Miss Charm Teen event in Gainesville included the raising of $50,000 for community
Six Alachua County teens competed for the 2023 Miss Charm Teen crown through performance and raising funds for a special cause.
The crown is awarded annually by the Alachua County chapter of The Charmettes Inc. during the organization's Breakfast for Madame Miss Charm Teen gala that was held Saturday at the UF Hilton Hotel and Conference Center at 1714 SW 34th St.
The crown this year was awarded to Morgan Alston, a seventh-grader at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School.
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The first runner up was Amani Gainey and the second runner up was Amari Henderson.
“It’s a good program,” Alston said. “It helps cancer research and it helped me by giving me more things to add to my resume.”
Her mother and father, Shavonne and Art Alston, said they are proud of their daughter’s accomplishments.
“She put in a lot of work,” Shavonne Alston said. “She was dedicated. She learned to talk to people and it brought her out of her shell.”
“She learned how to handle time management,” Art Alston said. “She had school, volleyball, the national junior honor society, church at Mount Carmel Baptist Church and the Charmettes' rehearsals. It all paid off at the end.”
The Charmettes is a sisterhood committed to improving the quality of life within communities through advocacy, education, service and support for cancer research. It was founded nationally in 1951, and the local chapter was established in 1975 and has been hosting Miss Charm Teen events since the 1980's, said Cassandra McCray, president of the Alachua County chapter of The Charmettes Inc., who gave the welcome during the event.
Each contestant raised money for cancer research, scholarships and mid-year school supplies, and the one who raised the most money won the crown.
Those participating included Alston, Jaylina Farberow, Amani Gainey, Amari Henderson, Zoe Jones and Zion Thomas.
They were escorted by Zyhir Wright, Joshua Franklin, Derrick Whitfield, Aiden Cotton, Zaedyn Graham and Caleb Little-Thomas.
“This year’s contestants worked with families and the team of Charmettes to have garage sales, fish-fries, walk-a-thons and other events to raise the much-needed funds we are very grateful for,” McCray said. “We want to take a moment to also thank you and express our gratitude for all of your faithful support over the years. Because of your support, we have been successful in our efforts. Our main goal is to give girls an opportunity to connect with the community and have experiences within the community."
Over 200 people attended the event and enjoyed a buffet-style breakfast, with music provided by Elder Dr. D.E. Richardson II and performances by the contestants.
Sarah Richardson, chair of the Breakfast for Madame board, presented the names of the contestants’ parents while each girl gave a bouquet to them and posed for a picture next to them. Over $50,000 was raised with the help of the contestants’ efforts, Richardson said.
Richardson also gave Angie Terrell, the Star Center Theatre’s public relations co-chair, a bouquet of flowers for her hard work in the community.
Richardson, along with Ora White and former Miss Charm Teen of 2019, So’Unique High, announced the 2023 Miss Charm Teen.
“Train a child in the way they go, and they will not depart from it,” White said. “The parents trained these young ladies so well. They represent the Charmettes and their parents so well.”
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: The Alachua County chapter of The Charmettes Miss Charm Teen 2023 crowned
