Governors and Mayors (and their wives wearing the crown, LOL!)

Kids & Babies & the crown

Adults with the Crown

Veteran's Day Parade

This is the only parade I would agree to do as Mrs Maine. They aren't my thing.

Children's Literacy and Maine Cookie Company

I decide to change my company name to Maine Cookie Company and begin a children's literacy platform here in Maine.

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino & Peter Guarino

Maine Cookie Company was established in 2002 in Antioch, CA and was originally known as Tahoe Cookie Company by owners Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and her husband Peter Guarino. The company specialized in making their delicious nut-free chocolate chip cookies and donating them to children and adults in connection with children’s literacy, youth sports and other charitable organizations.

In 2004, the Guarinos relocated to Falmouth, Maine and renamed their business to Maine Cookie Company. When Elizabeth was crowned Mrs. Maine United States in 2006, she was appointed the Ambassador to Maine Reads by First Lady of Maine Karen Baldacci.
Elizabeth continued to tour Maine holding story times with cookies from Maine Cookie Company and milk from Oakhurst Dairy supporting literacy through organizations like 826 Valencia and Maine Reads..

Band Members Rocco Deluca & The Burden"Those are the best cookies we've ever had. Don't ever stop."

In the Media

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Making A Difference - One Bite At The Time
As I write my blog I enjoy the research and reading of stories that make a difference and how regular people take ordinary things and make something special out of them.This story began in California with Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and her husband Peter Guarino. Both have active lives balancing both successful corporate careers and family. In 2002 Elizabeth Hamilton Guarino who has a love for baking but also a severe allergy to nuts, decided to open a family specialty company, Tahoe Cookie Company, selling nut-free chocolate cookies. While making cookies might be a passion it is also clear to me that helping others in another important part of Guarino family legacy. Since 2002 over 65,000 cookies also have been donated to children and adults in support of their reading program "Be a Smart Cookie-Read.” A move to Maine in 2004 prompted the renaming of the business to the Maine Cookie Company. According to their website: “Everyone LOVES the cookies from the Maine Cookie Company. They are like no other: big, round, and fresh from the oven, Maine Cookie Company has sent cookies across America, baking dozens at a time for actors, actresses, bands and comedians.Elizabeth is a local celebrity herself! As a former Mrs. Maine United States in 2006, she was appointed Ambassador to Maine Reads by First Lady of Maine Karen Baldacci. Elizabeth has toured the country holding story times for children with her cookies in her on-going effort to promote the importance of literacy programs.”Now you know why they say success tastes so sweet! ~John~ www.nonprofitexpert.com

Article from Iowa

PV native vies for U.S. title
By Jody Ferres Monday, January 30, 2006
Pleasant Valley folks knew Elizabeth Hamilton was going to make it far in life.By 1988, she had taken several college classes, appeared in Teen Magazine’s Great Model Search, graduated cum laude from PV, and been crowned Miss Teen Iowa.There wasn’t much the Quad-City native hadn’t accomplished.And now, almost 20 years and thousands of miles later, 36-year-old Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino still is adding accomplishments.She can tell you the secret recipe to making the softest chocolate chip cookies on earth and how to juggle work, four boys and a husband, and find time to volunteer at her children’s school on the Parent-Teacher Organization, or PTO.And she can also tell you what it’s like to be crowned Mrs. Maine 2006.Hamilton-Guarino, who currently lives in Falmouth, Me., will compete in the 2006 Mrs. United States Pageant in July. The pageant has assembled in Las Vegas since 1986 to celebrate the achievements of married women throughout the nation.According to Hamilton-Guarino, winning the Mrs. Maine 2006 contest was a continuation of another pageant she had entered in 2004 when her family lived in California."Somebody called me up out of the blue and asked me if I wanted to run for Mrs. North Lake Tahoe," she said. "I had just had my fourth baby and I was like ’Ha, I don’t know about this.’ "Hamilton-Guarino and her husband Peter, who is an attorney, moved from one extreme of the country to the other before she was able to compete in the Mrs. California pageant."When we got to Maine I thought I would try it here," she said. "It’s just a continuation of where I had left off in California."Hamilton-Guarino got her start in beauty pageants with inspiration from her mother, Carolyn Hamilton. Hamilton was named Miss Bloomington Minnesota in 1965 before her daughter was born.But according to Carolyn Hamilton, the evolution of pageantry over the past 40 years is amazing."I believe beauty pageants have much more of an agenda of helping the public and to show what you are doing for society," Hamilton said. "It’s about what kind of person you are and how you are living your life."Although Hamilton-Guarino was named Miss Teen Iowa in 1988, her main objective wasn’t about beauty. It was about the academic scholarship tied to winning the competition."There was a heck of a scholarship tied to winning the competition back then," she said. "I was worried about the scholarship money to go to college."And after serving as Miss Teen Iowa, appearing in several commercials, print ads and billboards for Iowa’s "Don’t Drink and Drive" campaign in the late 1980s with then-Gov. Terry Branstad, Hamilton-Guarino attended St. Ambrose University for mass communications.Don "Duke" Schneider, TV operation manager at St. Ambrose said he’ll always remember unofficially meeting his student."I was watching the noon news show and Miss Teen Iowa was on. She said, ’I’m going to go to St. Ambrose,’ " said Schneider, who has been at SAU for 26 years. "She was a great reporter and anchor for our newscasts and very nice to everyone."To this day, Hamilton-Guarino still keeps in contact with her former professor."I’m always grateful when alums keep in contact," Schneider said. "She’s going to be a very poised, articulate person for something like the Mrs. United States Pageant."Hamilton-Guarino’s platform for the pageant is one she holds close to her heart. She will be working on children’s literacy."I have dedicated my life to kids. I have four children and I do everything I can for them," she said. "I’m going to dedicate my reign to children’s literacy, because I spend a lot of my time reading to kids and teaching kids how to read."In fact, when she lived in California, she donated thousands of her homemade chocolate cookies for literacy through her cookie company, Tahoe Cookie Co. The cookies went to school groups to encourage children to read. And in Maine, she is still busy baking cookies, helping local high school children raise money to go on a trip to Europe."When I die, if I’m remembered as the one who made those great cookies and who was a great mom, I’ll be happy," she laughed.According to her own mother, she will be."Whether my daughter is wearing her crown or not, she is helping children to read," said Hamilton, who said an adopted brother of Hamilton-Guarino’s who had trouble reading sparked her to help others to read. "She is a great mother, taking her children on little adventures for the weekend to whale watch or making crafts with them. I’m just so proud of her."And Hamilton-Guarino said when she competes in Las Vegas in July, she will take a big piece of the Quad-Cities with her."I’ve been to the middle of the country, the West, the East Coast, and you can tell when people are from the Midwest. There is a certain set of morals, certain niceness about you, and it’s not as fast paced. It’s a great foundation for your children" she said.But when asked whether her future held more beauty pageants, she just laughed."Nope, no beauty pageants where I get to be the mom in the audience. I have four left-handed baseball players."The Mrs. United States Pageant will be held on July 26-27 at the Orleans Hotel Theatre in Las Vegas, NV.The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2245 or newsroom@qctimes.com.

On PageantStar

http://www.pageantstar.com/pageant04.html

Visit to Sister Kenny

43rd Annual Art Show by artists with disabilities
04/20/2006--Sister Kenny® Rehabilitation Institute's 43rd annual Art Show by Artists with Disabilities kicks off with an opening night reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 20 on the second floor of the Sister Kenny Pavilion of Abbott Northwestern Hospital, 800 E. 28th St. in Minneapolis. The free, public art show runs through May 17th and is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This year's event showcases 349 works from more than 200 artists with physical and mental disabilities. As in year's past, much of the artwork is available to be purchased, with 75 percent of the proceeds going to support individual artists.
"We are honored to once again have the opportunity to present this event," said Richard Sturgeon, MD, vice president of operations for Abbott Northwestern Hospital. "Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute's mission is about helping individuals progress toward their personal best, and this event is an extension of that. The artists are awe-inspiring, and their artwork is eye-popping."
Many of the artists will attend the April 20th opening night reception. The event, which is free and open to the public, will include an appearance by Mrs. Maine 2006 Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, whose father was a patient at the Institute, light refreshments and recognition for the best artwork in six categories: graphic, watercolor, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and oils and acrylics. For more information about the art show or the opening reception, call 612-863-4466.
Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute is a nationally renowned rehabilitation facility dedicated to restoring and enhancing the quality of life for people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, work or sports-related injuries and neurological or muscular disorders including arthritis, multiple sclerosis, speech disorders and chronic pain. Sites are located at five hospitals in the Twin Cities area as well as at 18 outpatient clinics.
Minneapolis-based Abbott Northwestern Hospital is part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, a non-profit network of hospitals, clinics and other health care services. Abbott Northwestern is found online at www.abbottnorthwestern.com.

MedicAlert

I appeared on the cover of MedicAlert Magazine in 2007. There was a two page article discussing my food allergies.

Me at the National Pageant in Las Vegas

My husband and I along with my hair sponsor, Linda from Acapello went to Las Vegas. My intention was to take it all in and just have fun. I did that. Made some good friends.