Miss DC Welcomes Miss America To Washington!

NORTHWEST -- Underneath the glitz, glamour, and, indeed, pageantry of the Miss America organization, lies a support umbrella that literally stretches coast-to-coast.

The thousands of individuals who make up this extended family (and family really is the perfect analogy) help the young women competing at the national level before, during, and after the final contest, with everything from fundraising to sponsorships to mentoring and more.

And nowhere was such a support structure more evident than at an intimate dinner reception held on Sunday evening at the home of Miss DC Pageant Director Teri Galvez.

The first event in a whirlwind week-long tour designed to introduce Washingtonians to the current Miss America, Teresa Scanlan, and raise funds for the Miss DC Scholarship Organization, yesterday’s party saw dozens of state-level winners from all over the country gather for a low key, but fun, get-together.

Family, friends, and sponsors were joined by the likes of Miss District of Columbia Stephanie Williams, Miss Virginia Caitlin Uze, Miss Maryland Lindsay Staniszewski, Miss California Arianna Afsar, Miss Florida Jaclyn Raulerson, Miss New York Claire Buffie, and Miss Texas Ashley Melnick, among many other special guests, for a home-cooked meal of enchiladas, soup, salad, and cupcakes.

The night served as the opening event in a week-long charm offensive on behalf of the Miss America and Miss DC organizations that will raise thousands of dollars in support of the pageant’s many scholarship programs, including receptions at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia (Monday) and Capitol Hill Club (Tuesday), among others.

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To learn more about the Miss America or Miss District of Columbia organizations, please visit www.missamerica.org or www.missdc.org, respectively.