Tiaras, glamorous gowns and house-rocking performances raised $53,412 — 33 percent more than in 2015 — at the 13th annual Miss LifeWalk pageant Sunday, July 24, at the Rose Room in S4. The 2016 Pageant was produced by the Guys and Dolls LifeWalk Team and hosted by Heather Thomas and Mark Manley.
“Guys and Dolls is delighted that the Miss LifeWalk Pageant continues to grow and gets bigger and better every year,” pageant organizer Landon Starnes said. “It is exciting to watch the contestants competitively raise money and bring in record numbers each and every year, not to mention the passion and generosity of those that give, and this year was spectacular! We are truly grateful to be a part of this journey and work with such lovely people!”
The 2016 contestants were Miss Rita Fine representing Guys & Dolls, Linze Serell representing the Green Team, and Vanity Storm representing Team Metro (GDMAF). Serell raised more than $23,000, a new record for an individual contestant. Special guest performances included former Miss LifeWalk winners Sabrina Starr (2005), Anita Nother (2010), Lotta Pink (2011), Veda Chardonnay (2013), Heidi Liquere (2014) and Charlotte Bardeaux (2015) who crowned the 2016 winner — Vanity Storm.
The 2016 Miss LifeWalk winning categories are as follows:
Miss Congeniality – Rita Fine
Miss Spirit of LifeWalk – Linze Serell
Miss Money Bags – Linze Serell
Evening Wear Winner – Vanity Storm
Talent Winner – Vanity Storm
2nd Runner Up – Rita Fine
1st Runner Up – Linze Serell
Over the 13 years the pageant has raised more than $189,283 for LifeWalk.
LifeWalk 2016 takes place Sunday, Oct. 9, beginning and ending in Lee Park. This year’s walk will benefit AIDS Arms, Inc. and other AIDS services partner agencies: Abounding Prosperity, AIDS Interfaith Network, AIDS Services of Dallas, Cathedral of Hope, Dogs Matter, Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund, Tucker’s Gift, Turtle Creek Chorale, The Women’s Chorus of Dallas and UT Southwestern Community Prevention and Intervention Unit.
Register for LifeWalk here.