Beauty happy to help on way to pageant

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This article was published 25/03/2010 (5975 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If Angel Bhathal wins the upcoming Miss World Canada Pageant in Vancouver, one of the first people she will thank will be her grandmother.

The West St. Paul resident credits their close relationship with motivating her to enter the pageant.

“She has inspired me to be a part of this pageant because she has a lot of medical conditions and the great thing about this pageant is that it’s not your typical beauty pageant,” says Bhathal, who is finishing up her third year of pharmacy studies at the University of Manitoba.

The May 7 pageant is also a fundraiser for Variety – the Children’s Charity, which cares for the overall health and well-being of children who have special needs.

Bhathal, 23, says that having a family member with chronic medical conditions enables her to see how important organizations like Variety are to people in need.

As part of the judging criteria, contestants are evaluated on their fundraising endeavors, which has Bhathal organizing a charity fashion show called Fashion with a Purpose on April 23 at Stereo Night Club.

Bhathal, who is the only Manitoba contestant in the pageant, has enlisted local shops and designers to display their wares at the show where all proceeds go to Variety.

The pageant also includes such evaluation category staples like the swimsuit and international costume competition, but it’s the fundraising aspect that Bhathal is most excited about.

The winner of the pageant will win a five-week international voyage and compete in the Miss World 2010 Pageant that will be held in Vietnam in November.

But if she wins, Bhathal has no intentions of launching into an entertainment career like many other pageant contestants before her.

“A lot of girls use pageantry as a stepping stone for building an acting or singing career, but that’s not applicable to me,” Bhathal says.

“I’m doing this because I know I have the knowledge to help inform my community and my country in things that we can all do to improve our lives and the lives of others.”

Westwood resident Patti McNeill is no stranger to beauty pageants . She won the Mrs. Canada United Nations International pageant in 2002.

McNeill says that her own pageant experience was amazing. In addition to winning the overall crown, she was named Mrs. Congeniality.

McNeill says she is encouraged by the fact that pageants are broadening their definition of beauty is.

“It’s so nice that they’re expanding the horizons of what a beauty pageant is, as it’s beauty coming from within and from the heart and that’s so powerful,” says McNeill, who is the president for the Manitoba Association of Cheerleading.

As for advice to aspiring pageant contestants, McNeill says they should be true to themselves, enjoy what they’re doing, make as many friends as possible and enjoy the experience.

As part of her fundraising efforts, Bhathal is looking for cash donations and silent auction prizes that will benefit Variety during the event in Vancouver.

As well, she is looking for a few more sponsors to help her attend the ceremony, as each delegate is required to obtain their own sponsors to help cover the show’s production costs.

For fashion show tickets and more information on how to assist Bhathal, email angel.bhathal@hotmail.com, and for more information on the pageant visit www.missworldcanada.org.

trevor.suffield@canstarnews.com