Page 82 - Iris Tennessee Teen Judges Book 2022

What can you do during your Tenure of Service as a Titleholder to impact your community?
I will continue to volunteer at Youth Town, a Christ-centered residential treatment facility for teenagers, and other organizations in my community that provide services for teens faced with substance abuse. I plan to speak to teenagers in local churches and schools about the adverse impact drug abuse can have on their lives. In addition, I will continue my goal to pursue implementation of the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program into local high schools. It is already a part of the elementary/middle school curriculum and I want to expand it forward. I believe early intervention for teenagers is the key to stopping the problem before it continues into adulthood.
What has been your involvement with your platform?
My goal has been to spread awareness and prevention of teenage drug use within my local community. I have been in contact with the McNairy County Sheriff, high school administrators, and the local D.A.R.E. officer to implement a drug abuse awareness and prevention program in the local high school by this fall. I’ve raised money and volunteered at Youth Town in Pinson, TN. I organized fundraising through “Painting with a Purpose” and a “Say NO, Let’s GLOW Valentines Dinner & Dance Party.” Over 200 teenagers from McNairy and Hardin Counties attended the event. My goal was to emphasize to them that teens can gather and have fun in a party atmosphere without drugs or alcohol. It was a huge success for our community and I plan to organize more events like this in the future.
What inspired you to first become involved in your platform?
My first cousin was one of my best friends, but she gradually faded out of my life. I didn’t understand why and thought I had done something to hurt her. My parents informed me that she started using drugs when she was 15 years old and by the age of 18, she was addicted to methamphetamine. We attended the church and fundraiser activities for one year to support her during her recovery. During this time, I listened to testimonies from women at the Women of Hope Recovery Center in Medon, TN, and realized that drug use first started in their teenage years. I also watched another close friend of our family start using drugs - he almost died from a gunshot wound to his head. Recently two of my classmates overdosed on drugs and were hospitalized. The drug abuse crisis in our society needs early intervention before it’s too late. I now have a passion and a mission to be a drug free role model to teenagers everywhere.
If you are selected as the winner, how would you mobilize and market your platform nationally?
I will stay in direct contact with D.A.R.E. representatives to implement more programs in schools across the nation. I also plan to host more “Say NO, Let’s GLOW” parties for teenagers to prove that they can have fun without drugs or alcohol. I will use social media avenues to market my platform nationally. I will share the personal experiences I have witnessed and how early prevention in teens could be the key to stop the drug abuse crisis. We need to talk about this subject more openly and instead of just saying, “don’t do drugs,” give concrete examples of why we shouldn’t use drugs. I would like to be a positive role model for peers across the nation, while raising awareness about the harmful effects of drug use.
How would you utilize social media in order to positively further your position as a titleholder if you are selected as the winner?
If I am blessed with opportunity to hold the title of Miss Iris Tennessee Teen Volunteer, I plan to use forms of social media to promote my platform and be a positive role model for this pageant industry. Some people have a misunderstanding about pageantry and believe it’s just a forum for pretty faces. Pageantry is so much more and I want to use my title to make a change. I want to encourage young women across the nation to try participating in pageants such as this one without fear. I want to show my love for my community and for serving others through volunteerism. The videos I plan on developing, the positive messages I will share through social media avenues, will surely inspire people across the nation that with hard work you can achieve your wildest dreams; and the Miss Iris Teen Volunteer Program is the vehicle to take you there!