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Photo Credit: Malissa Veroni Facebook
By Shane Clausing
Malissa Veroni

Grande Prairie’s Malissa Veroni hoping to help charity at 2021 Ms. Canada World Universal Pageant

Mar 3, 2021 | 5:30 AM

Grande Prairie’s Malissa Veroni will be representing her hometown at the 2021 Canada World Universal Pageant.

The Canada World Universal Pageant is a new style event, where it encourages women young and old to compete and showcase their beauty.

“What I really love about it is it embraces and includes all women,” said Veroni. “Regardless of one’s shape, colour, size, social (or) economic status or age, we believe all women are beautiful and have great leadership potential.”

The goal of the pageant isn’t to claim a trophy, but is to instead help raise money for charity.

Veroni tells EverythingGP all of the contestants competing want to ensure they’re making a difference in the world and having a positive impact on all women.

“We’ve partnered with the LEA International Foundation, which is actually a charity that helps disadvantaged women go to school, like college, university or a trades school and helps get them mental health supports if that’s what’s needed.”

Along with being in the pageant, contestants are supposed to showcase the role they play within their own community.

Veroni is a very busy person in Grande Prairie and helps out by volunteering her time on Grande Prairie’s John Howard Society board.

She also previously served a full term for the Alberta Clinician Professional Practice Council for Alberta Health Services. She has also served as a volunteer consultant for disadvantaged orphanage in Ghana, and local HIV/AIDS programs.

Career-wise, Veroni is a professional registered social worker and owns her own business. She serves many people in Grande Prairie and the Peace Region and her platform is to represent social workers and stand up for violence against women.

Veroni says she is up against some very tough competition in this pageant, and is hoping Grande Prairie residents can help her out.

Each vote for a contestant costs $5 per person. All of the money raised from the votes will go directly to charity.

The winners will then be announced during a virtual event on May 7.

While the show will be held virtually this year, Veroni says she’s lucky to be able to participate in it.

“It’s a huge honour. It’s a lot of work, but it is opening doors I’ve never thought possible.

“As a social worker, I always want to advocate for inclusivity and social justice and it really opened the door to help promote that. I’m feeling great about it.”

You can vote for Veroni by clicking here.

by Shane Clausing