February 6, 2017
Meet Maggie: Living The Best Life
The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, actively supporting them and their families in a lifetime of full inclusion and participation in their communities. Maggie is the exact reason why The Arc is successful in its mission, and she is also the face of Arc’s Value Village Thrift Stores, which is a large resource for The Arc. Here is a little bit about Maggie, and how she is a powerful force of good in our community!
Maggie attends Bethel University and will graduate this spring. As part of her program, she interns with the Minnesota Twins as well as Special Olympics Minnesota a few days a week. Also later this spring, Lifeworks will award Maggie with the Personal Achievement Award.
Spring of 2016 Maggie was crowned Minnesota Miss Amazing, and that year-long reign has provided a lot of fun experiences and speaking engagements for Maggie, including an appearance at Miss Teen America national competition where she sang the national anthem. Maggie was elected by her peers as a board member of the DSAMN, and as part of that commitment she spoke to students at the Mayo about growing up with Down syndrome.
Maggie is a positive role model in the IDD community and a supportive influence in the lives of two previous caregivers, both good friends, who subsequently had babies with Down syndrome. Maggie’s positive personality is contagious and she makes it easy to see the possibilities of life. Maggie also wrote a chapter in a book released this year titled “The Many Faces of Down Syndrome” now available on Amazon. The book is a collection of stories of inspiration, hope and laughter and Maggie’s colorful personality really shines through.
As part of the St. Paul Public Schools Transition program Focus Beyond, Maggie worked at Arc’s Value Village and was a valuable part of our team. She has graciously offered her time and talents over the past year modeling for us, and has been featured in our TV commercials, print ads, and digital media. She is always well-received across our community, and her fans respond so positively. We have also been very lucky to have Maggie volunteer with us on several birthday occasions where she recruited a few friends and helped run our silent auction at The Gala. Maggie is very generous.
Maggie graduates this spring and is seeking a career in modeling. I can speak to her professionalism and style that she is a pleasure to work with and a rising star. I look forward to seeing Maggie succeed and enjoying a full and wonderful life. I am lucky to have Maggie in my life!
