2006 Little Miss Marianas Opal H. Northern is spending the last months of her reign as an active community volunteer, donating Easter baskets to patients at the Commonwealth Health Center, reading to elementary students, participating in the Xterra and Taga Kids triathlons and spending her vacation promoting the CNMI on the U.S. mainland.
The youngest CNMI ambassador is also planning a trip next month to Tinian and Rota where she will begin her healthy living campaign with the youth and finish it off on Saipan.
As an award-winning triathlete and swimmer, Opal believes that young children can find fun in exercise and learn how to enjoy it.
“If young kids enjoy exercise, they will do it more often,” Opal smiled. “And that will help them become healthy and strong.”
Opal was also named as the 2007 Miss Xterra and was given Xterra gear to model during the event last month by the event’s organizers.
Opal and her family stayed up until 2 a.m. last Wednesday night decorating eggs and placing them in small baskets with the tag “Happy Easter from 2006 Little Miss Marianas Opal H. Northen.”
The next day, the CHC staff met Opal at the hospital in the morning and she delivered her Easter baskets to the pediatric, maternity and the hemodialysis wards.
“I decided I wanted to cheer up the children for Easter at CHC. It was fun and I enjoyed it,” said Opal.
Opal was also recently invited as a celebrity reader to Koblerville Elementary School where she read books to kindergarten and first graders.
“It was fun and the kids were good listeners. One girl told me she wants to become the next Little Miss Marianas,” smiled Opal.
Stellar Marianas, the islands’ non-profit pageant organization, which has just completed the 2007 Miss Marianas Teen pageant, has begun recruitment for the 2007 Little Miss Marianas pageant scheduled for this July.
“We are thankful to and proud of Opal and her family for taking the initiative to give back to the community and becoming an exemplary role model—willing to spend time, money and energy for the greater good of the community,” said Stellar Marianas president Laila Y. Boyer.
“Opal did all of this on her own, with hardly any help from us. As volunteers and as a non-profit organization, we are grateful for the dedication and motivation she has to completing her reign in a positive and memorable way,” she said.
Stellar Marianas is currently preparing 2007 Miss Marianas Teen Kayla Dee Atalig for the 2007 Miss Teen International Pageant in Chicago this July.