Ava Nichols waved her mom off the stage – there was only room for one Taylor Swift impersonator on the Baker Ballroom platform.
By the amateur singer’s second chorus of “Picture to Burn,” the audience was clapping along, keeping beat with excitement. But the claps were soft, as to not cover-up the sweet, quiet voice of five-year-old Ava.
She was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor almost a year ago, and her family has been fighting an emotional battle ever since.
“They told us it was treatable, but not curable,” said Traci Nichols, Ava’s mother.
Nichols and her husband David spoke at Alpha Phi Omega’s second faculty pageant, held last night. The pageant provided a comedic, yet serious excuse to educate students about St. Jude’s, as well as raise money for Ava.
Along with Ava, the pageant’s six faculty contestants also displayed their talents on stage, as part of the competition.
Pageant winner Michelle Adams-Manning, who works in residential housing, brought jokes; Dr. Julie Suhr belted “The Mom Song;” education professor Matt Vosler performed a comedy-routine about undergrad-life in Athens; Dr. Andrew Krause exhibited “Human Tricks” and environmental geography professor Harold Perkins cooked “local food,” he said, maggots and rat guts included.
“The rat guts came from all the dining halls on campus,” Perkins joked as he blended spaghetti noodle tapeworms and gummy maggots on stage. “We’ll just put a few in – they’re a little strong.”
Dr. Judi Haberkorn wooed the crowd and judges with her reading of an inspirational poem, “Dreamboost,” specifically for Ava.
“We all know we’re here for Saint Jude’s,” she said. “But more importantly we’re here for Ava. … So, Ava, this one’s for you.”
In total the pageant collected $1, 246 for St. Jude’s foundation – over double the $500 raised from last year’s pageant.
Eric Horton, the event’s co-chair, said he is more than happy with the turnout, despite a somewhat rocky start.
“I really appreciate the Nichols family for coming up,” Horton said. “We asked them on (very) short notice … but this was awesome.”
The two other pageant portions included an eveningwear competition and a Q&A section, with questions submitted beforehand by audience members. First runners-up went to Dr. Haberkorn, and Dr. Kraus took second runner-up.
When asked if she’ll try to retain her title at next year’s pageant, Adams-Manning declined.
“I don’t want to chance it,” Adams-Manning said. “But, it’ll take a lot to beat (me), let’s be honest.”
The philanthropy group also showed a St. Jude’s video following a young cancer patient named DJ, offering audience members a glance at what the foundation does in caring for terminally-ill children.
In their video, St. Jude’s said their message is to never refuse a child care because their parents cannot afford treatment, whether they are covered by insurance or not.
The video closed with the phrase, “Finding cures, saving children.”
This is a message close to the Nichol’s family, Ava’s father said. He ended their talk by sharing his favorite Jimmy V quote with the audience.
“‘Don’t give up, don’t ever give up’ … And we won’t.”
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@ThePostCulture
