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Community support of Pageant Association appreciated
To the editor:
Monday I was in That Bookstore (In Blytheville) purchasing a book for one of our titleholders to read at the Kindergarten Center this week. While there, I met and started talking with new owner, Chris Crawley.
As we were talking, he said, "What can we do to gain community support for your program?" Without thinking, I replied, "We have fantastic community support."
The Northeast Arkansas Pageant Association sponsors the NEA Pageant, River Delta and Lights of the Delta Pageants. Because of our huge community support by our patrons for scholarships and prizes given by sponsors, we are always one of the top pageants in the state for support of their queens. But not only do we receive that support from the community, but our queens are welcomed wherever they are in the community. By the end of their reign, Blytheville has become their second home.
So many times, when the queens are in town for an event and we go to eat, the owner, like Buddy Halsell or the Houseworths, will pick up their check, and I've even had other diners do that. Things like that really make these young women feel special.
The queens love to promote their personal platforms, which range from childhood obesity, cultural diversity, literacy, to volunteerism. Of course, they all love to entertain, too. Having the opportunities that these titles provide for them is something that will make a difference in their lives. We can all be proud of that.
On the same day that I was thinking about how much support we had, another pageant in the area announced that they would not have their pageant this year due to lack of support. So, I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to the community that helps support this pageant system, which is a part of the largest scholarship provider for young women in the United States, the Miss America Organization.