ABOUT Miss Kitsap

Interviewer: So, Miss Kitsap…..Tell us a bit about yourself.

 

Miss Kitsap: My name is Venus Km-Wr. Born and raised in San Diego, CA.

 

 

Interviewer: Any children?

 

Miss Kitsap: I am a mother of four beautiful children!

​

​

Interviewer: Wow! You surely don’t look it!

​

Miss Kitsap: Well, It’s true, and I love them ALL! Hahaha!

​

​

Interviewer: Siblings?

​

Miss Kitsap: Yes! I have three sisters and two brothers.

​

 

Interviewer: How are your parents?

 

Miss Kitsap: My Dad passed away a couple years ago. However, my mother is still with us, living in Mississippi!

​

 

Interviewer: I’m sorry to hear about your Father. However, it’s good

to hear your mother is still in your life! Parents are our lifeblood!

 

Miss Kitsap: I agree! My mother was a great example for me in many ways! She is a superb chef! At her table, I grew up eating the best tasting food! As a child, I experienced eating many different types of fruits and vegetables, eating foods from various ethnic cultures. My siblings and I were well provided for thanks to her dedication to the family.

​

 

Interviewer: May I ask about your education?

 

Miss Kitsap: Absolutely! I attended a private school until the sixth grade, and later graduated from James Madison High School. I graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s of Science. I also received a Legal Assistant certification from the University of San Diego, after which I worked in the legal field for 6 years. I am currently working on a Certificate from the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) out of California via their Distance Education Platform. I will be a Certified Nutrition Specialist!

 

 

​

Interviewer: Is San Diego the only place you’ve lived other than Washington?

 

Miss Kitsap: No, I lived in Georgia, Missouri, Kansas, and finally Washington where I have lived for the past 15 years.

​

​

 

Interviewer: You mentioned working in the Legal field for 6 years. Did you change careers?

​

Miss Kitsap: Yes, I did. When I moved to Washington in 2006, I was unsure what career path I wanted to take. You see, I had been a stay-at-home mom for years before the move here. I ended up meeting someone who told me about AmeriCorps. So, I applied, and to my delight, I was accepted! While there, I started training as a Life Skills and Employment Facilitator. I really enjoyed this work, and later got hired by the Community-Based Organization, Kitsap Community Resources (KCR). I loved every minute of it, staying there for 2 years! I enjoyed helping other parents with their resumes, walking them through their career journey. After that experience, I wanted something a bit more challenging and rewarding, so I applied with Seattle Goodwill Industries and was hire as a Dual-Center Employment Specialist in 2012. There, I advanced and was promoted to Center Manager in 2015. The organization later consolidated the centers and now I am the Kitsap Center Manager and Youth Program Manager. I have been working for Goodwill now for a total of 9 years!

​

​

​

Interviewer: Sounds like you really DO enjoy working to help your

community!

​

Miss Kitsap: Absolutely! The joy it has brought me over the years is PRICELESS!

​

​

​

Interviewer: So tell us about your upcoming event!

​

Miss Kitsap: I am honored to represent my community as Miss Kitsap County for America in this year’s Miss Washington for America pageant on August 14, 2021! It will be a televised event, and will be held at 5:00pm at the Kenneth Minnaert Theater for the Arts in Olympia, WA. The Miss Washington for America Pageant is the preliminary to the Miss for America pageant. I look forward to promoting the Pageant’s national platform, the “Victoria Siegel Foundation,” combatting the opioid epidemic.

                If chosen for this year’s Miss Washington for America, I will use my new platform to highlight 3 key areas:

                The first is to empower women to seek out their goals and dreams! Every woman is beautiful in their own unique way! Embrace yourself! Love yourself! A key to this with proper Health and Fitness! When you are raising children and have a career, you have to devote time for self-care. As women, we all need to support each other and build a network of people to share and exchange ideas with. I want to empower girls and women to uplift and bring to their awareness the need for paying closer attention to their health and wellness as well as conducting seminars about self-confidence, self-care, community care, cooking classes, tactical fitness and combat martial arts for self-defense, building better relationships, and natural methods of caring for the body. Teaching basic Life-Skills techniques is also fundamental for troubleshooting and problem solving in daily activities.  Educating them on local non-profit, state- and federal-sponsored options. In essence, help them achieve the goals they set.

                The second area I would like to bring awareness to is community engagement. I plan to highlight many Community-Based Organizations here in Kitsap County. I will be interviewing them and posting these interviews on my website and Social Media Platform. I want to bring attention to their strengths and successes as well as to share their challenges. Especially how they are dealing with the pandemic and still being able to help the community they serve.

                Lastly, I want to create a Foundation inspired by my son, Tawhlarus. Tawhlarus was diagnosed with Trisomy 21 and Lenox Gastaut Syndrome (a form of epilepsy). It is my goal through the Foundation to be able to provide scholarships and grants to parents of Special Needs children. In addition, my eldest daughter has also been inspired by her younger sibling’s condition to open a Daycare Center specifically for Special Needs children. I would like for the Foundation to be able to also provide scholarships and grants for that purpose as well.

​

 

 

Interviewer: Wow! That’s a tall order! However, I believe that you can pull it off! You seem to have the

motivation and desire as well as the strength and spirit for it!

​

Miss Kitsap: Thank you! I appreciate that!

​

​

​

Interviewer: You said you were working on a Certification Course in Nutrition, and I believe I just heard you say that part of your platform for bringing awareness to the women’s empowerment is Health and Wellness. What can you tell us about some of your experiences in that?

​

Miss Kitsap: You heard right! Health and Wellness has been a passion of mine since early life. One of my early inspirations is of my father. Whenever I prepare my daily smoothies and protein shakes, I always vividly recall my father blending health drinks when I was a child. It’s one of my fondest memories of him. I would see him do it and ask ‘Dad! What’s that green stuff?' Hahahaha! I grew up eating whole grain rice, flour, and bread. We didn’t eat much sugar or processed foods. Only mother’s delicious homemade desserts!

​

I got involved with fitness when I was in the 11th grade. I found that I really enjoyed it, and so began my OWN, extensive studies into whole foods. I continued my Health and Wellness Journey and attended many seminars on the subject. I finally made the decision to become a Vegan. Currently, I am a Vegetarian; I eat fish, eggs, and sometimes real cheese! Hahaha! One of my guilty pleasures! Hahahaha! But in moderation always!

​

In addition, I had the pleasure of being home with my children when they were young. During that time, I explored, experimented with, and developed herbal nutritional formulas, tictures and elixirs. Since then I have also developed different hair oils. 

​

Over the past few years I have been writing a cookbook with my personal recipes, and am hoping to complete it soon for publication as well.

​

Staying healthy and exercising regularly is the reason I am able to sustain myself. I have a full life with many responsibilities. So, maintaining my health is key to being able to accomplish these goals.

​

​

 

Interviewer: That is so cool! And powerful! So, do you have any hobbies? What do you do for fun in your down time?

 

Miss Kitsap: Taking my son on walks, conversing with my children. I do love watching Sci-fi movies. I’m also somewhat of a Crime Fighting television enthusiast! Hahaha!