A Red Deer County woman is heading to Toronto this July to compete for the Miss Teen Canada crown.Jennifer Robitaille, 18, lives west of Red Deer and is currently Miss Teen Central Alberta. She won that title during a pageant held in Calgary on March 18.“I had to do an interview online first,” said Robitaille of what she found to be the most stressful part of the experience. “Then I was picked for the pageant in Calgary.” She's now one of 13 contestants, each representing a different location in the province.Being Miss Teen Central Alberta is an important position for Robitaille who said she hopes to be a positive role model for other young women and teens. Robitaille is currently a Red Deer College student with aspirations of becoming an elementary school teacher.Now into the summer months, she's focusing her time on the upcoming competition and making sure she lives up to expectations for a Miss Teen, volunteering and fundraising.“We have to raise at least $400 for Free the Children and volunteer as much as we can.”Last month Robitaille visited Sunset Manor in Innisfail, entertaining seniors in a performance that included a performance on piano. Last week she played at another seniors' home in Sylvan Lake and on May 16 she spoke at the Academy of Learning in Red Deer about her biggest initiative, her blood drive campaign.She kicked off her campaign by donating blood for the first time May 1 and explains why she wants to raise awareness about the importance of donating blood.“When I was three days old I needed a blood transfusion,” she said, adding that her parents were told she might not make it. “So I know how important it is.”She said anyone interested in donating blood for her campaign needs to give their name, address, birthday and phone number at their local blood clinic and let the clinic know they want it donated as part of the Jennifer Robitaille Miss Teen Central Alberta Blood Drive, which runs until June 30.When in Toronto, Robitaille will be judged on a personal interview, evening gown, swimwear, charity contribution, public speaking, community engagement and photogenic appeal. She can also score an extra 10 points for her blog at www.missteencentralalberta.com. She'll also be competing in the optional talent category with her piano playing and is planning to write an essay for the optional essay-writing category. The competition is July 20.“The slogan this year is ‘Be your own kind of beauty,'” said Robitaille. “To me, this means be yourself and be proud of who you are.”
