Miss Chattahoochee Valley's Outstanding Teen

Miss Chattahoochee Valley's
Outstanding Teen 2012
Emily O'Rear

Emily's platform:
Dancers Fighting Cancer

This is an organization founded by Alex Swader, an 11-year-old cancer survivor. Alex is a member of Emily’s dance troupe in Trussville. He was a national title-holding tapper when he was diagnosed with cancer at age eight. After Alex was successfully treated for Ewing’s sarcoma, he wanted to do something to make cancer treatment easier for children. The members of Dancers Fighting Cancer address this need in several ways: 1) They hold special events at Children’s Hospital to entertain the patients. 2) They deliver gifts to the patients on all special holidays. 3) They provide stuffed monkeys to children undergoing chemotherapy. These “chemo-monkeys” comfort the children and help them through their ordeal. 4) They hold an annual Gala to raise funds specifically for the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, for research into new treatments for childhood cancer. This year’s Gala will be held on September 25, 2011, at Gabrella Manor in Birmingham. Emily’s dance troupe will be one of many groups entertaining that day, including Fabian Sanchez of Dancing with the Stars, Miss Alabama Courtney Porter, and former Miss Alabama Ashley Davis.

For personal appearance, please contact Jayme McKelvey, Director of the Miss Chatt Program, at misschattprogram@gmail.com.