From cinnamon rolls to tiaras; pageant princess creates platform of service

Brindee Heaton (13) gathers items in her living room to put into her "We Care Kits," St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Tara Heaton, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — St. George resident Brindee Heaton is not your typical teenager. Though the 13 year old enjoys activities typical of her age – making friends and social activities among them – Heaton is a driven dancer who has participated in the competitive pageant world since she was 4. But what sets Brindee Heaton apart the most is her passion for serving others in her community.

L-R Brindee Heaton and St. George Police Department Public Information Officer Lona Trombley pose at the station with the “We Care Kits,” St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Tara Heaton, St. George News

Recently, as part of a growing personal platform of service, Heaton raised funds for, created and delivered approximately 100 “We Care Kits” to help children in distressing situations.

The kits were split between the St. George Police Department and the Washington County Children’s Justice Center, Brindee Heaton said, and are full of items such as stuffed animals, coloring books and small personal hygiene items meant to comfort young children in the event of trauma.

In order to purchase the items for the kits, Brindee Heaton’s mom, Tara Heaton, posted an announcement on social media that her daughter would be selling pans of homemade cinnamon rolls in order to finance her service project.

The announcement saw massive success. The mother/daughter duo sold about 70 pans of cinnamon rolls to neighbors and friends, Brindee Heaton said.

“Our goal was to raise enough money to make 50 kits,” Tara Heaton said, “and I think by the end we will have raised enough to make 120, maybe 150 kits.”

The first batch of kits has already been delivered and Brindee Heaton said she is looking forward to getting feedback on how they worked and what she can do to improve on them.

The “We Care Kits” are not the first nor the last service-oriented project Brindee Heaton plans to be involved in.

Brindee Heaton is currently preparing to compete in the National American Miss pageant for the Miss Nevada-Utah state title in her age group. The two states are combined this year.

Competitors are judged on four criteria; formal wear, personal introduction, interview and community involvement.

Brindee Heaton poses with two young princesses after a pageant, location and date not included | Photo courtesy of Tara Heaton, St. George News

Tara Heaton said that her daughter’s service projects go hand in hand with the pageant world, especially the National American Miss competition as they foster the idea that young women can and should make a difference in their communities.

Although Brindee Heaton is not required to have a platform to compete, she is already building one for herself that is focused on service projects such as the kits.

Tara Heaton said oftentimes pageants get a bad reputation based on what many people see on television but she said that what most people see isn’t always the truth.

For Brindee Heaton, pageants have given her added confidence, public speaking skills, lifetime friendships and more opportunities to help others in need.

Brindee Heaton will travel to Las Vegas on July 13 where she will compete for the National American Miss state title and hopefully move on to the national competition.

If she does win, she has compiled a 12 point list of things she hopes to accomplish with her title. Included among those things are continuing with the “We Care Kits” and starting a nonprofit which will bring dance classes to underprivileged children who can’t afford classes otherwise.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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1 Comment

  • comments June 19, 2017 at 4:50 pm

    i’m ganna hold my opinion on this one, and just say congrats and good luck 😉

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