Miss Michigan Katie LaRoche congratulates Elizabeth Ann Wertenberger, 21, of Grand Rapids, who is originally from Dundee, upon her crowning as Miss Southwest Michigan 2011 Sept. 11 at Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center. The scholarship pageant is a preliminary to Miss America, for which Katie will compete in January in Las Vegas. Elizabeth’s runner-up from five contestants was former Miss Blossomtime Kaylee Magro, 23, of Bridgman, who attended Southwestern Michigan College. (The Daily News/John Eby)

By JOHN EBY

Dowagiac Daily News

Miss Southwest Michigan 2011, crowned Saturday night at Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center, is Elizabeth Ann Wertenberger, a senior at Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD) in Grand Rapids.

She was Miss Monroe County in 2008 and third runner-up to Miss Michigan 2009.

Elizabeth, whose platform is “Volunteerism: Closing the Gap, Youth and Senior Citizen Interaction,” previously attended Monroe County Community College and Dundee High School.

The 21-year-old, who performed a musical theater dance to “Mink Schmink, was Contestant 1 in a field of five that also included her runner-up, former Miss Blossomtime Kaylee Samantha Magro, 23, of Bridgman, who attended Southwestern Michigan College, Melissa Keith of Walled Lake, Sydney Harner of Eau Claire and Tiffany Korican of Onstead.

Scoring is based 25 percent on prior interviews with judges; talent, 35 percent; lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit, 15 percent; evening wear, 20 percent; and an onstage question drawn at random, 5 percent.

Elizabeth, who will be competing for Miss Michigan next June in Muskegon, intends to obtain a bachelor of arts degree in interior design with a minor in graphic design and plans to own and operate her own design firm.

At Kendall she made President’s List in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and was awarded the Michigan Promissory Scholarship, Congressional Recognition in “Art Discovery” and the Art Key from Dundee High School Class of 2007.

Elizabeth’s leadership roles include: board member, Quality of Life Committee on Aging for Monroe County; committee member, Sunrise House Battered Women’s Shelter fundraiser; volunteer with the Senior Olympics at Brookdale Assisted Living; volunteer at the Lutheran Home and Fountain View in Monroe, where she choreographed and produced several dance recitals; volunteer at Mercy-Memorial Nursing Center, Tendercare Nursing Facility, Brookdale Assisted Living, Medilodge Nursing Facility, Elderly Solutions Assisted Living and Kinghaven Assisted Living; volunteer with the Special Olympics; and volunteer with United Way, Cancer Connection of Monroe County, St. Michael’s We Care and Monroe County Intermediate School District.

Under accomplishments, Elizabeth lists her “Wooden Dress” design featured in the Grand Rapids Bodies of Art fashion show; participation in a summer study in Chicago; third runner-up to Miss Michigan 2009; Miss Monroe County 2008; second runner-up Miss Monroe County 2007; and first runner-up Miss Michigan Outstanding Teen 2006.

“Because of my love of dance since the age of 3,” Elizabeth says, “I have been able to lead a full life and not be confined to a wheelchair as the doctors predicted due to my juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.”

Since she’s from Monroe County, does she know that other Dowagiac visitor, Miss America 1988 Kaye Lani Rae Rafko-Wilson?

Elizabeth traveled to Las Vegas to watch the 2009 Miss America pageant for the first time as Kaye Lani’s  VIP guest.

“As a spokesperson for the Miss America organization,” Elizabeth says, “I will have the opportunity to expand my platform and introduce young adults to the idea of adopting a senior citizen in their community and experiencing the gift of their wisdom. The senior dance class that I teach allows me to combine two of my passions — dance and interacting with our senior citizens.”

“As Miss Southwest Michigan I will encourage others to take their passions and mold them into a positive action in which they, too, can experience the benefits of touching others and reap the immeasurable rewards of volunteerism.”

Elizabeth wants her legacy “to encourage young adults to volunteer and get involved in their community and indelibly touch the lives of others, but most of all to connect with and value the nation’s most valuable assets — our senior citizens.”

Miss Southwest Michigan said the five judges should select her because “I have a unique gift to offer. I would take my passion for volunteerism and spread the message throughout this great state. In these very tough times, it is important for us to see others’ needs and reach out to them. I have been working my entire life towards this end, and I am ready to begin this full-time job beginning today. There is much work that needs to be done.”

Asked how tall she is, the blue-eyed blonde replied, “I’m 5-foot-4 3/4 and loving it.”

In her onstage question, Elizabeth drew, “What is your least favorite quality about yourself? And how have you turned it around?”

“I happen to have ADD (attention deficit disorder) all the time,” she said. “It’s hard for me to stay focused sometimes at school. There’s so many things on my mind, I want to do this, I want to do that, when I need my sleep. Even though I have a 4.0 (straight A’s), I need to stay focused and go to sleep.”

The younger Contestant 1, Roxie Ann Elliott, 14, a Buchanan High School freshman, won Miss Southwest Michigan Outstanding Teen from six contestants, including Katelyn Lee of Dowagiac, Hailey Simmons of South Haven, O’livia Guerrero of Newport, magician Halie Fisher of Watervliet and Tiffany Gerweck of Monroe.

Tiffany is Roxie’s first runner-up.

Roxie, who previously attended Buchanan Middle School and Ottawa Elementary School, promotes an animal rights platform.

Her talent was singing Barbra Streisand’s “Don’t Rain on my Parade.”

Roxie’s ambitions are to pursue a bachelor’s degree in theater and broadcast communications and to play professional soccer.

Her scholastic honors include honor roll and the “Pink Free” award.

Roxie plans to start a glee club and an animal rights club at school during the 2010-2011 academic year.

A member of student council, she serves on the Gateway Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council, founded the Girls Rule Club and serves as a mentor for “Big Bucks Tutoring Little Bucks.”

Roxie won Southwest Michigan Pre-Teen 2008, Southwest Michigan Pre-Teen speech award in 2007 and 2008, Niles Elite Outstanding Achievement Award and was a member of the Niles Elite Competitive Cheer state champion team and a member of the second-place cheerleading team at the 2009 national championship.

“My brother and I share the same birth date,” Roxie says, “but two years apart.”

She studied Korean and Spanish, visited the Mayan ruins in Chichen-Itza in sixth grade and takes guitar lessons.

Roxie drew, “If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would it be and why?”

She wants to return to the Mayan ruins because she “loves history.”

As Miss Southwest Michigan Outstanding Teen, Roxie “will plan fundraising events for animal shelters in our county. I will take advantage of opportunities to teach others about animal rights and encourage them to become involved. I will write letters lobbying our state legislators to support animal protection measures.

“When my year as Miss Southwest Michigan Outstanding Teen comes to a close,” Roxie says, “I want others to remember me as someone who never stopped working to further her platform and inspired other people to become involved by making donations, volunteering at animal shelters or circulating petitions to end animal cruelty. I especially want to help make other teenagers realize that they can make a difference in whatever cause they believe in.”

She said judges should select her because “the Miss America crown is more than a precious jewel that makes any woman who wears it feel like a queen. It stands for four qualities we should all aspire to: scholarship, success, style and service — the four S’s. I believe the most important of these four is service — what you do to better the world when you put on that crown, and even when it’s off. I believe understanding that is what the Miss America organization is all about.”

Relinquishing her 2010 title was Krystal Mendoza, who will be competing for Miss Greater Kalamazoo Sept. 18.

Krystal roomed with Katie. Another of Katie’s roommates, Megan Goodenough Roth, sang the national anthem flanked by the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office honor guard in memory of 9/11 and provided vocal entertainment between segments.

Miss Southwest Michigan Scholarship Pageant and Miss Southwest Michigan Scholarship Outstanding Teen are the newest additions to the Blossomtime Festival’s pageant roster.

“When the Miss Michigan organization came to Blossomtime and asked Blossomtime to run an open pageant preliminary for them for this area we were thrilled and honored to be a part of such a longstanding organization,” President Anna Abdelnour said. “Miss Southwest Michigan will be open to all young women in Michigan, will follow Miss America guidelines and will not affect Miss Blossomtime and our local community queens.”

Miss Southwest Michigan Outstanding Teen is for ages 13-17.

The Blossomtime Festival has been in the pageant business since 1923, when Katherine Burrell was chosen the first Miss Blossomtime.

Benton Harbor-based Blossomtime is Michigan’s oldest and largest multi-community festival.

Miss Michigan Executive Director Shelley Taylor attended the program, which was dedicated to longtime supporter Barbara J. Totzke, 1931-2010.

Taylor said the Miss Congeniality scholarship which memorialized her “daddy” for three years will now pay tribute to Totzke.