Men from 10 Ohio University student organizations will strut their stuff tonight as they compete for the title of Mr. Empower during the second annual Mr. Empower Pageant at 7 p.m. in the Baker University Center Theatre.
The guys got really into it last year
said Gwennan Richmond, president of OU Empower, the event's sponsor. They wrote songs for Empower there was interpretive dancing and one contestant even did a dramatic reading of Miley Cyrus' 'Party in the U.S.A.' It's a fun time and cool to see what they do with it.
The men will compete in four categories: talent, beachwear, interview and crowd support. At the end, the judges will tally the scores and the winning contestant will earn $100 for his organization. Each organization paid $5 to enter a contestant, and the submission money will be pooled with a $50 donation from Empower to create the prize money.
Empower raises money through a $3 admission fee and also from a jewelry sale at the event.
A student organization aimed at raising money to help educate orphans and vulnerable children in Africa, Empower raises money through events such as jewelry sales and a 5k run during the fall. The Mr. Empower Pageant, however, has a different focus than the group's usual events.
It's kind of a different fundraiser than what we normally do in that it's more focused on raising awareness and building community than raising money Richmond said. It's a neat way to get members involved
and it helps us make connections with organizations so we can collaborate in the future.
Mr. Empower is unique to OU's chapter of Empower. The pageant began last year when the organization was brainstorming for a new Winter Quarter fundraiser.
In the past
we've done wine and beer tastings
but there was nothing really targeted for students
Richmond said. A member came up with the idea for a Valentine's Day pageant
and it evolved into Mr. Empower.
OU's Little Monsters were asked to perform an opening number. Parker Rom, president of Little Monsters, said the group has been planning its performance since the beginning of the quarter.
I don't want to give too much away
but we'll be performing to Gaga's song 'Monster
' Rom said. We made our own storyline for the song - just think Michael Jackson's 'Thriller.'
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