Texarkana's Allie Graves was named Miss Texas' Outstanding Teen 2019 on Friday night in Richardson, Texas, besting 38 other contestants.
Allie is a 17-year-old Texas High School senior who was Miss Texarkana Outstanding Teen two years ago and this year competed in the state pageant as Miss Lone Star's Outstanding Teen.
At this competition, Allie also won the Overall Talent Award, Preliminary Talent Award, Community Service and Miss Congeniality. For her talent, Allie sang a rousing rendition of the song "Tomorrow."
Allie will compete at the Miss America's Outstanding Teen competition July 23-27 in Orlando, Fla. She'll also promote her platform, "What Love Can Do," during the upcoming year. It's about raising awareness of child abuse and putting an end to it.
Allie has worked with organizations like CASA, Child Protective Services and For the Sake of One with this platform to help kids who've experienced abuse, according to a press release from the Miss Texas organization. She's also organized a yearly blanket and teddy bear drive to provide comfort to children in the foster care system.
Child abuse awareness and prevention is the same platform Allie had when she served as Miss Texarkana OT, noting the night she won that crown that this cause was personal.
"I later overcame that and so it's a pretty deep platform. But I love sharing with other people," she told the Gazette at the time, according to a 2017 Gazette article.
Her mother, April Graves, discussed some of that personal meaning in a statement about her daughter winning the Miss Texas OT title, saying that Allie "entered into a a life of abuse and neglect" after she was ordered to return to her biological family. The Graves family had cared for Allie during much of the first 17 months of her life. The date of that order? June 28, 2003.
April Graves said that abuse was discovered on June 28, 2007, whereupon Allie was placed back in foster care. The Graves family eventually adopted her. Then, on June 28 of this year, Allie is crowned Miss Texas' Outstanding Teen.
"We are so thankful that God chose us to be her parents and that His plan is perfect. We're still a little numb but are filled with so much joy and thankfulness that our girl is so incredibly blessed. Her heart is unmatched, steadfast, joyful and pure. God's timing is so perfect," said April Graves.
Donna Berry, executive director of the Miss Texarkana Twin Rivers Scholarship Organization, expressed pride at Allie's accomplishment.
"We're extremely proud of her," she said, noting that Allie served as a Princess for the Texarkana organization from the ages of 5 to 12. She's also impressed with Allie's active commitment to community service.
"We've known she was a superstar really since then," Berry said, adding, "She represents this area greatly. I think she'll do fantastic at the national pageant. She could come home with a whole win."
Altogether, Allie has completed more than 2,000 volunteer hours to promote her cause. In addition to her title, she received a $5,000 educational scholarship and other cash awards.
The next Miss Texarkana Twin Rivers competition will be held Aug. 24. In addition to former Miss Texarkana OT titleholder Graves's success at the Texas state pageant, Miss Texarkana Megan Gibson finished in the Top 10 of Miss Texas.
"We had a very successful year," Berry said.