An Afternoon of Inspiration!

I am writing this blog feeling overwhelmed with emotions from Sunday’s “Afternoon of Inspiration” concert in Moorhead. I literally get goose bumps thinking about it. It was the most beautiful uplifting day I’ve had; I am so deeply reminded of God’s wonderful grace and the presence he has in my life. He has truly blessed me beyond measure with this opportunity to serve Minnesota this year and to take the focus off the crown I wear and on to the people it represents. At this "Afternoon of Inspiration," we recognized five Inspiring Americans from the Moorhead area, whose stories left not a dry eye in the house, including myself (I have learned to wear waterproof mascara for these concerts)! (The picture above was one of our Inspiring Americans, Alyssa, a survivor of leukemia and the 2010 ND CMN Champion. ) All of the stories are incredible and I wish I could share them with you but you will have to read them on www.whohasinspiredyou.com. In between these remarkable stories, the new Miss Moorhead and Moorhead’s Outstanding Teen Organization were showcased with their talents and their service work. Congratulations to Tiffany Shulstad Peterson, the new Miss Moorhead and to the Red River Valley Outstanding Teen, Brianna Drevlow, who were crowned Saturday night. Savanna Tate Snyder, a past Miss Moorhead, absolutely captured the audience with her vocal talent. More impressive, however, was her ability to overcome a very challenging week with the passing of her grandfather and still be able to perform with such grace and heart at this concert. (I know he was at that concert, Savanna, and he was smiling down on you!) Another hit was the St. Joseph's Mens Choir who not only color coordinated perfectly with the colors of Inspiring America but entertained the audience!
We raised over $750 at this concert for the Children's Miracle Network so thank you so much to everyone who helped make this day happen and be a success!

If you have not been to one of these concerts yet, I encourage you to make one in your area. The next one will take place in Maplewood on Oct. 2nd and we are looking for nominations of individuals in the Twin Cities area. Please take the time to nominate someone who has inspired you on whohasinspiredyou.com. You probably don’t realize what it would mean to them and how their story could inspire others. The stories from today’s concert will be on www.whohasinspiredyou.com along with pictures. I am planning to post some video from the concert on Inspiring Americas Facebook so become a fan and you can check that out, too!



Outside of being enormously inspired this past week, I also kept busy with the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon on Labor Day. I was at the Treasure Island Casino answering phones and taking donations…. And no, I didn’t gamble! This year, the MDA TELETHON ACHIEVED $58,919,838!! If you made a donation, thank you for your contribution.



I met quite a few youth who had some form of MD and they were so encouraging. They were similar to the amazing children at the Children’s Miracle Network hospitals--full of life and an energized spirit...precisely what I strive to take with me everywhere I go! I will be needing it especially this week with lots of traveling every day for appearances. I have a busy but exciting week planned so I look forward to sharing that with you next time!

Have a wonderful week,
Kathryn Knuttila
Miss Minnesota 2010