Many people know, especially those who have been involved in pageants before, that pageants can be expensive. The payback, however, are skills, memories, and friendships that last a lifetime, among other things.

I have hesitated to post about the financial stress that pageants can cause because it seems to personal.

I won my pageant on April 4, 2008. I knew winning the pageant that it would be a challenge to come up with everything that Miss Virginia requires as far as paperwork in addition to acquiring all the outfits in such a short period of time. Somehow, we have managed to accomplish a great deal while maintaining really good attitudes about any setbacks. Finding evening gowns long enough for someone almost six feet tall is a nightmare, and somehow we managed to do it, thanks to my patient directors and two wonderful women who helped us.

Since April 4, money has flown out the window. In addition to preparing for Miss Virginia, I work two jobs- one on campus and one off campus. I work between 60-80 hours a week in a regular week. If I have a lot of Miss Virginia appointments that week, sometimes I work a little less. For the most part, however, I work all the time. My downtime is devoted to dance lessons, personal trainer sessions, practicing for interview, and exercise on my own time. Every spare second has been devoted to Miss Virginia- and I love that. I have the determination to make the most of the Miss Commonwealth title, and I have taken that personal challenge on from the moment I won that crown.

That said, those who know my closely know my financial situation. I come from a family of extremely modest means. My mother and I frequently work multiple jobs to make ends meet. I funded my college education on my own, via grants and numerous scholarships that always seemed to come at just the right time. I worked two jobs through all college every single year and balanced that with a full course load every semester. In short, I worked hard. One of the first terms I would use to describe myself would be "hard worker". I will give my all to something if I really put my mind to it.


It is so hard to prepare for the Miss Virginia pageant without the help of sponsors. For those who have given and helped me achieve this accomplishment of competing on that stage in Roanoke in two weeks, I thank you.

This last week has been particularly challenging because we are nearing the end. It seems as though the expenses are rolling in much more quickly than my paychecks are, and I would appreciate any help from people willing to donate towards my cause. All my blog readers know that this has been a dream of mine for a very long time, and something that I worked very hard for over the course of this last year. If there is anything I know something about, it's perseverance.

As we near my arrival date in Roanoke, I wanted to publicly put it out there that I could use your help. Whatever you have to give would be welcomed. I feel so confident about all my clothing choices and myself, and all I need at this point is that final financial push to get me there. Any help that any of you can provide would be such a wonderful gift.

If you are interested in helping me or know of someone else, please email me:

annelaura04@yahoo.com


Thanks to all of my sponsors so far, I could not have done this without you!