raffles were fantastic but the evening’s presentation with testimonials from families that are actually benefiting from the services the house provides are what stole my heart away. The Ronald McDonald House allows families to have access to housing while a family member is undergoing extensive hospital care. Thank you for all that you do and a special thanks to the Harlem Globe Trotters for coming out and putting on a quick show and donating a trip to see them in New York and LA. These guys were great!

Revitalize Me

I had the great opportunity to partake in the grand Opening of Revitalize Spa and therapeutic massage in Mesa. This company used this celebration to also raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The evening included mini massages, facials and healthy chocolate. Yes you heard me healthy chocolate. A product called Zocai it is packed full of antioxidants and tastes great as well. Antonio Smith from the Phoenix Cardinals and I were the hosts for the evening and we all had a wonderful time and raised some money for a good cause at the same time.

November 14, 2007

Introductions

Hello, my name is Tracy Elliott and I am the current Mrs. Arizona America. More importantly I am Mrs. Brett Elliott and step mother to Justin, Brittney and Garret Elliott. My family and I reside in Queen Creek, Arizona and as second generation native I am so proud to represent our beautiful state. I come from a very close family and believe that they are the foundation of everything that I do.

As an active outdoors woman I can tell you I have been to the top or near top of many of the beautiful mountains across the state and love an opportunity to explore the all that we have to offer. From the beautiful waters of white river in northern Arizona to the gorgeous sunsets over the mountains in Douglas I can not imagine a state that I would rather call my home.

In my career arena I am the cycle and triathlon manager for Team in Training, which is the largest fundraising program for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am fortunate to be able to assist participants in meeting their personal fitness goals while at the same time raising funds for a wonderful organization. I believe that personal fitness can help in all aspects of your life.

My role with the Society does not end as just a staff member but I also serve as an Honored Teammate for the program as I am a blood cancer patient myself. Although being diagnosed with Leukemia has heightened my personal awareness of my physical condition it has also brought new light on my perspective on life and I have chosen to become a positive role model for others who face these illnesses. Together we will find a cure.

As Mrs. Arizona I have been given the opportunity to participate in numerous charity events throughout Arizona and encourage everyone to get involved in their communities. You never know how much a small effort on your part can impact the life of someone in need.