Little Miss Tomato

 

     Last July, I entered my daughter Lillyan who was seven at the time, in the Reeds Spring first annual Little Miss Tomato contest.  The rules were you had to have a business sponsor your child.  I decorated a donation can and placed at a local video store.  It was based on a penny a vote.  All the money was going to be donated to the “Backpack Program” to benefit needy children for school supplies.

     I went to the Osh Gosh outlet at Tanger Mall in Branson and got Lillyan a pair of bib overhalls.  This was the required dress code the day of the pageant.  Any means of raising money was exceptable to help get a bigger donation.  So I baked about four dozen mini loaves of bread.    I made banana bread, banana chocolate chip, blueberry banana, pumpkin, zucchini, and pineapple zucchini.  I took the loaves to work and sold them for three dollars each or two for five dollars.  It seemed like I baked bread for weeks.  Before and after work I would be in my kitchen baking bread.  Family and church members also donated money for Lillyan’s can.

     It came time to collect the donation can at the video store.  My husband and I counted change for hours.  She had collected about ninety dollars in her can.  Then we counted stacks of one and five dollar bills that I had collected at my work.  All together she collected five-hundred and seventeen dollars and eleven cents.

     We went to place to drop off her donation can the next morning.  They had a couple of volunteers recount the money.  They were four other girls, beside Lillyan in the contest.  It came time to announce the winner.  Lillyan was the winner, the very first “Little Miss Tomato” she was so excited.  When the lady ahead of the church whom the money was given ask Lillyan what it meant to be “Little Miss Tomato”, my daughter made me very proud, she said “I’m glad I won, but it wasn’t the point of me winning, it was that I got to raise money for a lot of children who don’t have as many things as I have.”  My eyes glazed over with tears, to know that the qualities of life I am trying to instill in my children, they really are paying attention to and learning was a greatful moment for me.  Her father and I couldn’t have been more proud of the beautiful young lady we are raising.

 

 

421 Words  

10 minutes