American Signature, Inc. to Debut the Miss America Youth Collection

10/14/2010

 
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Oct. 14, 2010 - COLUMBUS, OHIO - American Signature, Inc. launches the Miss America Youth Collection, on Oct. 25 at an exclusive event in Columbus, Ohio.  Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron and Miss America 1971 Phyllis George will both be on hand at Value City Furniture, 3700 West Dublin Granville Road, in Columbus from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 25 to unveil the new line to the country.  This event marks the official launch of the partnership between American Signature, Inc. and the Miss America Organization. 

 The furniture line will be available in American Signature Furniture and Value City Furniture stores on October 20.  To view the exclusive collection, visit: www.missamericafurniture.com. 

 The Miss America Youth Collection was designed in collaboration with the Miss America Organization to represent the goals and legacy of the almost 90-year-old pageant.  Elements of both the crown and the Miss America Organization’s logo were integrated into the elegant and whimsical design of the bedroom furniture for girls. 

 “As each Miss America is crowned, she becomes the embodiment of the organization with the iconic crown, which represents four points that symbolize; service, style, scholarship and success,” stated, Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron.  “These are wonderful ideals to aspire to, and this collection will also inspire little girls to dream of great things while making them feel like little princesses,” Cameron said. 

The Miss America Youth Collection includes a variety of bedroom furniture options including vanity tables, media cabinets, night tables, dressers, upholstered chairs and even whimsical beds with detachable crown options that mature alongside every little girl.  

American Signature, Inc. is committed to offering furniture collections that combine the everyday needs of parents with the everyday wishes of children. 

“We are thrilled to partner with the Miss America Organization and create this one-of-a-kind collection,” said Jonathan Schottenstein, chief operations officer for American Signature, Inc.  “The design and quality of the furniture represent what American Signature and the Miss America Organization have in common: a long history of commitment to quality, design and style.”

Items in the Miss America Youth Collection range in price from $229.00 to $799.00 and will be available in over 125 American Signature Furniture and Value City Furniture stores.

“The Miss America Collection helps girls’ dream big and believe that their dreams can come true, right at home,” stated the CEO & President of the Miss America Organization, Art McMaster.  “We are thrilled to launch this collection with American Signature, Inc. this year, as we celebrate our 90th anniversary of the Miss America Pageant - where dreams still come true for young women across this great country.”
 

Novi resident dances through unique, exciting jobs

10/14/2010

 
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Former Miss Michigan now working for Detroit Tigers

By Chris Jackett
CORRESPONDENT

Some 23-year-olds are just wrapping up their college experiences, while others are, well, also wrapping up their collegiate experiences; but all while rubbing elbows with the Detroit Tigers' front office staff.

Novi resident Nicole Blaszczyk just turned over her Miss Michigan crown three short months ago, but has spent the time since working full-time as a social media intern with the Detroit Tigers while she takes the last two semesters worth of classes toward a marketing degree from Wayne State University and acts as an extra for locally filmed movies, music videos and television commercials.

“The Tigers actually sought me out. When I was down there for the first pitch, I mentioned to them I was going into marketing and wanted a sports focus,” Blaszczyk said.  “It's a brand new position that came down from the MLB.”

She threw out the first pitch at two Tigers games, in Sept. 2009 and again in May 2010 during Polish-American Night (she's Polish, if you couldn't tell).

Blaszczyk started the job one week after her Miss Michigan duties ended June 19, meaning she went through the interview process for the internship during the last month of her reign. She said the position continues until at least opening day 2011.

“I update their Facebook, anything that's posted on there,” Blaszczyk said.  She also writes the front office blog, works at promotional events, interacts with guests and events around the park, basically “capturing the experience and giving fans what they can't see and read in the newspaper.”

A side project she has gotten involved with since starting the new job is working directly with Tigers President/CEO/General Manager Dave Dombrowski and Vice President/Assistant General Manager Al Avila updating the wall-sized depth chart in the executive office whenever an injury or trade occurs.  The chart includes rosters with individual magnets for every player on all 30 MLB teams and all of the Tigers' farm leagues' teams.
 

Redford fund-raiser combines fashion, boutique, lunch

10/10/2010

 
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Sheila Sigro, Mrs. Michigan International 1993, (left) and Laura Welling Abney, Miss Michigan 1998, strut the catwalk at the Redford Suburban League Fashion Show last year. (Archive photo)

by Sharon Dargay
O&E STAFF WRITER

Reva Wujcik isn't sure how the rumor — that Redford Suburban League had dumped its annual fashion show — took flight earlier this year.

But the Redford resident assures patrons the 37th annual show, luncheon and boutique is very much alive and heading into its final planning stretch this week.  The event is Wednesday, Oct. 20, at Burton Manor, 27777 Schoolcraft, Livonia.

“We've had a couple of people tell us that,” said Wujcik, League president, commenting on the rumor.  “Every year we have a discussion about continuing with whatever fund-raising we do.  If it came to the point where it was impossible to do that, we'd have another big fund-raiser of some kind.  But right now, this show is our venue.  People look forward to it and it has been successful.”

Since 1983 the show has raised $571,475 for Burger School for Students with Autism in Garden City.  Suzanna Kain, show chair, said the League donated $12,000 to Burger last year even though it experienced its “smallest crowd ever” at the fashion show.

The 116-member organization, now in its 55th year, has helped a variety of charities in the past but a few years ago decided to focus efforts on just one recipient.

“In the last few years autism has become a disability that people are very aware of.  A lot of research is going on with autism.  A lot of families are affected by autism,” Wujcik said.  “Everyone in our organization has a family member who has dealt with autism in some way.

“We've seen results of what the money does.  It has done a lot with the speech department at Burger.  They bought equipment they could not have otherwise bought.”

Several staff members and some students from the school will model in the fashion show this year as they did last year.  They'll wear fall and winter fashions from Dress Barn in Farmington, Men's Wearhouse in Novi and Parisian at Laurel Park in Livonia.

CASUAL TO DRESSY

Kain, of Madison Heights, oversees the mix of fashion and works with the stores.  She aims for variety on the runway.

“We want the casual and the let's go out for dinner and the theater and for the holidays,” Kain said.  “With models from Burger School we're talking a younger age there and we'll show clothing for the mature woman also.”