Janelle Zunker (Mrs. Hennepin County 2007)

Hello Lovely Ladies! I'm Janelle Zunker, Mrs Hennepin County 2007! I am so excited to be involved in the Mrs. Minnesota America Pageant.

This will be my second pageant. I competed in my first pageant this past March, and had so much fun that I decided to enter another one! As the mother of two teenage boys, pink is not a primary color in my home, so getting all glam and dressed up sounded like fun!! I finished in the top 5 (4th runner up, but saying “Top 5” sounds more impressive). I was VERY involved in the last pageant as Mrs. Hennepin County, making 35 appearances over a 6-month period and talking to many groups about my platform.

If I am blessed to be chosen as the new Mrs. Minnesota 2007, I will promote Childhood Safety - Preventing Childhood Injuries. I have worked with various groups for the past 14 years. I am an American Red Cross volunteer and spend some of my time visiting grade school classrooms and giving presentations on safety topics, such as water safety, 911 and emergencies, weather safety and seat belt safety, just to name a few. Unintentional accidents are the leading cause of death in children ages 14 and under, drowning and passenger vehicle accidents (improper seat belt use). Nationwide, annually over 6000 children lose their lives to unintentional accidents that are preventable! My hope is that I can continue to make a difference and help save lives.

Randy and I have been married for 15 years, and have been truly blessed with our two wonderful sons, Justin (14) and Jake (12). They are GREAT boys and keep us very busy. They are very involved in sports and school. At 5'7", I used to feel tall! Not anymore with my boys being 6' and 5'10". I have to admit, watching your kids go through puberty is the weirdest thing, but they are becoming amazing individuals!!

I have been a Real Estate Agent for the past 6 years. I received my B.A in Speech Communications from the College of St. Catherine when my youngest son was 9 months old. I actually began my last year just five days after Jake was born! Having a very supportive husband made all the difference. I also graduated Magna Cum Laude and am listed in Who's Who of American Colleges. This is an accomplishment I am very proud of. I also did some modeling in my younger years (way back) and won the title of Miss Model Minnesota in the Miss Hemisphere Organization in 1988. When I got married in 1991 and started our family, I quit doing all those things, like many women do. That is one of the reasons I am back into it now - my kids are getting older and I now have the time.

God has blessed me in my life and I feel lucky to be a part of this Pageant. I am looking forward to getting to know all the contestants!

Live Well*Laugh Often*Love Much
Janelle Zunker
Mrs. Hennepin County 2007