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MARTINSBURG Candidates for the Miss West Virginia and Miss West Virginia Outstanding Teen competition enjoyed a tea party in downtown Martinsburg at 1902 On Queen to encourage positive mentorships and sisterhood with several girls from the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle.

Stacie Rohn, executive director of the BGCEP, said that the event means a lot to her and that it also means a lot to the girls in the club.

I hope the girls that are competing in Miss West Virginia had a chance to talk to the girls about positive self-esteem and why the pageant could benefit them the scholarship opportunities and learning confidence and saying, You know what, I can do anything I want to, Rohn said. I want our kids to have those positive role models that help to set the tone for what their future could look like. If we have strong, successful women who are mentoring our girls, we cant go wrong.

Shelley Nichols-Franklin, state director for the Miss West Virginia competition, was pleased to see the event come together and benefit those in attendance.

I am really excited for the Boys & Girls Club to participate with us. This is what our program is all about, mentoring young ladies and giving back to the community, Nichols-Franklin said. We are glad to have all of these girls together.

Tiffany Lawrence, Miss West Virginia 2006, sponsored the event.

To see the community come together like this with the Miss West Virginia organization is amazing. To see the faces and smiles of these little girls who look up to our contestants in this way, it is heartwarming for me as a former, Lawrence said. Seeing opportunities like this come to fruition in our community and being a part of that is very special.

1902 On Queen hosted the event and donated the space.

Patty McIntyre, human resources and business director for the BGCEP, sat and watched all of the girls interact at the tea party with a bright smile on her face, excited for their futures.

It is so exciting to see them be elevated and being treated to something nice and fancy. I dont know how many of the girls have a chance to do this. I think this is great, McIntyre said. Our goal is always to have our kids go through school and graduate from high school and either choose a trade or go to college. If a scholarship can help them get on their way in that, that is definitely a plus. These girls are so great and so resilient. Theyve had a tough couple of years during the pandemic.

Rohn added that she would be pleased if events and collaborations, like the tea party, would continue with the community at large.

For the young ladies and the young men, I would love the business community to come in and talk about what they do. I would like for some of our successful kids to have reasons to stay in the community and what better way than to explore what businesses are here and what are their opportunities.

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Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle young women gather with Miss West Virginia candidates for tea party - Martinsburg Journal