2010 National American Miss Tennessee Jr. Pre-Teen Queen, Jessica Sales, volunteers her time at the Old Timers Supper.

To get more involved in her community, Jessica volunteered her time serving dinner to widows and orphans at the local Old Timers Supper. She helped serve supper, helped clean up, visited, and then took pictures.

To get more involved in her community, Jessica volunteered her time serving dinner to widows and orphans at the local Old Timers Supper. She helped serve supper, helped clean up, visited, and then took pictures. Jessica had a lot of fun spending my time with people less fortunate than herself! They served barbeque sandwiches, beans, slaw, and lots of desserts! Everybody seemed to have a good time. This event is sponsored by Masons who help out the community alot! They do coats for the cold, help out needy families whose house may have caught on fire, whose kids may not get any toys for Christmas, or buy people groceries. Jessica is n very proud of my community and enjoys helping our neighbors!

Kelsey Nyman 2010 South Carolina Teen Queen began an organization called Dance Escape!

“Dance Escape” allows Kelsey to give abused, neglected, and abandoned children the opportunity to express themselves through the art of dance. She is teaching them social cultural dances and hopes to further develop into other forms of dance. Kelsey is also spending time with my students in order to build a relationship with them and impact their lives in as many ways as she is able to.

“Dance Escape” allows Kelsey to give abused, neglected, and abandoned children the opportunity to express themselves through the art of dance. She is teaching them social cultural dances and hopes to further develop into other forms of dance. Kelsey is also spending time with my students in order to build a relationship with them and impact their lives in as many ways as she is able to. As of now she is mainly working with two children’s homes in South Carolina: Epworth Children’s Home in Columbia S.C. and The Children’s Attention Home in Rock Hill, S.C. She has spent two hours at Epworth Children’s Home volunteering at their Halloween Carnival and hope to begin teaching them about dance as soon as her project is approved by the activity coordinator. Kelsey has also spent two hours at The Children’s Attention Home; teaching the girls the electric slide, cubic shuffle, the cha cha slide, and Yankedi (an African dance). She is also planning on attending a Bible Study with the girls and hope to learn more about their lives by spending time with them. Kelsey is a dance education major studying how to educate children about dance, therefore she is very passionate about dance and enjoy being around children. Her heart also belongs with orphans and children who have been abused because my family just adopted an 11 year old Ukrainian boy from an orphanage in Ukraine.Her new Ukrainian brother, Sasha, inspired her to begin this organization which allows children to ESCAPE from their troubled life and find confidence in who they are by expressing themselves through dance. She hopes that “Dance Escape” will grow and allow her to teach and impact other lives in more homes across the state.

Madison Wheat, Tennessee Jr. Teen Queen, served as a Master of Ceremonies for the 2010 American Girl Doll Fashion Show benefiting Special Olympics Tennessee.

Special Olympics Tennessee partners with The American Girl Doll Company each year for a fundraising event. This event includes 4 fashion shows where young girls ages 6-10 model outfits that match the time period of the doll they are representing.

Special Olympics Tennessee partners with The American Girl Doll Company each year for a fundraising event. This event includes 4 fashion shows where young girls ages 6-10 model outfits that match the time period of the doll they are representing. This is a fun event for the community where they serve “tea party” style snacks. Proceeds from sponsors, an auction, ticket sales, and donations go to support Special Olympics in Tennessee.
As one of the emcee’s of this year’s event, Madison had the privilege of introducing the various dolls and the models. American Girl dolls are rich in history and tell a unique story. This introduction included describing the time frame in which this doll lived, describing her clothing and what life was like where she lived. As emcee, she engaged the audience in learning about the history of the dolls and actively engaging them in the show.
When she wasn’t on stage, Madison loved being able to walk around and simply provide encouragement for the young girls who served as models with the dolls. She was also able to serve as a greeter and talked with young guests about NAM, American Girl Dolls, and Special Olympics.
There was much work to do to prepare for the event. Madison learned a lot about the history of our great country. Madison said “it was a fabulous experience.” She can’t wait until the summer when she can help on the field or on the court with her favorite Special Olympics athletes.

2010 Miss Tennessee Kacey Stark works with Loaves & Fishes Christian Food Ministry, Inc.

The mission of the non-profit institution is to “offer assistance, encouragement and empowerment of persons in need through the distribution of food and limited financial assistance”. Those in need may receive donations from the distribution center, or via home delivery by a Loaves & Fishes volunteer.

Located in Burlington, North Carolina, Loaves & Fishes is an organization that distributes food donations from the community to families in need throughout the surrounding six counties. The mission of the non-profit institution is to “offer assistance, encouragement and empowerment of persons in need through the distribution of food and limited financial assistance”. Those in need may receive donations from the distribution center, or via home delivery by a Loaves & Fishes volunteer. This philanthropy also organizes several special events throughout the year to give back to the city, such as Make a Difference Day and the Thanksgiving Lunch.
Loaves & Fishes is an organization that is close to Kacey’s heart, since the entity exemplifies the importance of a caring community, and the impact one person’s contribution can make. Hunger and poverty in the United States are issues that affect many families within each county. According to www.feedingamerica.org, one in six Americans are food insecure, and 43.6 million Americans were in poverty in 2009. Adequate nutrition is a necessity to one’s total well being; the effects of malnutrition can be severe, especially for children. Many who are struggling with hunger are hardworking citizens who simply cannot make ends meet despite the desire to provide for his or her family. This national issue of hunger can be combated one neighborhood at a time through charity projects such as Loaves & Fishes. Having a role in an organization that provides resources and encouragement to families in need has been a rewarding experience for Kacey. She has seen how a community can work together to make a positive impact. She hopes to encourage others to support those in need in their hometown by donating or volunteering at their local food bank. Together, we can make a positive impact by helping our neighbors overcome poverty.

National American Miss North Carolina Jr.Teen Queen, Rachel Earley works with S.W.E.E.T. Revenge Diabetes Support Group.

S.W.E.E.T. (Supporting with Education, Encouragement and Togetherness) Revenge Diabetes Support Group has given parents and their children a chance to meet others in the same situation and time to talk about the issues that many families deal with.

S.W.E.E.T. (Supporting with Education, Encouragement and Togetherness) Revenge Diabetes Support Group has given parents and their children a chance to meet others in the same situation and time to talk about the issues that many families deal with. Each month there is a planned topic and often a guest speaker. Rachel Earley was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes in June, 2005, and has been an active member of the support group since 2007. She has contributed over 200 hours of organizing, planning, and speaking. To recognize her efforts, she was promoted to Youth Director as of January 2010. She was the honorary guest speaker for the month of October, where she shared her troubles and triumphs, and the importance of responsibility with diabetes from the perspective of a patient. She also coordinated and hosted an informative “November is National Diabetes Awareness Month” booth in the Family Network Center of Mission Children’s Clinic in her hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, promoting awareness for the disease. Currently, she is working on a Child Mentoring program that creates a buddy-system for teens and children with diabetes. In doing so, this will provide a trustworthy atmosphere for parents to leave there children with diabetes in the hands of an experienced and responsible diabetic during activities such as babysitting and overall support with the disease.

2010 National American Miss Tennessee Princess Queen Alajah Gilbert spends her time at a nursing home.

Alajah went to two nursing homes and participated in singing to the residents during their activity time. She sang 5 songs for the residents and assisted with bingo

Alajah went to two nursing homes and participated in singing to the residents during their activity time. She sang 5 songs for the residents and assisted with bingo, helping the residents find the number and place the chips on the numbers for the bingo games. The residents enjoyed her and she had a wonderful time performing for the elderly.

National American Miss Oregon Pre-Teen Queen Alison Kotila works with Providence Center for Medically Fragile Children.

Community service is a big part of Alison’s life! It gives her the chance to have fun and make a difference at the same time. Community service is great because she gets to leave her world for a while and see what it’s like in someone else’s. That’s why Alison loves volunteering at the Providence Center for Medically Fragile Children.

Community service is a big part of Alison’s life! It gives her the chance to have fun and make a difference at the same time. Community service is great because she gets to leave her world for a while and see what it’s like in someone else’s. That’s why Alison loves volunteering at the Providence Center for Medically Fragile Children.
The Providence Center is an amazing place! It’s a place where kids with serious medical limitations live. None of the kids can walk or talk. The goal of Providence is to help these children have a better life.
As a volunteer, her job is to help brighten the life of kids and to help them have fun. She has been asigned a “buddy”. Alison’s buddy is just about her age and they have fun painting finger nails, playing games and reading. Her buddy was introduced to her as a “princess”. She has a princess doll and a tiara. Perfect match! They both wear their tiaras as Alison reads princess stories.
Recently, she had the opportunity to help set up a haunted house. Alison got to take several kids through the house and help them feel “monster’s eye balls” (peeled grapes). It was great to see their reactions and laughter.
This past weekend Alison got to help at the Providence “Opportunities for Joy” Radiothon. The radiothon was to raise money to support their Augmentative Communication Program. The augmentative communication boards literally give kids a voice. Each board costs $15,000. They raised over $30,000. Two more kids now get to talk.
So far, Alison has had a blast volunteering at Providence. Everytime she visits the kids she feels her life is brightened as well. Alison says she couldn’t ask for a better community service opportunity and she plans to volunteer there for a long time.

South Carolina Jr.Pre-Teen National American Miss Queen Jada Orr participates in Beach Sweep.

Jada was able to participate in a weekend long activity that involved cleaning up the South Carolina beaches.

Jada was able to participate in a weekend long activity that involved cleaning up the South Carolina beaches. Early one morning, Jada and her family went out to the beach and did their share to clean up some of the pollution and trash that is ruining their beautiful beaches. She was surprised to see how many other people cared enough to commit some time to clean up. It was nice to go to the beach and see how their hard work had paid off.

Macy Moyer, National American Miss Tennessee Pre-Teen Queen, helps volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club of Franklin.

Through her title as, National American Miss Tennessee Preteen Queen, Macy has volunteered with my community’s Boys and Girls Club. When she goes to volunteer, she donated over two hundred books to the kids. She really enjoys her visits. It gives Macy the opportunity to share her love of books and reading.

Through her title as, National American Miss Tennessee Preteen Queen, Macy has volunteered with my community’s Boys and Girls Club. When she goes to volunteer, she donated over two hundred books to the kids. She really enjoys her visits. It gives Macy the opportunity to share her love of books and reading.
When she volunteers at the Boys and Girls club, she donated books through her charity, Macy’s Books for Friends. Macy collects gently used books in her community from friends and others who donate them. Each visit she takes over two hundred books so that each child can get at least 2. All of the kids get so excited about reading and search for the books they’re interested in. By the looks on their faces, you can tell they enjoy reading. They understand the importance reading, which is what Macy’s Books for Friends is all about! 
Macy loves going after school and seeing their smiling faces! She also likes talking to the kids about school and their other interests. It is important to Macy for the kids to know she cares! It is so fun for Macy to feel like she is making a positive impact on their lives.  She  has made 3 visits so far and plans to continue her visits by going twice a month.  The kids are so grateful for everything they’re given. It’s amazing how wonderful each and every kid is!

National American Miss Oregon Teen 2010 Brittany Thomas shaves her head for the St. Baldricks fundraiser.

Brittany Thomas, the National American Miss Oregon Teen 2010 shaves her head as a fundraiser for St. Baldricks.

Brittany Thomas, the National American Miss Oregon Teen 2010 shaves her head as a fundraiser for St. Baldricks.