Our Little Miss, oldest global competition of its kind, selected San Marcos, Texas for its World's Universal Beauty Scholarship Competition, Jan. 12-16, 2017

Online PR News � 26-August-2016 � Our Little Miss, the oldest global children's scholarship competition of its kind, has selected the Embassy Suites & Conference Center in San Marcos, Texas for the staging of its World's Universal Beauty Scholarship Competition, January 12-16, 2017. This is the second consecutive staging of the multi-national event in San Marcos.

"We are excited to begin our 55th year in such a warm and inviting community," said Teri Chandler, President of Our Little Miss, Inc. "Choosing the right location with access for all of our contestants and their families can be a daunting, but extremely rewarding task and we take their trust and comfort very seriously. We have spent more than five decades creating winners in life, not just on stage, and it has been a privilege."

Our Little Miss was founded by Marge Hannaman, Chandler's mother. As a professional basketball player and model she realized the importance of physical fitness and beauty for women. While judging a small hometown festival queen pageant she saw the hundreds of people watching their little ones as they walked across the stage with little or no poise but each had a huge smile and wave for their family members. The girls were awarded a paper crown and rose and every single contestant walked away a winner just by participating.

Hannaman set out to bring this joy and family honor one step further by transforming the paper crown and rose into a lifetime of memories as Our Little Miss became the first children's pageant of its kind to be presented on a major level.

Although stricken with Parkinson's, Hannaman was a vital adviser and supporter of the company and scholarship competitions until her death in May of 2006. In honor of her life her family has formed the "Marge Hannaman Scholarship Foundation" a not-for-profit corporation to assist in the continued education to deserving recipients. The foundation also gives back to her beloved Our Little Miss participants and families who may fall on hard times through illness or natural disasters, most recently helping during the catastrophic flooding in Louisiana, the pageant's home state.

"Most people have dreams. In fact, life is probably a series of dreams. Once a dream is realized, new goals are set and off we go reaching for another. The dream of being Our Little Miss has become a reality to thousands of little girls since the year 1962. Now, over 50 years old, the child personified by the perky little silhouette with the flipped-up hair has developed a personality of her own," Chandler said.

Not a fairy tale character or a myth, Our Little Miss is more a symbol of hope for the future of children everywhere, she noted.

As Morley Safer once said on CBS' 60 Minutes, The parents consider Universal Pageant System, Our Little Miss to be the most prestigious of all childrens pageants. Now with fourth-generation children as contestants, Our Little Miss has endured.

Competition of all kinds are as American as apple pie and motherhood.

"Nonetheless, the manner in which they are handled varies greatly. With Our Little Miss there is a soft touch, where discussions of coping with winning and losing, and with joys and disappointments are an integral part of the program. From the parents talent show (both silly and serious) to the exchange of souvenir gifts between contestants from all over the world, Our Little Miss truly encourages family participation and comradeship. The true award is in the experience alone," Chandler said.

Chandler said that local qualifying events are currently taking place throughout the U.S., in Europe, Asia, and beyond. For more information on Worlds Universal Beauty, visit www.ourlittlemiss.com or email [email protected].

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