Miss Arkansas Pageant volunteer recognized

By Michelle Wallace

LITTLE ROCK — Sharon Wilson of Malvern prefers to work behind the scenes, helping the young women of the Tri-Lakes area enjoy the limelight as they grow in confidence and ability.

Wilson, however, was the center of attention as Miss Arkansas 2007 Katie Bailey declared her the Miss Arkansas pageant volunteer of the year.

Wilson, who for years has been the executive director of the Miss South Central pageant and now also directs the Miss Diamond Lakes pageant, both preliminaries for the Miss Arkansas pageant, was announced as the pageant’s volunteer of the yearduring a luncheon at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

“It was very shocking,” Wilson saidof receiving the honor. “It was very unexpected.”

Extensively involved in t he teen portion of the pageant along with the miss segment, Wilson got suspicious when Bailey mentionedthat the honoree is “very heavily involved with the teen system,” Wilson recalled.

Though the announcement of theaward left her reeling in surprise, Wilson was quite proud to be singled out by her friend.

“It was quite an honor coming from her,” Wilson said of Bailey. “She’s a very special lady.”

Bailey said, “Ms. Sharon has the most amazing sweet spirit. She puts her heart and soul into everything she does. She is certainly a believer --believing in me, my dreams, my family, and the organization. She became involved with the Miss America organization on a whim, and we have been changed because of it. She gives so generously of her time and abilities.”

Bailey also said Wilson “has a heart of gold and a personality that lightsup an entire room. She serves as a source of encouragement and motivation for all the young ladies. She is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, making her a clear recipient of the volunteer of the year award.”

Miss Arkansas personally chooses the volunteer of the year each year. Wilson was a natural choice for Bailey. Wilson and her two daughters, Leslie and Lori, have been close to Bailey during her six years of competition with the Miss Arkansas system.

Wilson herself has been around the Miss Arkansas pageant system for twodecades. Her two daughters, who now work with her to direct both the Miss South Central and Miss Diamond Lakes pageants, started pageantry competition with the Sweetheart pageant in Malvern. Their mom, naturally, became involved as a volunteer.

The organization that directed the Sweetheart pageant later began putting on the Miss Malvern pageant.

After the sponsoring group dissolved, some of the individual members took on the duties of presenting the Miss Malvern pageant themselves. Wilson was one of those key figures.

The Miss Malvern pageant was renamed the Miss Saline River pageant and has since took on it s cur rent name, Miss South Central. Wilsonhas been involved with this pageant since its beginnings, particularly with the teen portion. She began directing the Miss Diamond Lakes pageant last year.

Both are based in Malvern and both directed solely by Wilson with the assistance of her two daughters.

Wilson appreciates the pageant system for what she said she has seen it give young women - confidence, poise, passion for worthy causes, scholarships for higher education, and wonderful opportunities that they otherwise may not have had.

“I have watched girls go from being so shy to being able to get in front of a crowd to make an eloquent speech,” Wilson said.

They find passion for an important community endeavor and learn to channel that enthusiasm into action and motivating others to act.

This is an important step on the road to maturity for the young ladies involved in the pageant system, Wilson believes.

As pageant director, Wilson has played a major role in countless young women finding maturity and blossoming into confident adults.

As a mentor, coach, teacher, confidante, and even mother figure to the pageant participants, Wilson is an important person in the lives of young ladies who are learning their place in the world.

She works hard for the pageant, not for her own recognition, but to see others flourish.

“There are a lot of people more deserving than I am,” she said modestly.

“We do it because we love the girls, and we love the system and believe in the system. We love it, and we love the girls.”

Tri-Lakes, Pages 121, 122 on 08/17/2008