Five Hills royalty review community support in 2018

Special to Leader-Press

With the hashtag, #MoreThanABeautyPageant, the Copperas Cove Five Hills royalty look back on 2018 to review their work in the community.

Ms. Five Hills Ashley Coombs partnered with Edith Natividad, former royalty ambassador, to produce Copperas Cove’s first multi-cultural festival. Held at Ogletree Gap Park, approximately 500-800 people attended the inaugural event enjoying entertainment from more than a dozen countries and vendors displaying cultural wears.

“Copperas Cove needs a multicultural festival to serve not only as a tourist event that brings money into our city but to also expand the cultural knowledge of our citizens and build a further appreciation for diversity,” Coombs said.

All money raised from the event provides scholarships through Communities in Schools for students to enroll in after-school activities such as art, dance, music lessons, sports activities, and more.

Copperas Cove Five Hills Ambassador Emily Kimball chaired for the second year the Howl-O-Ween Puppy Pawlooza for the Copperas Cove Animal Control Facility. Raising more than $7,000 in pet supplies in 2018, the annual event has now provided more than $20,000 in cash and supplies for the local animal shelter. The royalty regularly assist with free adoption days when school is not in session.

“Throughout the past year, one of my favorite events has been to help at the Copperas Cove animal shelter. I enjoy bathing the animals, playing with them, and helping potential owners pick out their new forever pet,” Kimball said.  

Pre-teen Miss Five Hills Briana Liles was honored as the National Lemonade Day Entrepreneur of the Year competing against thousands of children throughout the United States and two other countries. All money raised from her lemonade stand provides money to support children suffering from alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.

“Other kids have made fun of me because I have bald spots on my head,” Liles said. “I want other kids just like me to know that they are not alone. I want to help pay their way to a camp for kids who all have alopecia. I want them to feel special and know that they are beautiful just like they are.”

For the fifth consecutive year, the royalty also raised money for the American Cancer Society through the platform of Teen Miss Five Hills Carleigh Ross. Junior Miss Five Hills Dorianna Gilbert raised $1,800 for dyslexic equipment for CCISD students. Young Miss Five Hills Allyssa Kimball donated more than $2,500 to Keep Copperas Cove Beautiful. Little Mister Five Hills Brayden Liles distributed nearly 300 books to children in-need in partnership with H-E-B. Miniature Miss Five Hills Naomi Williams hosted a Mother’s Day Tea for a Copperas Cove nursing home and also keeps all 12 of the city’s Free Little Libraries stocked with books. For the fifth consecutive year, the royalty are collecting pop tabs for families of hospitalized children through the platform of Miniature Mister Five Hills Robbie Rackley. The royalty also provided funding for peer-to-peer counseling services in Copperas Cove for soldiers with PTSD, purchased sensory playground equipment for City Park, distributed more than 2,000 pounds of clothing and helped raise more than $35,000 in school supplies-all distributed to CCISD students in-need. The titleholders also represented the city at more than a dozen festival and holiday parades with the city float.