MEDIA RELEASE
Contact: Cassidy Grimes, Public Relations Director
251.622.5335 (office) cassidy@ajm.org

JUNIOR MISSES, SPONSORS, HOST FAMILIES KICK OF MARDI GRAS

The 2009 Junior Misses, volunteers and sponsors from the Mobile community will get a head start on the Mardi Gras celebration for next year as they enjoy a tour of the Mardi Gras museum and a Mardi Gras themed picnic at Fort Conde in downtown Mobile.

The young women will be joined by their host families and the fifty AJM States Club Sponsors as they tour of Fort Conde and learn about the traditional holiday that originated in Mobile years ago.

The AJM States Club Sponsors is a group of sponsors, largely made up of business and individuals from the Mobile community, who donate $5000 each to help sponsor one of the fifty Junior Misses.

On Friday, the Junior Misses will continue to experience the Mobile tradition of Mardi Gras as they are paired up with blind dates to enjoy a Mardi Gras Ball at the Mobile Museum of Art.

Media is encouraged to attend all of the events scheduled on Thursday and Friday.

The 50 contestants will compete for a share of $125,000 in college scholarships and the title of America’s Junior Miss at the 52st 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.

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.

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

~AJM~