Photo by Jon Anderson
Lucy Helland, a sixth-grade student at Bumpus Middle School in Hoover, Alabama, was crowned Miss Yellowhammer State Preteen 2023 on Oct. 25, 2022, and now will compete in a USA National Preteen pageant in Hollywood, Florida, in July 2023.
Lucy Helland, a sixth-grade student at Bumpus Middle School, this fall for the second year in a row won the Miss Yellowhammer State Preteen pageant.
Helland, the 12-year-old daughter of Nick and Stacy Helland, now advances to a USA National Preteen pageant in Hollywood, Florida, in July 2023. She placed as first runner-up in the national pageant this past July.
The pageant includes a private interview, talent competition and opportunities to model evening wear, casual wear and fun fashion wear. Participants in the pageant also will compete for scholarship money based on their community service activities.
Helland for the past two years has collected handwritten letters and cards to be given to people in nursing homes, foster children, members of the military and patients at Children’s of Alabama hospital. Her goal is to bring smiles to people’s faces with “happy mail.”
Helland also serves as a junior ambassador for Garrett’s Place, an organization in Bessemer that works to meet the needs of foster children. Last year, Helland collected enough money to buy more than 250 new pillows for foster children at Christmas, and this year she raised enough money to buy 500 new pillows and 500 new blankets.
Helland is a straight-A student at Bumpus and also enjoys dancing and playing volleyball.
Photo courtesy of Stacy Helland
Lucy Helland, who was crowned Miss Yellowhammer State Preteen in October 2022, poses for a photo at Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church in McCalla on Dec. 2, 2022, with 500 pillows that were donated to Garrett's Place for distribution to foster children.
