Miss South Shore Leads Beach Cleanup

Photos provided by Alyssa Sullivan.
STONE HARBOR – Alyssa Sullivan, a 19-year-old freshman at Rider University, led family and friends April 18, as they cleaned about 25 blocks of Stone Harbor Beach as part of Miss America’s Day of Service.
Sullivan, who currently is Miss South Shore, was among 30 titleholders across New Jersey who performed service projects to raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network, the official platform for Miss America since 2007. Participants are asked to donate $1 for every volunteer hour, although they can donate more. Her team raised $80 during a two-hour period Saturday morning.
“I grew up in Cape May Court House,” Sullivan said, “and went to the beaches in Stone Harbor all my life. I’ve seen how the trash builds up there, especially after the winter. I want my community to be the best it can be. We are a product of our environment and I want our environment to be the best it can be so I wanted to do something for my hometown.”
Sullivan said that in addition to friends and families, there were students looking for service hours for Confirmation Class and National Honor Society requirements who joined them. “It was a nice turn out considering it was 7 a.m. when we started,” she said. “We picked up about six bags of trash between 96th and 120th streets.”
Most of the trash picked up was plastic, she noted, such as chip bags and water bottles and caps. However, they did find one treasure according to Sullivan. “One of the kids found a sea horse, and it was intact. It was pretty cool.”
In addition to raising donations for the Children’s Miracle Network, Sullivan said her goal was to leave the beach cleaner than when she arrived. “They keep the beaches pretty clean in Stone Harbor, but I was glad we were able to leave them a little cleaner,” she said. “People were very generous with their donations, as well.”
Miss South Shore is selected based on style, scholarship, success and service. “Most people think it’s all about being pretty and skinny,” said Sullivan. “But it’s so much more than that. It’s given me confidence as a person, and we are all in it to win money for school as part of the scholarship program.”
At Rider University, Sullivan loves to sing and is studying musical theatre with hopes of performing on Broadway. She’s been part of the Miss America network for about five years, first winning New Jersey Outstanding Teen as a high school junior. She called that program the “sister” to the Miss America program.
“My platform is Peer Challenge,” she said, explaining that she encourages teens to abstain from pre-marital sex, drugs and drinking. “As part of the Miss America network, I get a chance to speak to high school kids all over and try to educate them about why they might not want to engage in these activities. It’s a great way of trying to help keep kids on the right path.”
The inspiration for Miss America’s Day of Service began last year in Atlantic City when 53 national contestants volunteered at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. They worked the prepatory and service lines in the kitchen, met with mothers and children living at the Family Life Center, and assisted with replenishing the food pantry.
Since becoming the official platform for Miss America in 2007, the Children’s Miracle Network has received more than $10 million. The Network raises funds and awareness for its 170-member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments yearly to children across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local and provide health care services, pediatric equipment and charity care. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is the closest network hospital.
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.