Two young ladies from District 69 will be competing in the Miss BC pageant next weekend on the Lower Mainland.
Philippa Burn of Qualicum Beach and Alyssa Kelly of Parksville are both contestants with passionate messages and would love to be role models for young people.
The pageant is about contributing to charity and community at the same time enhancing the self-esteem and development of young women in the province.
The charity work component of Miss BC supports Cops for Cancer and Kelly is has a fundraiser planned for tomorrow night at the Quality Inn Bayside that includes an entertaining evening of music, food and a silent auction.
Kelly said while many of the other contestants are doing smaller fundraisers, she wanted to have a big event which she has done the majority of the work for.
Parksville songstress Beth Marie Anderson will be performing at the event. The country singer, who has honed her skills in Nashville, will sing some of her original songs as well as some covers.
Kelly said the two have known each other since they were children and on top of putting on a concert at the event, Anderson has been helping her promote the fundraiser.
As a young girl, it was always Kelly’s dream to be in a pageant and she agreed that it was time to turn her dream into a goal.
“It is something I wanted to do forever and this is the last year I can go.”
The 24-year-old is a professional photographer who has a her own business in Parksville said she believes in new beginnings and recognizes that almost everyone has suffered set backs in life and wants to demonstrate how to turn those negative experiences into positive ones.
If Kelly wins the crown at the pageant, she agreed that as an ambassador she will be sharing her message of hope to the youth in B.C.
“I have had a lot of bad things happen in my life and I want to speak to youth and let them know that if they are being bullied or if they have been abused … if they have been through terrible things that doesn’t define you,” she emphasized.
She is inspired by C.S. Lewis’s quote: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
Her beer and burger charity event is Saturday, June 23 at the Quality Inn Bayside in Parksville. Tickets are $20 and are available at Refresh Clothing and Lady’s Mantle in Parksville or by calling Kelly at 250-927-4441.