For more information contact:
Sandy McPherson
Phone:  407/481-2774  Cell:  407/832-1061
sandy@gocmn.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MISS WINTER PARK NAMED “MIRACLE MAKER” AT MISS FLORIDA PAGEANT

ORLANDO, FL, JULY 03, 2007 — Miss Winter Park Lisa Van Alstine was awarded the Miracle Maker Award at the Miss Florida Pageant hosted in St. Pete June 25-30th.  The award honors the contestant who raises more funds for Children's Miracle Network than any other contestant in Florida.

Van Alstine raised more than $3,000 for Greater Orlando Children’s Miracle Network this year while contributing many hours of her time as the organization’s local spokesperson.  Currently, of all contestants in the nation, she is the number one ranked fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network through the “Miss America for Kids” charity website.

A childhood cancer survivor, Lisa was treated at Arnold Palmer Hospital when she was just 5 years old.  Today, Lisa is cancer free and has appeared at numerous Children’s Miracle Network events in Central Florida this Spring to share her message that she is living proof of why Children’s Miracle Network hospitals are so important to our community. 

Beginning this year, Children's Miracle Network is the official national platform for the Miss America Scholarship Program. This partnership, announced during the 2007 Miss America Pageant, represents the first time in the 86-year history of the Miss America Organization that they have adopted a national platform.

Children’s Miracle Network began in 1983 to raise funds for children’s hospitals and awareness of the services they provide.  Today, there are 170 Children’s Miracle Network hospitals throughout the United States and Canada.  Shands Children's Hospital at the University of Florida and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children are the participating Children's Miracle Network hospitals in Central Florida and share the funds raised through Greater Orlando Children's Miracle Network. The money is used to fund equipment, research and programs that ensure these hospitals can provide the most advance level of medical care for children.

For more information, please contact Cindy Terry at Greater Orlando Children’s Miracle Network, (407) 481-2774, or by email, cindy@gocmn.org.

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