Miss Mississippi Volunteer Pageant stresses volunteerism
All of the contestants at the Miss Mississippi Volunteer Pageant have been working hard in their communities, making a positive impact leading up to the pageant.
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – All of the contestants at the Miss Mississippi Volunteer Pageant have been working hard in their communities, making a positive impact leading up to the pageant.
The Miss Mississippi Volunteer crown is made up of five points, and each represents a core principle in the group’s mission.
The first letter of each of the five principles spells SERVE
It stands for Scholarship, Education, Responsiblity, Volunteerism, and Empowerment.
During the welcome reception, we asked the contestants to tell us about their serve initiatives.
Hi, I’m Bella Cochran, I am Miss Fairpark Teen Volunteer and my platform is ‘Hey Girl Hey’ It is a peer-to-peer mentoring program between high schoolers and middle schoolers where we try and lead middle schoolers through everything they need for high school and life after high school,” Cochran said.
‘Hi my name is Isabella Nolen and I am Miss Madison County Volunteer and my serve initiative is I am Me, diversity and inclusion. Growing up in a diverse home and being multi-racial I never knew where I fit in so my platform is able to help other girls feel more empowered in their own skin and celebrate their individuality,” Nolen said.
“Hi, my name is Rose Stafford I am Miss North Mississippi Teen Volunteer, and my serve initiative is Paths to Success. I focus especially with younger students on facilitating a love for reading and I know in my own pathway in school I struggled with text anxiety and focusing on the ACT, so being able to facilitate that love of reading at a young age is putting them on a path to success in middle and high school,” Stafford said.
“My name is Kataen Shockley, I am Miss University Volunteer, and my platform is Feeding Friends Feeding the Hungry and I help feed hungry students all across the state I want to help as many students as I possibly can and 13 million children live in households where they are unable to access nutritious meals I want to help one of those 13 million people and if I can help one person I can change the world,” Shockley said. “I pack fuel bags with multiple food items, breakfast, lunch and dinner, snacks, and drinks, I provide all of those in a bag and send them home with students on weekends so they can go home and eat all the food they want and come back to school on Monday feeling completely nourished and ready to learn at school.”
“My name is Madeline Henderson, and I am Miss Gulf Coast Volunteer, my serve initiative is called Battling Complacency and it helps others find their true talents, putting talents to service in their community and rising above complacency of our surroundings,” Henderson said.
“Hi guys, I am Kennedy Fewell and I am your current Miss Hospitality State Volunteer and my serve initiative is More than a First Impression. This is an empowerment program where I have talked to over a thousand students in the state of Mississippi and it is about finding inner confidence,” Fewell said. “I do that by breaking down biases and stereotypes and cultivating an environment where inclusion and resiliency are key. So I use my story as well as empathy, resilience, self love to teach these kids the power of loving each other where we are. I believe when we look deep inside we see differences and that’s where beauty lies.”
“I am Polly Beth Reid, Miss Union County Teen Volunteer my serve initiative is All In For Ainsley and it pays tribute to one of my best friends who this past March passed away from cancer and I want to raise as much money as I can for St Jude, it means so much to me,” Reid said.
“My name is Kai Davis and I am your Miss Gulf Coast Teen Volunteer and my serve initiative is Big Hearts, Little Hands and it teaches children how to give back to the community, when I was growing up I was told to sit back and let the adults tend to the community and one day this community will belong to the youth, so I am so grateful for this platform that Volunteer has given me to reach young hearts in not only my community but all over the state and soon all over the country. Big Hearts, Little Hands is important to me and I am thankful for you being right there with me,” Davis said.
“I am Allison Beard and I am Miss New Albany Teen Volunteer. My initiative is born to be different, it celebrates the uniqueness of all individuals while advocating for those with special needs,” Beard said.
