Published Writings by Natalie Hagemo
Here is where I will post any articles I write beyond my "Outside the Box" and "2 for 1 columns.
I have started to do more freelance writing, mostly involving happenings around town and interesting people I meet. I always welcome feedback, so email me at mnnat@aol.com
Passing of the Crown
April 18, 2009 -- The City of Excelsior will have a new Mrs. Excelsior representing it in the 2010 Mrs. Minnesota International Pageant. Susie Overvold will receive her crown and banner at a crowning ceremony at Maynard’s on May 8th at 10:30am.
Former Mrs. Excelsior Natalie Hagemo will be passing the crown to Overvold along with Excelsior Mayor Nick Ruehl who will present her banner.
“Susie Overvold will be a great representative for Excelsior at next years 2010 Mrs. Minnesota pageant. She shares my passion for Excelsior and is eager to be of service to her community”, says Hagemo.
The Mrs. International Pageant showcases the many accomplishments of Minnesota’s married women. Heavy emphasis is put on a participant’s platform, which is a cause she works on and promotes during her year as a titleholder.
Overvold is partnering with the National non-profit organization D.A.R.E., which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. The D.A.R.E. organization was founded in 1983, and continues to work with law enforcement, educators and volunteers to give kids the skills they need to avoid not just drug abuse, but also involvement in gangs and violence.
“Part of what makes D.A.R.E. successful is the use of positive role models and educating our youth so that they become empowered to make correct choices.” Says Overvold. “I couldn’t be more proud to represent a city I love and to use my title to promote a cause that is very near and dear to my heart.”
Overvold has first had experience with what drug abuse can do to a child. Her stepson has struggled with addiction and has recently undergone treatment which Overvold was key in facilitating. “Feeling the pain of watching my son deteriorate because of drugs is what drives me to do what I can within our community to prevent this from happening to another family”.
The public is welcome to attend the crowning of our next Mrs. Excelsior on the patio at Maynard’s restaurant on Friday May 8th at 10:30am. Mrs. Excelsior is available for speaking engagements to share her personal story, and also to share the solution and what we can do as a community to help our youth. Contact Susie Overvold at 612-819-0778.
Excelsior Family Volunteers in Hurricane Relief Effort
Excelsior Bay Times - August 2008
Packed against her fellow volunteers like a sardine, 16 year old Excelsior teen Leilani Sierra found herself stuffed into the back of a pickup truck flying down a dirt road in the Dominican Republic. The 90 degree heat was stifling enough, but combined with 90 percent humidity the air felt drinkable.
With the truck’s tires kicking up a mini dust storm, Leilani could barely make out the village just up ahead. Squinting into the sun, with the salt of her own persperation burning her eyes Leilani couldn’t help but smile. She immediately saw the children of La Antonia running up to the truck to greet them shouting “Americano, Americano!” These were the people Leilani traveled from Minnesota to the Atlantic Ocean to help.
These were the children whos villages, made up mainly of tin shacks with no running water or electricity, were devastated by a hurricane, a hurricane that may have damaged their homes but as Leilani and her parents Chuck and Lana Schneider were to learn, not their hearts.
At the start of 2008 Chuck Schneider decided that he wanted to take his family on a Missions trip to help a community in another part of the world. After doing an internet search his wife Lana located STEM International, a non-profit Christian Missions organization that trains individuals to coordinate or participate in short-term missions from one to three weeks.
After weighing the pros and cons, the Schneider’s decided on a week long mission trip to the Dominican Republic to help in the effort to rebuild over 200 homes damaged or destroyed by a hurricane. Though it was not mandatory Chuck and Lana attended STEM’s short-term Missions leader conference to better prepare themselves for what lie ahead. Lana wasn’t sure what to expect but as she said “I would follow my husband into the wilderness”.
The family was educated on the importance of respecting the local culture, and told not to go in with the viewpoint that you had to change everything you thought was wrong. They were taught to not see how the locals did things as wrong but as different. STEM covered such things as where and when it was okay to eat or drink something, how to assess the risk in an area and the spirit of what missions were really about.
Upon arriving in the Dominican Republic the Schneider’s joined over a dozen other volunteers including 3 from Minnesota in Santo Domingo at the home of a local pastor, about 20 minuets from the village they would be working in. The men shared one room and the women another, a room with no airconditioning and one working fan.
At 16 Leilani was the youngest volunteer that STEM International had sent to the Dominican Republic. While her parents did manual labor in the grueling 90 degree heat working to rebuild the home of a mother and her 3 children, Leilani was assigned to help in the care of the local children of the village of La Antonia. Children who lived mostly in a single parent home with their mothers.
Right away Leilani noticed that the children would ask her what her name was, and what the name of her mother was, almost no child asked about a father. Most of the children were being raised without a father and assumed it was the same for Leilani.
Touched by the generosity of children who appeared to have so little Leilani tells of a young boy about 11 years old who offered her some crackers. “They have almost no food, most only getting one meal a day and this young boy was offering me what little he did have”. This was one of several gestures of generosity that the children amazed Leilani with.
Knowing a little Spanish herself Leilani was able to communicate somewhat with the children, who were quick to teach her more Spanish, her Spanish speaking skills improved imensely during her week in the village. When the language became a barrier the children would act out what they were trying to say, or draw a picture in the dirt.
One thing was for sure, these children spoke the universal language of laughter. “I was very surprised by how much joy they had considering what they were going through and how they lived”. They were 10 times happier than some kids I see back home who have everything”. Leilani said, pointing out that the children were quick to laugh at what most would consider minor amusement.
They also were very curious and not afraid to ask questions. Lana Schneider recalls one young girl reaching out and touching Lana’s eyebrows and making a motion asking “where are your eyebrows?” Lana inherited a heriditary trate that causes her eyebrows to fall out. “I go all the way to a 3rd world country and my lack of eyebrows still stands out” Lana remarked with a laugh. Lana using charades like motions explained to the child that her eyebrows fall out, an explanation that sent the young girl and her friends into a bout of infectious laughter.
Lana also found herself answering to her new nickname the locals gave her “Bandito”. Earned because of the bandana she wore over her face in an effort to protect her skin from the burning Dominican sun while working. The shared laughs were a welcome break from the toil that the oppresive heat and humidity were taking on them. “We had to take many breaks while working, I’ve never moved so much dirt and clay” recalled Lana. “You got used to being covered in sweat and dirt, it was all worth it to know you were helping to build a better home for a family.”
During these breaks Chuck Schneider befriended a young boy name Chicho. Chicho worked to teach Chuck some Spanish and in return Chuck taught him a few words of English. Chicho was eager to learn English. He would give Chuck a huge smile, offer his hand for a handshake and proudly greet him in his newly learned English, with “My friend” to which Chuck would reply “Mi amigo”.
“It was a humbling experience to be around so much poverty yet the people were so giving”, said Chuck
“The people of the village were so resourceful with amazing problem solving skills when we were working, if a tool broke they found a way to repair it and kept working, nothing stopped them” remembered Lana. “Even the children were very eager to work and help with what we were doing, more than one fight broke out over a shovel. They wanted to help.”
“We weren’t just building homes, we were buidling relationships and that is what this mission trip was really about” says Lana.
“By the end of the second day I was completely in love with the children, they felt like family” says Leilani. “I think that is what I was meant to learn on this trip, I experienced what love is supposed to be and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
Excelsior Botique Owner Has Inventive Side
Excelsior Bay Times July 2008 - by Natalie Hagemo
Walking into the House of Amore and Fede you will be often greeted by Co-owner Kim Parmater Pederson. Kim and Debbie Sluslar co-own the store on Water Street which features fashion forward clothing lines, faith expression wear and accessories. Debbie and Kim have been successfully growing their store since October of last year, which now carries sizes 0-3X. Known for their fabulous V.I.P. shopping parties and fun fashion shows, The House of Amore and Fede has made its mark on Excelsior and the surrounding communities. Both women share a passion to dispell the myths of what women “can and can not” wear, and work with their customers to find what is most flattering for them as individuals. “There is no such thing as being “too old” to dress in fashion forward apparel” says Kim. Regardless of size, small or full figured women are encouraged to explore fashion at an affordable price. What many do not know is that Kim Parmater Pederson is a successful inventor who has been creating gadgets and games since she was 4 years old. “I’ve always had ideas coming to me” says Kim. At age 29 Kim was a mother of 3 and had put 9 years into the cell phone sales industry, a job she was becoming restless in. One day she picked up two Frisbees that had holes in the center. She started to spin them on her arms and realized that she was really getting a great upper body workout. This was the birth of what became “Toning Rings”, weighted 1 lb rings, invented, created and marketed by Kim. Toning Rings were the first of about 100 pieces of fitness equipment that Kim would go on to invent. About 30 of the 100 made it to market on QVC, a home shopping channel on cable television. QVC reaches 166 million homes worldwide and is located in Pennsylvania. Kim herself is often the on-air host demoing and promoting her creations live on-air to millions at a time. Creations such as the wildly successful “Easy Shaper” which targets 7 body parts, to “Ab Rockits” which she sold 10,000 of on-air on QVC in 7 minuets! She credits her success in part to her ignorance of the rules when she started out. Kim says she didn’t know she “wasn’t supposed to” cold call on senior executives at companies pitching her product and ideas, she didn’t know the protocol. “My ignorance of how to play the game became an asset” she explains. Kim’s passion for her inventions was contagious, which got her foot in the door with many companies. That foot firmly placed in the door by Kim, led to a seat at the table, and awhile later became a table she spent time at the head of. “I don’t have an educational background in marketing or engineering, but I have a God given gift that I use.” Now with 14 years of experience under her belt not just in inventing fitness equipment, but also in the writing, producing and hosting of infomercials, she encourages other would be inventors to follow their dreams. “I believe everyone has a great idea that can be followed through on, the key is to not get married to one idea. You have to create it, get it to market and then on to the next idea” advises Kim. Successful feedback from users of her fitness products drive her to come up with new ideas. “I started working out when I was 19 years old because I was inspired by the older women I saw that looked fitter than I was at 19” Kim says it is a financially focused industry in the world of QVC, your product has to do “X” amount of dollars in “X” amount of time. What Kim has done with her products once she creates the concept is, she gets a provisional patent, finds a designer or engineer to do a prototype to present, figures out her target market and which company might license the product, once the product is licensed she moves onto the next idea. “Not every idea will be a million dollar idea” she says. “When I license a product to a company they assume the most risk and I get paid a royalty on each piece sold.” Her biggest advice to anyone who has an idea for a product they want to invent is to “do something with it!” Follow your passion, don’t let what you think you can’t do, or don’t know hold you back”.
Mrs. Eden Prairie Wins Big at Mrs. Minnesota America
Eden Prairie News June 2008 - by Natalie Hagemo
On Saturday June 7th crowds filled the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul for the 2008 Mrs. Minnesota America Pageant. From the opening dance number to the final evening gown competition nerves may have ran high for the women competing, but the positive energy ran even higher from the cheering audience.
By the end of the evening Wendi Russo Mrs. Eden Prairie, shined as our newly crowned Mrs. Minnesota America. Not a small accomplishment for this wife, mother, volunteer and Shop NBC on air personality. It goes without saying that Wendi Russo is a beautiful woman, what sets her apart is her ability to inspire others through her passion to help, and her desire to make a difference in the life of a child.
For Wendi the road to the crown was one paved with determination, hard work and a purpose to improve the lives of at-risk area children. At age 7 Wendi’s own world was turned upside down when sadly her parents divorced. After moving four times in a relatively short period as a young girl, Wendi felt lonely, friendless, and was filled with a sense that she didn’t fit in.
A turning point came when Wendi moved in with her Grandmother who would become a mentor to her. Her Grandmother not only believed in, but encouraged Wendi’s dreams. There were many a childhood play that her Grandmother happily attended cheering her on, even when she didn’t recognize which character little Wendi was.
Having someone in her life who was her biggest fan, who supported her dreams, who opened up a world of endless possibilities to a little girl once lost, inspired Wendi to be that kind of mentor to another child. As an adult living in California Wendi became a Big Sister to a little girl name Daisy, through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
A career opportunity with Shop NBC brought Wendi to Minnesota 4 years ago, and though it took her away from Daisy, the move to the Midwest introduced her to Kinship of Greater Minneapolis. Kinship has been providing adult mentors for at risk children ages 5-15 for the last 50 years. A Kinship mentor is matched with a Kinship kid based on location, personality, skills, age, gender, energy levels and hobbies.
A Kinship mentor is a role model to a child who needs a friend and additional support. Individuals, couples, and families are encouraged to make a difference in a child’s life through Kinship’s mentor program, of which our newly crowned Mrs. Minnesota is a spokesperson for.
“A small amount of time can make a world of difference in the life of a child” says Wendi.
As a Kinship mentor Wendi was given the opportunity to pick from 3 possible matches. The child who stood out for her was Tatiana, who when asked to describe her 6 year old self said “I’m smart, I’m pretty and I want to be a princess”. A year and a half later young Tatiana has enjoyed many firsts with Wendi, everything from manicures, swimming lessons, to the simpleness of learning how to use a camera.
The learning experiances have been a two -way street, “You think you will be helping them, and they end up helping you” says Wendi. “As a mentor to a child you help them to create their own dreams and you support them in it. Sometimes they dream bigger than you”.
As Mrs. Minnesota America Wendi has as one of her goals, to create 100 additional mentors to serve the waiting children of Kinship. She also will work to promote the Mrs. Minnesota Pageant with hopes to triple the number of participants.
“The recognition that comes with being Mrs. Minnesota needs to be used to help others, my year as Mrs. Minnesota and beyond, will be used to inspire and create mentors for the many at-risk children waiting for someone to befriend them and be a role model”, says Wendi.
To learn more about how to become a mentor to a child go to www.kinship.org. If you would like Mrs. Minnesota to speak to your group about mentoring you can reach her through her website at www.wendirusso.weebly.com
Excelsior Botique Owner Tries Out for Project Runway
Excelsior Bay Times June 2008 - by Natalie Hagemo
Cynthia Rae Magnuson owner of “Cynthia Rae Dress Code” in Excelsior has been designing clothes since she was 7 years old. “I was a chubby kid who wanted to wear the cute clothes the other girls were wearing” says Cynthia. A lack of trendy clothes for plus size girls may have been what propelled Cynthia into clothing design, but it has been her gift and ability to create, that has kept her there.
Cynthia was taught to sew by her Grandmother at a very young age which allowed her to design and create not only her own stylish plus size clothes, but also daring duds for her Barbies. “Being able to make my own clothes is what kept me from being a total dweeb” she says with a laugh.
Opening her first store in 1989 which was named “Cynthia Rae for the well- rounded woman” allowed Cynthia a creatvie outlet for the fashion forward plus sized outfits she herself designed and wore. Pouring her heart and soul into her business she was a self described “Struggling overweight business owner”. She felt her own size which once topped the scales at 300 lbs was holding her back.
Cynthia’s world changed forever in May of 2001 when she started a 12 step program that addressed her eating habits and weight gain. Now seven years later she has lost and kept off 100 lbs through the 12 step program. I asked her if she misses foods such as pudding, which is not a part of her maintenance diet. With a smile she replied, “I spent 40 years eating pudding, I don’t need it”.
Maintaining her successful weight loss is something she has had to work at everyday but it has been worth it. Prior to her weightloss journey Cynthia felt non-deserving as an overweight individual and harbored feelings of anger. Through her successful weightloss she has realized “I deserve everything” and has become a much “easier person to be around” as she puts it.
Around 2002 Cynthia transitioned her plus size business into young contemporary sizes 0-13 with some 15-16 sizes. Her botique is now called “Cynthia Rae Dress Code” and is on Water Street in Excelsior.
Last fall Cynthia took a leap into the 21st century and had cable TV installed, she caught an episode of Project Runway the reality design show on Bravo, soon to begin its 5th season. Seeing the challenges that the designers were faced with in the show such as, creating an outfit out of denim pieces picked at random, using items form the Herseys candy factory to create an outfit, Cynthia realized she could not only meet those challenges as a designer but could do a better job.
Cynthia decided to hit the road and head out to New York for the next round of auditions for Project Runway season 5. Her sister Celeste flew out from California to join Cynthia in New York as her own personal cheering section. Little did she know she would have to take on a bigger role before the weekend came to an end.
With her trusty design portfolio dusted off, her 24 page application in hand, and her attitude ready to roll, Cynthia stood in line with hundreds of other designers and would be Project Runway stars, on Broadway in Times Square. During the two and a half hours that Cynthia was in line, she said designers were being pulled out of line by Project Runway handlers and told to go home. The show was looking not just for a great desiner but one with “attitude and the look”. When one of the handlers who greatly resembled Alladin approachd Cynthia and her two Cub grocery bags filled with her three outfits to show the judges, “I travel light” she tells me. “Alladin” told her she had the look and the attitude and she was allowed to move on to the next round. The Alladin like handler even commented that Cynthia’s quality of design could easily be seen next to other designer clothing such as Prada, or on the racks at Saks 5th Avenue.
The next round took Cynthia into a building and a studio looking room. She was instructed to hang her outfits on a rack and better yet put one of them on a model. This is when her sister Celeste stepped up to the plate and took one for the team, quickly becoming a model for Cynthia’s brown pant suit.
“I became contestant #105, was miked up and told to stand on a “T” next to my outfits and sister/model. From that point I don’t even remember what happened, my sister had to fill me in on it later” said Cynthia.
Before 4 judges Cynthia stood as they viewed her designs and asked her questions. One of the judges was last years Project Runway winner Christian Siriano. The last question asked of Cynthia was by a female judge who asked “Why do you want to be on Project Runway?” Cynthia could hear the question but all she could think about was “This woman looks exactly like Jennifer Caron”. Jennifer is a current Excelsior City Council member.
“I couln’t think of an answer to such a simple question, I just could not get over how much she looked like Jennifer, it’s all I could think about”. Cynthia says she just stood there for what felt like eternity, continuing her own inner monologue about the female judge but not answering the question. Finally Cynthia answered but there was enough of a lag that she was thanked for her time and as Heidi Klum says on the show, she was bid an “Auf Weidersehen”.Though Cynthia did not make it onto Season 5 she doesn’t rule out trying out again at some point in the future. “I have to bloom where I am planted” she says “and I am here in Excelsior, I have a great business and great people”.She also has a mission and that is to encourage women of all ages and stages of life to stand out, take the time to be beautiful, and have clothes that show your personality. “I love women with attitude no matter what size they are!” says Cynthia. “God made Chiuauaus and he made St. Bernards too”.“People love my store because they can find a way to express their attitude here and it won’t break the bank”. Stop in and see Cynthia at her store on 244 Water Street in Excelsior, and be sure to bring your attitude.