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STAMFORD, Conn. Students in the Stamford YMCAs afterschool program received a visit and advice on healthy eating and lifestyle options Monday from 2011 Miss America Teresa Scanlan.
Its not about the way you look, but about being healthy from the inside out, Scanlan said of the message she hopes to get across to children.
The key to getting students to eat and live better is to instill self-confidence, said the Nebraska resident. If they dont like who they are, they wont care about the choices they make, but if they are comfortable with who they are, they will make better choices, she said.
The 18-year-old Miss America is a good role model for the middle school kids because she is close to their age, said Ernest Lamour, executive director of the Y. Scanlan was just 17 when she won the title and the youngest Miss America ever. Lamour said that when he was a kid he would ignore some of his father's advice because he was older. If it came from someone cool and popular like Scanlan, he said, it would carry more weight.
Scanlan greeted students coming off the bus, helped some with their homework and even read a book about eating healthy to the kindergartners. She also spoke to the middle school students about their goals, and shared her own plans of going to law school and eventually entering politics and running for president.
Remember, you met her here first, Lamour said.
Scanlans visit to the YMCA was to be followed by a fundraiser Monday night in Stamford. The goal is to raise money for a multi-purpose kitchen at the Y.
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