Advertisement

"It was time to step down," she said. "I just can't do it anymore and do everything else I want to do. It's been a great ride."

Fitch said the very first Miss Heart of Michigan became Miss Michigan and Miss America. That was Kaye Lani Rafko Wilson of Monroe, in 1988.

"Sometimes, I think the pageants have a bad rap," Fitch said. These girls have phenomenal goals: scientists, astronauts.

"This is not a beauty pageant. They're competing for scholarships." Fitch said that Miss Heart of Michigan has always placed in the top 10 in the Miss Michigan Pageant. About five have gone on to compete in the Miss America Pageant.

Fitch said that the participants often will do better in many areas in life because of the growth they experience.

"If you took 10 people to a job interview, the one who had participated in these pageants would get the job," she said.

When Fitch spoke to The Leader, she and her husband, Jeff, were preparing to leave for Las Vegas, Nevada, where Jeff was planning to work security for the Miss America Pageant.

"We enjoy it," she said. "Sometimes, we don't recognize some of these young women, because of the growth in them."

Fitch said that it is important for participants and their families to keep everything in perspective.

"It can be an education," she said. "It's healthy, most of the time." The new executive director of the Miss Heart of ichael Cole, owner of Classic Gallery, a photography studio in Traverse City. "I have been judging pageants all over for a long time," he said. "It's a natural for me. I study faces all day -even in the grocery store."

Cole said he has taken on a number of civic-oriented events and had a great deal of success. He said he decided to accept the challenge of being the executive director of the Miss Heart of Michigan Pageant, scheduled for Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Tower Ballroom at the Grand Traverse Resort.

"One hundred percent of donations go to scholarships," Cole said. "The participants must raise money to benefit the Children's Miracle Network and the ticket sales help pay for the event."

This year's pageant will highlight 16 participants and feature the current Miss Michigan, Kirsten Haglund, singing as part of the entertainment. The opening number will feature Harley Davidson motorcycles, courtesy of Classic Motor Sports.

"One of the things that you discover is that it's not just about beauty," he said. "There's so much more.

"We try not to say Ôwinner.' We say Ôtitle holder.' All of our contestants are winners."

Because of the timing of this year's Miss Heart of Michigan Pageant, the event is the last opportunity that the participants will have, to move on to the Miss Michigan Pageant.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

To donate to the Miss Heart of Michigan scholarship program, or to purchase tickets, call Michael Cole at 800-417-2822 or 231-947-6655.

For more information, go to missheartofmichigan.org. To make a donation to The Children's Miracle Network, go to missmichigan.org or missamerica.org.