Oklahoma pageant contestants support diabetes research lab at Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center

From Staff Reports Published: May 17, 2016

Miss Edmond LibertyFest Ali Brooks visits with Gabe, Children's Hospital Foundation 2016 Champion Child. [Photo provided]

The Children's Hospital Foundation hosted Miss Oklahoma and Miss Teen Oklahoma contestants as they participated in a wall art project for the Diabetes Metabolic Research Laboratory at The Children's Hospital.

Contestants toured the neonatal intensive care unit and diabetes area of the hospital.

Dr. Steven Chernausek, Children's Hospital Foundation Edith Gaylord Chair and director of diabetes and metabolic research, spoke to the group about the importance of diabetes care and how The Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center serves the pediatric diabetic community.

The collage wall art project will be hung in the Metabolic Research Lab and is titled “It's About Progress Not Perfection.” The artwork features local, national and international sports figures in action and is part of the Miss America Service Project.

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Participating in the tour were Clytee Burchett, Miss Arkansas Valley; Ashley Thompson, Miss Broken Arrow; Gretchen Neftzger, Miss Creek County; Allie Renner, Miss Eastern Oklahoma County; Ali Brooks, Miss Edmond LibertyFest; Elizabeth Smith, Miss Frontier Country; Samantha Martin, Miss Green Country; Heather Rasmussen, Miss Heartland; Maya Jackson, Miss Langston University; Ashley Wheeler, Miss Lawton; Alma Sandoval, Miss Midtown; Samantha Hoffman, Miss Muskogee; Molly Patterson, Miss Northwest Oklahoma City; Veronica Wisniewski, Miss Oklahoma City; Monica Thompson, Miss Oklahoma City University; Chandler Hardy, Miss Oklahoma State Fair; Ashten Vincent, Miss Queen of the West; Devin Kerns, Miss South Oklahoma City, and Sarah Harris, Miss University of Oklahoma.

State teen pageant contestants participating were Carrigan Bradley, Miss Oklahoma Outstanding Teen; Natalie Jack, Teen Ada; Nicole Jia, Teen Bethany; Morgan Money, Teen Creek County; Olivia Kuester, Teen Eastern Oklahoma County; Brylee Neeley, Teen Heartland; Jessica Russell, Teen Keystone Lake; Abigail Billings, Teen Northwest Passage; Arriah Herrin, Teen Oil Capital; Elizabeth Ware, Teen Oklahoma City University; Carli Manwell, Teen Oklahoma State Fair; Kate Kemmet, Teen South Oklahoma City; Kaelin Clay, Teen Southeast Oklahoma; Addison Price, Teen Tulsa, and Meleah Holland, Teen University of Oklahoma.

“To continue these critical programs, we rely on help from our statewide community and are extremely proud of these young women who give their time to volunteer and help raise funds to support Children's Hospital Foundation year-round,” said Kathy McCracken, executive director of Children's Hospital Foundation.

Children's Hospital Foundation funds pediatric research and education programs, ultimately supporting The Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center in serving every county in Oklahoma with more than 225,000 patient encounters.

How to help

More Coverage: Read all the recent articles from Edmond

To support Children's Hospital Foundation, call 271-2260 or go to www.chfKids.com.

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