FRAMINGHAM – This weekend Cynthia Blanc Preiss MacLean, 50, will compete in the Mrs. Massachusetts pageant. She is the first-ever Mrs. Framingham.
SOURCE did a Q&A with her prior to her competition.
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You are the first-ever Mrs. Framingham, why did you want to be in a pageant? My life took a drastic course (6 years ago) when as a new mother again, I suddenly found myself a widow.
Happily married again now, my journey of healing and coping from that moment has become my mission to be a voice and hands on leader for women who are experiencing the same situation. This is how I came in contact with the Mrs. America pageant system.
Mrs. America embraces married women who are passionate about a cause. I believe being in the Mrs. America pageant is the perfect opportunity for me to raise awareness about the challenges of widows and women who lost a loved one.
Tell SOURCE readers about your platform and why it is so personal for you. My organization Widow To Windows is my platform and since I myself was a widow and my husband was a widower, we know all the challenges. We empower widows and women who lost a spouse or a loved one. We feed, give gas money, clothing, and mentoring to women who are in the widow stage and who can fall into depression so that they can find a window of freedom, air, sunshine and light again in their lives. Without support I have witnessed first hand how a grieving mother and her children can spiral into depression, anxiety, alcohol and even into drugs.
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Why did you decide to make your new home the City of Framingham? I decided to make the City of Framingham the new home for my son and I because I was told the school system was very good. I was also told Framingham was only 30 minutes away from Boston and it would be easy for my son and I to continue attending concerts by the Boston Pops, the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and visit the beautiful museums as well. I had fallen in love with the cultural life in Boston so continuing to be a part of it was important to me. Plus, at that time Framingham also became a new City, so there was a lot of excitement, and opportunities for Framingham as a community.
How would you describe Framingham? I love that Framingham is very diverse. I also love the school system plus, how Framingham residents really care about what’s going on in our City. I believe Framingham is actually a great place for families.
Tell SOURCE readers about a challenge in your life and how you overcame it. I’d like to tell the Source readers about a challenge I experienced from the age of 6. That challenge was stuttering. I stuttered so bad, I would have to hit my leg to say a word. Sometimes the word would come out smoothly and sometimes it would not. Even though my friends didnt laugh when I stuttered, I still didnt like it.
Stufttering also had an effect on my dream of being a singer. It caused me to stop being in beauty pageants and talent shows. At 19 one of my eldest brothers encouraged me to host a program on AM radio so that no one could tell if I stuttered. I took his advice and my music radio show was a hit in Miami. By the time I was 37 the stuttering was gone and I had confidence to be a public speaker nationally and internationally.
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How did you prepare for the Mrs. Massachusetts pageant? Since I am a Life Coach I love the process and my experience preparing for the Mrs. Massachusetts pagaent. To me it is the ultimate personal development. I currently have at least 4 coaches (fitness, speaking, walking, beauty). Each coach is an expert and helping me polish these areas. Plus, as Mrs. Framingham preparing for the Mrs. Massachusetts helps me to continue connecting with other organizations in our community who help women.
You recently turned 50. What does that milestone mean to you? It means so much to me that I’ve been celebrating my birthday every month for a year since turning 50. Turning 50 in great health, happy and having achieved a lot of entrepreneurial and personal goals is an answer to a lot of prayers. It means I have survived and overcome all the hurdles of the first half of my life. I have more knowledge and wisdom and being in good shape healthwise mentally and emotionally makes me feel like my clock turned and I’m 20 again. I am excited about my 4 grandchildren and my 3 children and looking forward to the memories my husband and I create with them for the next 50 years if i’m blessed to live that long.
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Tell SOURCE readers about something you have accomplished in your life and why it is so important to you.
One of the things I’ve accomplishments and want to share with the SOURCE readers, is founding the Widow To Windows organization during OVID and changing so many widows lives.
Both my husband and I experienced loss, so it’s important for us to help others who are now in that same situation.
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Favorite movie: Titanic is my favorite movie…I love the clothing, the jewelry and especially the love story. I am a romantic lol
Favorite book: Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl is my favorite book.
Favorite musical artist: Oh my…there are so many because I love music. I am always singing LOL You will see me singing while I am at the market, or a coffee shop, etc. I find when people notice or hear me signing it makes them smile.
Favorite food: I love Chicken Parm. Oh and glazed donuts from Dunkin’ Doughnuts!
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Tell SOURCE readers something about you that would surprise them: My past experience stuttering would definitely surprise Source readers because today I love public speaking so much. And according to a lot of people I am very eloquent speaker and invited to so many functions as a guest speaker. Source readers would also so be surprised that I celebrate my birthday every month since turning 50 in October 2020.
Oh, and one more surprise…the City of Framingham Council recently designated July 20th as Mrs. Framingham Day. It was both an honorable and humble experience to be recognized by our dedicated City officials. Thus, I plan to put together a committee to help me organize an event every year on Mrs. Framingham Day, July 20th, that will empower little girls and teenage girls.
Mrs Massachusetts pageant winner will be crowned on Saturday September 19 at 3 p.m. Memorial Hall in Plymouth .
Individuals can follow Regal B Productions on Facebook for all the pageant updates.
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MetroWest Medical Center