Alexandra (Alex) Wallace is the 2013 Miss Mountain Lakes Outstanding Teen, but pageants are not where we first learned about this amazing lady. On March 13th Alex was on Capitol Hill in Nashville for Tennessee Obesity Taskforce Day telling her legislators how she feels the epidemic of childhood obesity can be fought.
In addition to being a force of change at her high school, Alex has volunteered for causes since she was 9 years old. Her current connection with the American Heart Association was spawned from the loss of the father a few years ago. “I just love to do it,” said Alex when we asked her why she advocates so many causes. “It feels good when people come back to you a year later and remember the things you said and you realized you have helped them,” she continued.
She has always been passionate about helping and learning to speak in front of people for pageants at a young age helped foster her success. She does all the work herself, from scheduling meetings and speeches to travel and organizing awareness events at school. She uses her father’s baseball coaching philosophy when talking to teens about childhood obesity.
“You don’t have to knock it out of the park, you just have to get to first base.” She tells students. “Set goals and stick to them, however small it’s a start. Don’t ever quit.” Changing to a better lifestyle is a long term goal so start now with the little things she urges. Her father was in good health when his heart failed and since then Alex and her brother get regular testing to make sure they don’t have the same heart problems.
Her volunteering for the American Heart Association is a way to remember her father and help others take care of themselves. She has helped raise funds and awareness for the cause and hopes other teens will find something they are passionate about and do the same.
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