One of the young ladies in the care of Hearts & Homes for Youth will be competing this weekend in the Miss Maryland Teen USA Pageant! She is among a number of young ladies from across the state of Maryland who have been chosen to compete.

Sunny is very proud to be participating in the pageant. A 17-year old Senior in high school, Sunny grew up in foster care and is elated about the opportunity to inspire other foster youth.

“I want to show other foster girls that they can do stuff too, foster care doesn’t stop you from doing anything,” said Sunny. “I see a lot of kids enter the foster system and give up on themselves, as if they think they can’t do certain things.”

Since she shared her interest in competing in the pageant, many Hearts & Homes supporters have been inspired by this young lady and have rallied around her. Our own Board Members Juli Jordan, Alan Schulman and Thomas Ransom, our CEO Chloe Perez, our Chief of Staff Valerie Snogren, and supporters Leslie Mason and Jennifer Hayes all donated toward the registration cost, enabling Sunny to participate in the contest. Sieva Floyd donated her time to do Sunny’s hair and makeup – Sunny’s reaction when she saw herself after her first makeover was priceless! Sarah Peachey donated beautiful ball gowns. Our dedicated supporter, Markita Bryant, crowned Miss Rhode Island United States 2013, volunteered to coach Sunny! And longtime supporters Susan Davis and Biani Seested took Sunny out this week, bought her a stunning dress, and told her, “this is only the beginning.”

“Our goal at Hearts & Homes is for the youth to feel empowered to make positive life choices, and part of that is meeting positive community role models,” said Hearts & Homes CEO Chloe Perez. “We are so thankful to the many positive role models and mentors who have rallied around Sunny to help her succeed and feel supported! It takes a village to raise a child, there is power in numbers, and it is beautiful to see so many people stepping up and paying it forward to help Sunny realize her dreams.”

The philosophy of the pageant, “to encourage young women to develop life skills that will ultimately help them win in life by being their personal best in everything they do,” corresponds with the mission of Hearts & Homes. All of us at Hearts & Homes are grateful to Sunny’s many supporters for their part in helping her win in life. We greatly appreciate all the time and dedication to supporting this inspiring young woman’s dreams!

We want to give a special thank you to Avatar Salon in Silver Spring! Specifically, we want to thank Make Up Artist Jehan Henry and Hair Stylist Kathryn Scott who volunteered their time on Friday to help Sunny get ready for the Miss Teen Maryland Pageant!