BPC Student Donates Time to Assist Others

Kaci Pedersen, co-founder of “Princesses with a Purpose” has fun making silly faces with a young girl at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Hospital.

Written By Mandy Corbin

Marketing Coordinator

Edited By Ashley Marsteller

BPC Staff Writer

MOUNT VERNON— Wheeler County High School senior and Brewton-Parker ACCEL student, Kaci Pedersen, and beauty pageant friend, Miranda Bryant, have co-founded “Princesses with a Purpose,” a charity organization based in Dublin, GA that raises funds for ill, foster, and poverty-stricken children. Together with several friends, the girls dress up as princesses and visit people who need a little boost in hopes of brightening their day.

Created in November 2011, the organization’s goal is to show love and care to everyone the girls meet, whether it be a young, terminally ill child in the hospital or an elderly man/woman in a nursing home. The two young ladies, along with several other members, just want to be involved in the patient’s lives and bring smiles to everyone they encounter.

The group raises funds by participating in charity walks and fairs, and hosting children’s birthday parties. Recently, Pedersen and Bryant were featured on 13WMAZ and 41NBC, both out of Macon, Ga.

When asked to relate her experiences in the charity, Kaci replied, “This has been a touching experience for me. Once we leave a place, helping others is all I think about. I just want to tell people about what we’re doing. I want to visit every child I see that has an illness. You become a part of the cause; you’re not just making a donation.”

On February 9, 2012, the group had a busy day visiting children at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Hospital and AFLAC Cancer Center. They took gifts for the children, blew bubbles, painted the children’s faces, and even Pirate Jack went along to hang out with the boys. At each visit, the group donates a check to the family to help with expenses.

A young girl poses for a photo op with several princesses and Pirate Jack.

The group plans to raise funds for a summer camp that will be held in June 2012 in Cochran, GA. “We hope to have a “Princess and Pirates Camp” with games, crafts, face painting, snacks, and story time,” said Kaci. “Fifteen percent of the camp fee will go towards decoration and supplies, and the rest will go to our general account.”

Kaci hopes the organization will become known nationwide and more people will get involved. “We have members who are elected as state hosts to be princesses in their own area and raise funds for our organization. We have members in California, one in Pennsylvania, and one in Florida. We’ve even had someone interested as far away as Australia.”  Kaci would also love for the group to get involved with the local community and visit local children.

The group accepts monetary donations, toys, and new items that can be given to someone in need. To make a donation, or to get involved, contact Kaci at kacipedersen@yahoo.com or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Princesses-with-a-Purpose/285466431484691. Anonymous donations can also be made to the Bank of Dudley, with locations in both Dudley and Dublin, GA.

Brewton-Parker College is the only accredited four-year Christian college in south Georgia.

-BPC-

The mission of Brewton-Parker College, a Georgia Baptist college, is to develop the whole student through the application of Biblically-centered truth to a liberal arts curriculum in a community of shared Christian values.

www.bpc.edu