We are so grateful to our dedicated supporter, Markita Bryant, crowned Miss Rhode Island United States 2013. Markita recently volunteered to coach a young woman from our Helen Smith Group Home for Girls who will be competing in the Miss Maryland Teen pageant!
“I feel incredible about the opportunity to coach this wonderful young lady!” said Markita. “It was not too long ago that I stood on a pageant stage to advocate for young ladies, such as this one. Doing so to one day inspire another young lady to be brave and bold; while bringing light to many situations that young women have faced. To exude such confidence, I am extremely proud of her! My hope is that this will bring great things for her and her advocacy. Hearts & Homes for Youth has done, and continues to do an excellent job at creating hope and opportunity for many youth!”
The young contestant, Sunny, is a 17-year old Senior in high school. She grew up in foster care and wants to inspire other foster youth.
“I want to show other foster girls that they can do stuff too, foster care doesn’t stop you from doing anything,” said Sunny. “I see a lot of kids enter the foster system and give up on themselves, as if they think they can’t do certain things.”
In addition to standing up for foster kids, Sunny stands against bullying. She said, “I like to help people. I like to help new kids feel welcome, and stand up for people. You never know what someone could be going through and bullying just adds to it. We’re all human and you can’t judge anybody for who they are.”
Sunny’s favorite subject is English and she enjoys school. “Education is important, we need it to get into college and get a good job. It’s good to be intelligent,” she said.
Sunny also enjoys reading. “I love reading,” she said. “I learn a lot from books and it expands my vocabulary.” Sunny is interested in studying pre-law and discrimination law. She looks forward to being in a position where she can protect people.
Currently, Sunny enjoys volunteering with animals and at day cares. She is in the process of becoming a volunteer for the Humane Society.
All of us at Hearts & Homes are grateful to Markita for her ongoing support and advocacy for our youth. We greatly appreciate her time and dedication to supporting this inspiring young woman’s dreams!