Sara Ward to compete in Florida's Junior Miss Jan. 23

Winter Garden, FL - Sara Ward is Gulf County’s Junior Miss. She was selected to represent the Gulf County area at the Florida Junior Miss program that took place on Oct. 17, 2009. She will participate in Florida’s Junior Miss state program on Jan. 23 in Winter Garden. The young woman selected during the state program will travel to Mobile, Alabama, to participate in the AJM National Finals where she will have an opportunity to win the title of America’s Junior Miss, a share of $125,000 in cash scholarships, and college scholarships to more than 200 colleges and universities across the nation. 

Sara, a senior at Port St. Joe High School, is the daughter of Tommy and Patty Ward; sister to Kevin and T.J., and Tara; Aunt to Kate Ward; granddaughter of Martha Pearl Ward and the late Buddy Ward, and Verna Shiver and the late Dallas Shiver; and the great-granddaughter of Carmi Ward and Delcie Shiver. She is currently a member of the Junior Varsity Cheerleading Squad, where she serves as Captain of her squad, Key Club, National Honor Society, Senior Executive Board, Mu Alpha Theta, and is Senior Senator of the Student Government Association. She has previously served as the Junior Class President, the Vice-President of the National Honor Society, Co-Captain of her Junior Varsity Cheerleading squad, and sophomore and junior Senators of the Student Government. Sara is a Hugh O’Brien Leadership Ambassador, a member of the 2009 Homecoming Court, and chosen as the 2008-2009 Miss Florida Seafood. She is a student at Pam Nobles Studio, where she has taken dance classes for the past fourteen years. Upon graduation, Sara plans to attend Flagler college where is will earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Sara hopes to one day establish her own business, where she plans to take a portion of her profits to found an organization for local children.

Florida’s Junior Miss is an official preliminary of America’s Junior Miss (AJM), the oldest and largest scholarship program for high school senior females of its type. Since 1958, AJM has awarded more than $92 million in cash scholarships and provided thousands of young women with college granted scholarships to colleges and universities across the nation. Each year, AJM makes available more than $52 million in scholarship opportunities to high school senior women.

In addition to providing scholarships, AJM challenges each participant to share its national outreach program, Be Your Best Self (BYBS), with young people across the nation. Through BYBS, Junior Misses encourage self esteem and excellence in all young people through the program’s five principles: Be healthy, Be Involved, Be Studious, Be Ambitious, and Be Responsible.

The 2010 Flagship sponsor for Florida’s Junior Miss is DRB Benefits Group of Winter Garden. The 2009 - 2010 National Sponsors for AJM are the City of Mobile and Mobile County.  Category sponsors are Alabama Power, Encore Rehabilitation, Mobile Gas, and  Regions Bank.

About DRB Benefits Group

DRB Benefits Group is a multi-dimensional employee benefits management firm, with a proven track record of achieving significant costs savings for their clients while enhancing and improving their overall employee benefits programs.  Located in Historic Downtown Winter Garden, FL., DRB Benefits Group is recognized as innovators in the field of tax-advantaged employee benefits design and administration. The company’s level of experience and knowledge is unsurpassed, giving them the ability to customize for every client unique benefits and programs designed to elevate employee awareness, appreciation, morale and productivity. 

About Florida’s Junior Miss

Florida’s Junior Miss is the official Florida preliminary to the America’s Junior Miss program. Florida’s history with America’s Junior Miss dates back to the organization’s first program in 1958, when 18 states were represented and West Virginia’s Phyllis Whitenack won the first America’s Junior Miss title. The current Florida’s Junior Miss is Laura Moore from Leon County, who earned over $17,000 in scholarships from her participation in Junior Miss. The program is entirely volunteer and donor driven, with no paid staff people anywhere in the state. The organization is committed to giving as much scholarship money as possible to Florida’s Young Women. Florida’s Junior Miss is proud to call Winter Garden its new home.

About America’s Junior Miss

America’s Junior Miss (AJM) is recognized as the premier scholarship program for high school women, encourages young women to complete higher education, provides a meaningful, lasting experience for participants and volunteers, exemplifies integrity and consistency among its local, state, and national programs, and encourages all young people to lead healthy, productive lives. We are grateful to the 2009 - 2010 National Sponsors for AJM: the City of Mobile and Mobile County, Alabama Power, Encore Rehabilitation, Mobile Gas, and Regions Bank.  For more information on AJM, contact Cassidy Grimes, Public Relations Director, at (800) 256-5435 or visit the AJM Web site at www.ajm.org.