Pageant Planned to Benefit Fallen Soldier’s Family

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “On the way home, I kept telling my daughter, we’ve got to do something for her,” says Cindy Clough, creator of Miss Stars & Stripes Forever pageant. When Cindy Clough first heard of the death of South Carolina National Guardsman, John Meador, she immediately thought of his wife and daughter. “Christy and her daughter, Elana, are in the pageant community and they are part of our pageant family,” says Clough. After more than forty years in the pageant industry, she knew exactly what to do. She created The Miss Stars & Stripes Forever benefit pageant. “100% will go to Christy and Elana,” says Clough. The event already has nearly 50 contestants, Susan Knight’s daughter Lundyn is one of them. “J.D. died so that we could have the freedom to do these things and so that we can have our Mommy-Daughter time,” says Knight. After meeting Christy and Elana Meador through past pageants, Knight says they immediately connected. “Instant friendship,” says Knight. Sarah Calvert’s daughter, Eden, will also be competing. “We’re ready for this war to be over and just all these tragedies that it’s caused so far,” says Calvert But this pageant isn’t about winning a title. “It’s more of a outreach to the community, just as a reminder as to what’s really going on over there and how many people it affects,” says Calvert. Crandall Sims reporting, “In a world where crowns and trophies mean a lot, this pageant is different. Take for instance this crown, it’s called the “Patriot’s Star,” it will go to the contestant who raises the most money for the Meador family, it’s just another sign of how the pageant is different from most.” “This pageant is not about competition, this is about coming together and doing what’s right for a friend,” says Knight. “Men are dying over there everyday and they are real people and they have real families and real needs,” says Clough. The pageant will be held this Saturday at the Clarion Town House Hotel on Gervais Street at 11:00 a.m.