Kindness day 2023—CA MISS AMAZING
To celebrate Playful Hearts, R2K chose an organization that spoke to ours—California Miss Amazing, by sending our Kindness Ambassadors to volunteer at their annual AMPLIFY Event. This joy-filled pageant provides opportunities for girls and women with disabilities across California to build confidence, learn life skills, make friends and find community. It’s also a lot of fun!
Launched in 2007 in Omaha, Nebraska, by Jordan Somer (then just 13 years old), Miss Amazing is a national non-profit movement led for and by girls and women with disabilities to realize their boundless potential—both on and off the stage. California is just one of 36 states with Miss Amazing chapters, each founded and managed by generous teams of volunteers. Today, some 1,500 girls and women unite to participate in events across the US every year.
This year we spent Kindness Day at Mychal’s Learning Place in Hawthorne, CA, assisting Miss Amazing staff and 30+ nervous-but-hopeful participants. Our founder, Elva Pellouchoud, was honored to be a Miss Amazing Buddy, paired as a supportive friend and ally to Brianna Pievac—a 23-year-old model and former Miss Amazing title holder with cerebral palsy. Our other Kindness Ambassadors scurried around helping with event setup and other behind-the-scenes prep, from picking up lunch, cleaning the space and managing the merchandise table to putting goodie bags together for each participant. Amid the anticipation and pre-performance jitters, beaming smiles, hugs and laughter were everywhere.
As the emcee said a few words, our team settled into their seats to join the audience of proud family, friends and staff. Six divisions, from ages 10 to 35, competed for the coveted titles by participating in three on-stage events, including an introduction ceremony, evening wear and passion presentation. Not your typical pageant, Miss Amazing draws inspiration from pageantry to teach valuable self-advocacy skills, spark connections and open up pathways to leadership.
As the girls and women took the stage, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers. Artists, musicians and dancers performed—from a talented opera singer to an expert Glow Poi spinner. The confidence and happiness of sharing their authentic selves within a supportive environment came shining through.
At last, it was time to announce the queens, as volunteers handed out flowers, trophies and sashes to each winner and runner-up. Every girl was crowned in a tiara just for participating and pushing her limits. Then the 2023 California Queens took their bows: Phoebe Matson (Pre-Teen), Aryana Patel (Jr. Teen), Kiara Troeger (Teen), Marisa Cox (Jr. Miss), Sara Palmer (Miss) and Melissa Denise (Sr. Miss). There were cheers, hugs and a few tears of joy (from our Kindness Ambassadors as well) as the audience rose for a standing ovation. The exhilaration of newfound confidence and friends was in the air.
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“What inspired me the most is just how much these girls have accomplished beyond people without disabilities. Their determination to succeed was greater than anything I’ve felt personally. They truly are amazing human beings, and I felt so fortunate to see their talents for one day.”
–Jeanie Nguyen Lee, R2K Kindness Ambassador
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The whole mission behind R2K is to inspire people to make the world a better and kinder place for the people of today, as well as the generations of tomorrow. We were awed by the profound difference CA Miss Amazing makes within the disabled community and honored to play a small role in their big event.
Fortunately, the momentum doesn’t end just because the pageant does. While the 2023 State Queen Representatives will go on to the ADVOCATE program and National Miss Amazing Summit, all are encouraged to become role models and philanthropists in their communities.
R2K would like to offer our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible California Miss Amazing team for helping us ensure Kindness Day made a few dreams come true. We can’t wait to see what these AMAZING girls and women do next!