I am participating in the annual Mr. Highland Pageant this year because I would love to be apart of a program that helps raise money for children with medical needs. Our group of contestants visited Children's Village, participated in "Slug Bugs", which was a sports and rec program that Children's Village hosted which allowed the boys to play basketball with the children. We also went to West Valley and  participated in a volleyball tournament where we raised money through an admission fee. We will be visiting the NICU and do a restaurant takeover at Zesta on February 28th, where we will be serving teachers and family members dinner for the evening, and all the tips and a large percentage of the money made for the restaurant will be donated as well. The money raised benefits programs that serve kids, including Virginia Mason Memorial's neonatal intensive care unit, a regional facility serving the five-county region that is Central Washington.Each high school student body nominates the contestants. The competition gets started in November and includes a tour of Children's Village, along with a number of fundraising events each contestant does on their own.Each contestant dedicates a huge amount of time raising money and rehearsing for their pageant, a two-hour spectacle that combines dance, humorous skits, honoring special people in their lives, on-stage interview questions and the final crowning of the winner.