Junior Miss Program Saturday

The Junior Service League of Port St. Joe is proud to host the Junior Miss Program, a national scholarship program for high school seniors.  This year, ten graduating seniors from Port St. Joe High School are competing for the local title and thousands of dollars in scholarships. The Program will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Port St. Joe Elementary School Auditorium at 7 p.m.  The young women participating in the program are: Chellsey O'Neill, Sara Ward, Autumn Yoakum, Cody Clark, Kasie Thompson, Kodi Blackwell , Melanie Raffield, Raven Harris, Rebecca Furr, and Savannah Steiger.

America's Junior Miss (AJM) began in Mobile, Alabama in 1958, and today is one of the largest scholarship providers of its kind, awarding over two million dollars each year.  Unlike pageants, AJM encourages young women to be confidant in who they are, strive to reach their goals, and become successful leaders in the community.  The Port St. Joe competition embodies these ideals. 

With a theme of “On Broadway,” the young women will compete in five categories: scholarship, talent, physical fitness, self expression and interview.  Instead of a crown and sash, AJM receives a medallion to symbolize her achievements within the classroom and extracurricular activities. 

The winner of the Port St. Joe Junior Miss program will represent Port St. Joe in Florida's Junior Miss in March, 2010 in Winter Garden, Florida.  The winner of the Florida program will go to Mobile, Alabama to compete in the national event.  AJM is proud to have helped many young women receive an education and become successful in their chosen careers. Diane Sawyer, Debroah Norville, Kim Basinger and Debra Messing are just a few well known Junior Misses, but many others have achieved success in various professions such as business, law, journalism, medicine and religion.

The Junior Service League or Port St. Joe is a non-profit organization of women, whose mission is to help local children. The League's premier project is Jam Packs. Each year, over 50 elementary school students from Port St. Joe and Wewahitchka receive school supplies from the Junior Service League, complete with a brand new backpack. The Junior Service League also provides winter clothes to fifty Gulf County elementary students, thanks to a partnership among the Junior Service League, The Tapper Foundation and Sears. The Junior Service League will also award local high school seniors with over $7,000 in scholarships this year.

The Oct. 17 program is open to the public. Tickets are $5 in advance, and $7 at the door. All proceeds from the event go to scholarships for the participants. For more information please contact please contact Amy Ouellette at 850-340-0319.