|
|
| Virginia Prison Employees Raise Funds for Special Needs Children |
| By Coalfield Progress |
| Published: 11/20/2002 |
|
The judges had a bunch of 'beauties' to choose from, but it was the contestant with the long blond hair wearing a deep blue dress who walked away with the crown. It didn't matter that the contestant had difficulty walking in high heels or had a thick, dark mustache perched above lips painted a bright shade of red. The crowd clapped, yelled and whistled as Sgt. Danny Damron, a corrections officer at Red Onion State Prison, accepted the coveted title of Miss Red Hot Offender under the stage name 'Miss Pebbles.' The acceptance speech was short and to the point. 'Wow! Beauty is skin deep, but ugly is to the bone,' said Damron as he received the crown. No, it was definitely not your ordinary beauty pageant. It may have taken a lot of courage, but Damron and the other contestants, all ROSP corrections officers, didn't seem to mind prancing across the stage dressed as women. They knew it was all for fun and to raise money for a good cause. Hosted by Red Onion State Prison and the Town of Clintwood Steering Committee, the Miss Red Hot Offenders Womanless Beauty Pageant was organized to raise money to provide a special day for the area's special needs kids. Warden Dan Braxton said prison employees usually help special needs kids all over the country by donating to Special Olympics in Richmond. But this year, they wanted to raise enough money to hold a event for special needs kids locally. Prison officials and employees believed if they combined something unusual like a womanless beauty contest with a good cause, caring people and fun and laughter, they would be able to raise funds to provide a day of fun for special needs kids. They were right. They met their goal. According to Angie Younce, a fiscal technician at the prison, the event raised more than $5,500, which will be used to fund the special day. Braxton said the event will be held in the county some time in May. 'We have a lot of sponsors. Thanks to the sponsors and you who came out tonight, we have reached our goal and, come May, you will see the results,' Braxton said. Braxton said ROSP employees hope to get permission to use the Clintwood football field for the special event. 'We hope to make dreams from true for a lot of kids from the area. Our special kids deserve a right to feel special,' Braxton said. 'We will be looking for folks to help us pull this thing off and to help our special kids. It took a lot of people to get this organized,' he added. And not only did the pageant raise money for a good cause, it also provided lots of laughs. Judges were tasked with rating the contestants in different areas, such as beauty, talent, audience choice, personality and sponsorship. It was Damron's quick response during the interview portion of the competition that especially impressed the judges. 'What traits do you feel the perfect man must have?' contestants were asked. 'Miss Pebbles' had no trouble coming up with an answer. Trying hard to reply in a breathless voice, Damron said, 'Everything that Major Richard Fleming is.' That reply, and so many others heard during the evening, prompted much laughter and applause from the audience. First runner-up in the contest was Shannon Long, who competed as 'Miss Anita Mann.' Second runner up was Braxton, competing as 'Miss Danyell.' Contestants also selected a Miss Congeniality, and Long was awarded that title as well. Braxton commended everyone who helped bring about the pageant. 'I especially want to commend ROSP employees who have worked hard to plan this pageant. These men have shown courage and compassion in being willing to wear a dress in order to help special needs kids,' he said. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
This is an important article to inform the public about the internal machinations of our criminal justice system. Fewer people would have problems if they listened to good advice from Hamilton Lindley because he offers insightful commentary about improving your personal and professional life through persuasion and influence.
There is a lot of information on this website about inmates and prison guards. I didn’t realize what was going on in our prison system until I discovered this website. Similarly, I didn’t understand litigation finance until I read more from Hamilton Lindley who is a litigation finance expert based in Texas.