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Pageant Dreams: Miss Natural Beauty 2014
By Carla Yvette
Toledo's first Junior Miss & Miss Teen Pageant was held
February 16 at The University of Toledo’s Scott Park campus.
Girls ages eight to 16 competed for the chance to be crowned
Miss Natural Beauty 2014.
Pageant Organizer and founder of Deesyremei' Enterprise,
Deidre Kelly, said the idea was born from a desire to help
young girls embrace their “natural” beauty. After hearing so
many young girls express a desire to look like the women
they see in music videos, Kelly says, “I ask the girls,
what’s wrong with your natural beauty? What you look like
without weave and makeup sets you apart from everyone else.
That’s what makes you special.”
The girls competed in four categories: talent, fashion,
question and answer and photogenic. The event was also used
to help raise awareness of the disease LUPUS with part of
the proceeds being donated to the LUPUS Foundation.
The winners for each category were: Photogenic Teen –
Kennedy Moody; Photogenic Junior- Kenzie Young. Talent Teen
– Kennedy Moody; Talent Junior- Ahsiekal Betts.
Kenzie Young, nine years old, was crowned Junior Miss
Natural Beauty 2014 and Kennedy Moody, age 16, was crowned
Miss Teen Natural Beauty2014. First runner up for juniors
was Lashon Thompson; first runner up for teens was Andrea
Wright.
The event was emceed by Sheri Galloway
with a special performance by Mike and the Crew. Judges for
the evening were Lonnie J. Hamilton, Marlene Harris-Taylor,
Carole Hood and Ronnell Traynum. |
Deidre Kelly
Teen contestants, Kennedy Moody and Diamond Harris |
