Mike Morsch, Regional Editor
The non-profit Miss Next Level Youth Pageant will kick, off its 2017/18 mentoring program with its annual pageant at 7:30 p.m. June 2 at the Melvin H. Kreps School in East Windsor., The Miss Next Level Youth Pageant & Mentoring Program is a non-profit organization and was developed for young women geared toward building self-confidence, creativity, teamwork, presentation skills and community service through the beauty of pageantry., The NLYPageant is for young women who desire to be in pageants but cannot afford the high costs involved, are new to pageantry and for those who may not be new to pageantry but have not won a major, pageant., Those who win the NLYPageant or receive an award, win entry into prestigious pageants. Each year the NLYPageant participants have won trips to California and Florida thanks to the pageant’s sponsors and the workshops run by the program’s founder and director., During the free mentoring workshops offered, which began April 5 at the Melvin H. Kreps School, public speaking, presentational skills are taught as well as the importance of community service. The skills taught help young women gain self-confidence., The participants spend a year volunteering with the American Heart Association, Susan G. Koman, and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society as well as other community service organizations., The program is non-profit and the entire staff is 100 percent volunteer., Anyone interested in competing and joining the Miss Next Level Youth Pageant and Mentoring Program should contact the pageant’s director, Evelyn McCleod, via email at [email protected]., Crowning of the 2017 titleholders will be held on Friday, June 2, at the Melvin H. Kreps School. Ticket prices are $25 for adults, $15 for children and reigning visiting titleholders., To donate your tax deductible donation, visit GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/miss-next-level-youth-pageant. Only $60 will sponsor a delegate for a year and you will be able to follow her progress., The pageant director is also welcoming product sponsors, donations, vendors and volunteers for this year’s event. This year’s theme is, “Dream, Believe, Achieve.”