Mrs. Fife 2009 honored

Photos courtesy of Jamicka Jones

THOUGH JAMICKA JONES, (MRS. Fife 2009) did not win the Mrs. Washington pageant, she did come home with the Ambassador of Music, Volunteerism and Mrs. Congeniality Awards.

After months of preparation, fundraising and working diligently to get to Moses Lake for the Mrs. Washington State 2009 pageant on May 24, Jamicka Jones returned without the Mrs. Washington State title. But she did return home to Fife with a handful of honors and wonderful memories of her life-changing experience.

Mrs. Snohomish, Elizabeth Larsen, was handed the Mrs. Washington State crown, and Jones affirms that she actually feels great about not winning.

“It felt most excellent, because I realized that it wasn’t about winning the pageant, it was about being there and being that light for others.”

Jones did however pick up three awards at the Mrs. Washington State competition – Volunteerism, Ambassador of Music and Mrs. Congeniality – proving to herself and others that she is a selfless woman who truly has many passions, and does all she can to support them.

She said that the Ambassador of Music Award was the one she was vying for the most. She set a goal to get 1,000 signatures on a petition to keep the arts thriving in public schools, which is in conjunction with the National Education Music Campaign. The director of the Mrs. America pageant asked each state to collect the signatures, but Jones took it upon herself and surpassed her goal by getting 1,300 signers in two months. The Volunteerism Award was a bit of a surprise to Jones, but she realized that after a friend put together a scrapbook of her Mrs. Washington journey, she had made 22 appearances. The biggest shock of all was when the judges called her name for the Mrs. Congeniality Award. “It was truly an honor to receive the award, and I was humbled to receive it by being voted by the contestants. I didn’t expect to win, and when they called my name I almost didn’t step up,” Jones stated.

When asked to sum up her Mrs. Washington experience, Jones affirmed that she is proud of all she accomplished. “I challenged myself to do something I’ve wanted to do but wasn’t sure of the outcome. I set goals that I was able to reach and exceeded. I gained more confidence in myself, balanced out my family, pageant, school.” She affirmed that her children also enjoyed the experience. “They helped me get the petition signed for Mrs. Fife. They helped me win that award.” Jones felt the experience was definitely worth the hard work she put into it. “It was worth it and so much more.”

When contemplating what she would do now that the pageant process is over, Jones’ mind filled with excitement. She will soon be starting up her own motivational speaking company using her degree in business management that she earned from Northwest University in Kirkland. Her first gig will be in August 2009, when she will have a back to school open house for faculty and staff from Federal Way, Tacoma and Clover Park school districts. They can hear her speak and see if they are interested in having her do school events. The location is to be determined, but will be posted on her website.

Many have been asking if Jones plans to run for Mrs. Washington again next year. She is thinking about it. She keeps her Mrs. Fife title until August 22, and then the official introduction of the 2010 contestants will take place at the Grant County Fair. Jones is planning on attending whether as a contestant or not.

Many local supporters helped Jones get to where she did, and she wants to thank all of the Fife, Puyallup and Tacoma businesses that supported her along the way. “It was amazing, a huge blessing in itself. They didn’t all know me but they supported me 100 percent.”

For more information about Jones’ Mrs. Wash-ington journey or for information about possible future speaking engagements, call her at  (253) 882-8702 or visit her website at http://www.mrsfife2009.com.

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