November 4, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Springfield, IL –Miss Illinois 2011 Hannah Smith's yearlong tour of the state of Illinois brings her to Springfield for an appearance at The Illinois State Capitol Building.

On Tuesday, November 8, 2011, Smith will appear at The Illinois State Capitol Building speaking about Distracted Driving….FOCUS. She will also be introduced to the Illinois House and meeting and speaking with them.

Smith was crowned Miss Illinois 2011 on July 1 at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center in Marion, IL. She will now spend her year of service touring the state of Illinois speaking about Distracted Driving …. FOCUS. Automobile crashes continue to be the leading cause of death and injury to teenage drivers, and teens are nearly ten times more likely to be in an accident within their first year of driving. State Farm Insurance® and the Miss Illinois Scholarship Association are teaming up to combat these statistics and educate teens on safe driving habits. Through this newly created partnership, the reigning Miss Illinois will appear at events and high schools across the state, working collaboratively with State Farm to promote good decision making behind the wheel by teen drivers, and warning against the many distractions while driving.

Miss Illinois will also appear at a variety of public, community and charitable events, serving as the state's goodwill ambassador for Children's Miracle Network - the official platform of the Miss America Organization as well as the CHARACTER COUNTS program.

Smith will compete with 53 other titleholders from across America for the title of Miss America at the 2012 Miss America Pageant, which will be held January 14, 2011 at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada and broadcast live on TLC.

For more information about Miss Illinois 2011 Hanna Smith and the Illinois Scholarship Association, please contact Business Manager, Trisha Williamson at (618) 910-0069, e-mail businessmanager@missillinois.com or visit www.missillinois.org

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Contact: Spencer Gualdoni-Media Relations Representative
618-889-7944
Amalia Schwerdtmann – Board Chairman
Illinois Scholarship Association, Inc.
e-mail – ilstatedir@missillinois.org
(847) 997-0294

CHICAGO, Oct. 24/2011

"Congratulations to the President of the Illinois Scholarship Association, KL Daly on this outstanding and well-deserved honor," said Amalia Schwerdtman, Board Chairman, "The award is a testament to KL's civic leadership and dedication to mentoring women."

The Business Ledger's Influential Women in Business awards were created to identify and recognize women who not only have succeeded in their careers, but also exerted influence in the community at large; and to draw attention to the unique challenges that women still face in the upper echelons of the business and professional worlds. The 2011 honorees will be recognized during a Nov. 17th awards banquet at the Meadows Club, 2950 W. Golf Rd., Rolling Meadows and profiled in an upcoming edition of The Business Ledger.

KL Daly is a marketing professional with more than 20 years experience in creating strategic alliances, message development, brand identity, marketing strategy creation and execution. She serves as the Chicago Co-Chair of the Promotion Marketing Association, (PMA) and is a recent recipient of the PMA Beacon Award for her leadership.

As a known leader and promoter of women, KL serves on the board of directors of ATHENA International and the Illinois Scholarship Association. She is also a member of the Mid America Club a private business club located on the 80th floor of Aon Center in downtown Chicago and serves on the clubs Women's Committee. KL is a 12 year member of the board of directors of the Near West Cook Chapter of Women in Management, Inc. having served as National President from 2006-2008. She is active in Illinois politics and a member of the League of Women Voters. KL is a graduate of Indiana University Kelly School of Business and is a life member of the IU Alumni Association. KL and her husband Lyle an Architect, are members of World Chicago serving as citizen diplomats by hosting international visitors through the US State Department.

KL received the 2003 Women in Management, National Women of Achievement Award in recognition of her professional accomplishments and her outstanding mentorship of women. She is the recipient of the 2004 OPRF High School Volunteer of the Year Award. In 2005, she was presented with the ATHENA Award in recognition of her dedication to educating and developing women leaders. As an advocate of promoting community involvement through servant leadership, KL was named the 2008 Outstanding Community Leader, by Concordia University-Chicago.

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Contact:
Amalia Schwerdtmann – Board Chairman
Illinois Scholarship Association, Inc.
e-mail ilstatedir@missillinois.org
(847) 997-0294

WHAT: Distracted Driving…..FOCUS! presentation

WHO: 2011 Miss Illinois Hannah Smith

WHEN: Monday, September 26 at 11:00am

WHERE: Central Catholic High School, 1201 Airport Road, Bloomington

WHAT TO EXPECT: The reigning 2011 Miss Illinois, Hannah Smith, will appear at Central Catholic High School in Bloomington. Miss Illinois, in partnership with State Farm, has created a powerful presentation called "Distracted Driving……FOCUS!" which promotes good decision making among teen drivers when they are behind the wheel.

Automobile crashes continue to be the leading cause of death and injury to teenage drivers, and teens are nearly ten times more likely to be in an accident within their first year of driving. In partnering with State Farm and speaking to high school students across the state, Miss Illinois has the opportunity to reach thousands of students with facts, statistics, and personal experiences to help students truly comprehend the potential consequences of their decisions.

Also presenting to the Central Catholic students on this day will be Tom Guy from The Media Guy, Inc. Mr. Guy has developed a multi-media presentation that uses current events, movie clips and music to reinforce making the right decisions to students, not only on the road but life in general.

For more information, go to www.missillinois.org for the Miss Illinois Scholarship Association and www.themediaguy.org for The Media Guy, Inc..

About State Farm®

State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 66,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 37 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.

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Contact:
Mike Rave
State Farm Insurance
309-663-4344

CARPENTERSVILLE, IL – Miss Illinois 2011 Hannah Smith's yearlong tour of the state of Illinois brings her to Carpentersville for an appearance at Culver's.

On Saturday, August 27th, Smith will appear at Culver's. She will be at Culvers from 6:00 – 8:00. She will be signing autographs and taking pictures. During this time, any of the food bought, 10% of it will be donated back to the Children’s Miracle Network.

Culver's
8000 Miller Road
Carpentersville, IL
Phone: 847-649-3225

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Contact:
Spencer Gualdoni - Media Relations Representative
(618) 889-7944
Amalia Schwerdtmann – Board Chairman
Illinois Scholarship Association, Inc.
e-mail ilstatedir@missillinois.org
(847) 997-0294

ALGONQUIN, IL – Miss Illinois 2011 Hannah Smith's yearlong tour of the state of Illinois brings her to Algonquin for an appearance at Buffalo Wild Wings.

On Saturday, August 27th, Smith will appear at Buffalo Wild Wings to help benefit the Children's Miracle Network. She will be signing autographs and taking pictures from 12:00pm – 2:00pm. During this time, you will be able to receive a coupon that you can use any time of the day. Also, 15% of the food purchased will be donated back to the Children's Miracle Network.

Buffalo Wild Wings
461 South Randall Road,
Algonquin, IL

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Contact:
Spencer Gualdoni - Media Relations Representative
(618) 889-7944
Amalia Schwerdtmann – Board Chairman
Illinois Scholarship Association, Inc.
e-mail ilstatedir@missillinois.org
(847) 997-0294

Pageant queen focuses on health and wellness

HUNTLEY — The newly crowned Miss Illinois will make a special appearance at the third annual Centegra Family Health Fest in Huntley on Saturday, July 16, 2011. Hannah Smith, 19, was crowned Miss Illinois on June 28, 2011 after being crowned over 25 other contestants.

Among her many passions and beliefs, Hannah travels throughout Illinois while focusing on the well-being of the youth and believes it is important for children and teens to live a healthy and active lifestyle. In today's world, many boys and girls are faced with body image issues, which is something that Miss Illinois is trying to combat.

Centegra will also be sponsoring Hannah as she embarks on her journey through the Miss America pageant. Centegra Health System, along with Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Center, is Miss Illinois exclusive wellness, health and fitness sponsor for her journey in running for the Miss America pageant.

“Hannah has expressed interest in mentoring children and teens in our SHAPEDOWN program,” said Kim Piraino, Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Centers' manager of marketing and sales. “It will also be fun for Huntley residents to have a local celebrity representing them and their hometown on a national level.”

At the Centegra Family Health Fest, those in attendance will have an opportunity to meet Hannah and take pictures with her. In addition, dress-up tiaras will be available for the first 200 children to greet Miss Illinois.

“We are really excited to be partnering with Hannah and everything she stands for, “ said Piraino. “Her passion is to help children stay healthy and positive about their body image, and she is the perfect role model for children in our community.”

The Illinois Scholarship Association is a state preliminary to the Miss America Scholarship Organization that provides over $60 million in scholarships for young women throughout the nation. Hannah will be competing in January at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV for the title of Miss America 2012.

Centegra Health System is committed to meeting the healthcare needs of the residents of greater McHenry County and to making services available in multiple and convenient locations, including hospitals in McHenry and Woodstock, Immediate and Physician Care centers, Centegra Sage Cancer Center, Health Bridge Fitness Centers and more. As the region’s leading healthcare provider, Centegra Health System continues to bring the latest treatments and technology, along with the skills of nearly 4,000 medical professionals, to meet the needs of the growing McHenry County community. For more information on Centegra Health System visit centegra.org, search Centegra Health System on Facebook or Twitter or call 877-CENTEGRA (877-236-8347).

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Contact:
Kim Kubiak, Senior Public Relations Coordinator
Centegra HealthSystem
815-788-5812 or Blackberry 815-355-7039