Amazing
young achiever By: Heather French
INDIANA MISS
AND BRENNA FRENCH Last year, my daughter Brenna French participated for the first time in a national program called Miss Amazing, which is a pageant for special needs girls (https://www.facebook.com/IndianaMissAmazing) and had a wonderful time. Each girl has a mentor assigned to her to help them through the daylong pageant. How did you hear about this organization?
We discovered Indiana Miss Amazing through a Facebook post, most likely in one of the groups I am part of for parenting special needs children. The organization was founded in 2007 by Jordan Somer, a 13-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska who was already a volunteer for Special Olympics. She wanted to do more for the disabled women and girls who were Special Olympics athletes and within a few months, she got the first Miss Amazing pageant of the ground. By 2015 the program had expanded to 30 states.
What were your favorite parts of the experience?
Watching her participate in an event that welcomed her just as she is and seeing her on stage showing what she can do was the best part for me. The things she CAN do are often overlooked because people tend to focus on everything that is a struggle for her to do. How did participating with Miss Amazing have an impact on her?
I think participating allowed Brenna to see that she and others are bigger than their struggles. Plus it gave her moments to practice public speaking on a stage in front of an audience of people who are supportive!
Who can participate?
The pageant is open to participants age 5 and up. There is even a division for adults. The winners from each age division in every state get to participate in the National Miss Amazing Gala, where everyone is a queen and gets to proudly wear her crown. If you have a girl with disabilities in your life and would like more information on participating, it can be found on the Miss Amazing website http://in.missamazing.org/.
Name someone you admire. What makes them special and how have they motivated you?
Brenna is inspiring to me. She’s 14 now, Freshman at Hamilton Southeastern high school. She has accepted her struggles with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and proudly advocates for awareness of FASD and avoiding alcohol during pregnancy.
What did you have to do to prepare for the event?
The fun part of preparing was shopping for outfits for Brenna to wear during the different parts of the pageant. For Brenna the pageant included an optional talent portion. She chose to play piano, so she had to practice the song that she wanted to play.
We would love to highlight your achievements, milestones & accomplishments!! To share your story or nominate someone else to be in an upcoming issue of Special Needs Living? Email us at SpecialNeedsLivingIndy@n2pub.com
November 2020 • Special Needs Living
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