Wilmington’s ‘Night Nurse’ is a contestant in ‘Fab Over 40′ international competition
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - One of Wilmington’s most well-known radio personalities is a contestant in an international competition that spotlights women over the age of 40, while also joining the fight against breast cancer.
Kimberly McLaughlin-Smith, known to many as The Night Nurse while hosting her Reggae Redemption show on Modern Rock 98.7FM, is in Fab Over 40, encouraging women to tell their amazing stories while at the same time raising funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. She is competing for votes against more than 60 other contestants in her group. On Thursday, Nov. 16, at 10:00 p.m. eastern, the contestants with the most votes in each group advance to the quarterfinals. McLaughlin says she spent much of the past week in first place, but has now slipped to third and hoping for support from her Wilmington community.
“I turned 58 years old (Wednesday) and I really wanted to challenge the parameters of my comfort zone,” she says when asked why she entered the competition. “It is a common practice for women to hide themselves away as they age. I consider this a time of redefinition and this is one of the things that I’m doing to that end. I want to be fearless and courageous and I chose this as part of my pathway forward to that. I want to inspire women my own age and younger to live outside the confines of even their own limiting thoughts and fears. I would normally never do anything like this which is exactly what I did it. It’s an annual competition and I hope to see more women from our area take up the mantle next year!”
Along with her career in radio that has spanned more than 30 years, McLaughlin-Smith is part of the HRDEIB team at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and is a diversity and inclusion specialist, facilitator and state certified employee mediator. Along with getting a two-page spread in New Beauty magazine and a spa-cation in Arizona, the winner of the Fab Over 40 competition will receive $40,000. Should she emerge victorious in the field of accomplished ladies, McLaughlin-Smith has pledged to use part of her winnings to make a difference in the Wilmington community.
“I would embark on a path of both personal responsibility and societal impact,” McLaughlin-Smith answered when asked how she would use the $40,000. “I would prioritize settling any outstanding responsibilities. Then, I’d allocate a portion towards smart investments to secure a more stable future. Moreover, my heart lies with charities serving the needs of child molestation survivors, so I would pledge a substantial portion to organizations, working to protect our most vulnerable.”
Anyone interested in casting a vote for Kimberly McLaughlin-Smith can click here.
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