After a recent announcement of scholarship offerings in the amount of $2,000, Pitts Promise for Foster Youth will be hosting the Spooky Snowflake Pageant this month, in order to raise funds and supplies for those within our foster care system.
The organization was founded by Anabelle Pitts, who saw a need in the community and decided to address it.
“I am a first-generation college student,” Pitts said. “I was applying for scholarships and I found one based on kids being in foster care. It was for $5,000 and I was so sure I would get it, because I spent so many years in foster care. I was denied, because I was returned to my biological parent when I was 17. I was returned, I think, in May and then turned 18 in July. I was just a few months short. I was denied for that and began wondering that, if I was denied, who else was? So, I wanted to start my own that wouldn’t have such strict criteria.”
The group officially started in July of 2022 and they’re only now entering the stage of awarding scholarships. Pitts claimed that pageants and events like this one are important to fundraising for future scholarships and operations.
While fundraising scholarships is their primary focus, they’ve also collected Christmas toys, raised hygiene products, and have collected luggage for kids within the system to carry their property in.
The attire for the pageant will be Halloween and Christmas dress, a combination of two seasons that is taking a Nightmare Before Christmas approach to celebration. This is a natural pageant. Makeup and hair are allowed, but not required.
The beauty portion of the pageant does not have to be themed attire, but the OOC portion is inclusive of the theme.
Registration is $75 per enrollment. Individuals are encouraged to go to the Pitts Promise for Foster Youth to register.
The pageant will be held at the 14th Street Community Center on November 26. Deadline to register is November 19.
Registration will be held between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. with the pageant starting at 11 a.m.
For any questions, comments or concerns, please message Pitts at the Pitts Promise Facebook page or by email at [email protected].
Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.
