NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From: Cassidy Grimes, Public Relations Director
251-622-5335/ cassidy@ajm.org

JOHNSON SHARES BE YOUR BEST SELF IN MOBILE; PREPARES FOR SECOND WEEK OF NATIONAL FINALS

It has been almost a week since Whitney Johnson of Portage and the other members of the AJM Class of 2009 touched down in Mobile, Alabama, to begin their two week stay in the Port City. The young women have enjoyed a busy schedule, making appearances in the community and preparing for competition.

On Tuesday, the young women visited the historic Bellingrath Gardens & Home where they tasted traditional Southern grits and toured the 65 acre Garden Estate. Later that afternoon, the Junior Misses visited Camp Grace, a campground that hosts various events for special needs campers throughout the summer, where they completed ropes training courses and team building activities.

On Wednesday, the ladies learned how to line dance and enjoyed good Southern barbeque after a long day of rehearsals.

On Thursday, the Junior Misses participated in community service activities for “Be Your Best Self Day,” sponsored by the Junior League of Mobile. The Junior Misses visited three locations to share the Be Your Best Self program and lend a hand: St Mary’s Home for abused children, the Goodwill Easter Seals Child Development Center, and the Dearborn YMCA which took a field trip to the Gulf Coast Exploreum.

Thursday evening, the young women joined their States Club sponsors and host families for a Mardi Gras picnic. States Club sponsors are groups and individuals from the Mobile community who make monetary donations to sponsor a Junior Miss during the National Finals. Johnson is sponsored by Hargrove and Associates.

On Friday evening, the Junior Misses enjoyed another Mobile tradition: a Mardi Gras Ball. Each young woman arrived in an antique car and escorted by a Conde Cavalier. She was then paired with a young man from the Gulf Coast community to enjoy an evening of dancing and fun.

The Junior Misses will continue to follow a busy schedule this weekend as they sign autographs at Bel Air Mall on Saturday evening and visit Dauphin Island Beach on Sunday afternoon. On Monday, they’ll compete in the traditional Winzell’s Oyster Eating Contest and enjoy an evening with their Girl Scout Troops at the Mobile BayBears baseball game.

On Wednesday, the AJM Class of 2009 will provide a sneak peek of their hard work to the Gulf Coast community during AJM Community night. Preliminary competitions will take place on Thursday and Friday evening, and the 52nd AJM National Finals will take place on Saturday, June 27. Tickets to these events can be purchase by calling 251.438.3621.

The 50 contestants will compete for a share of $125,000 in college scholarships and the title of America’s Junior Miss 2009 at the 52nd Annual National Finals June 25, 26 & 27. The program will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. June 27 on WPMI-TV 15's Web site, www.nbc15online.com. National sponsors for 2009 are the City of Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama Power, Encore Rehabilitation, Mobile Gas, and Regions Bank.

About AJM
America’s Junior Miss (AJM) is the nation’s oldest and largest scholarship program for college-bound high school senior women. The program, headquartered in Mobile, Alabama, began in 1958 and has since awarded more than $90 million in college scholarships at the local, state, and national levels. Over 700,000 young women from all over the country have participated in Junior Miss programs. AJM is proud to have the assistance of more than 17,000 volunteers throughout the United States, who help to make the Junior Miss program successful at the local and state levels.

About Whitney Johnson
Whitney Johnson, Indiana’s Junior Miss 2009, is the daughter of John Johnson, III and Susan Kelly-Johnson of Portage. Johnson plans to attend the University of California at Irvine to study to become a chemical engineer in the fall. During the AJM National Finals, Johnson will perform a tap dance to As I Am during the talent portion of the competition, and will also compete in fitness, interview and self expression. Her academic achievement has already been evaluated by a separate panel of judges and will account for 20 percent of her overall score. For more information about Johnson, visit www.ajm.org/media/junior_misses/class_of_2016.

For more information about AJM, please contact Cassidy Grimes, AJM Public Relations Director, at 251-622-5335 or cassidy@ajm.org, or visit www.ajm.org.

~AJM~