Antioch pageant teams up with Make-A-Wish Foundation
For 7-year-old Vedia Johnson, all she ever wanted was to be a princess.
Vedia’s wish will come true, thanks to the staff at the village of Antioch Pageant and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
On Saturday, June 18, Vedia will be crowned “Little Miss Hero” onstage at the beginning of the pageant. She will also have the opportunity to help with various tasks throughout the event.
Vedia, who is from Chicago, battles an immune disease, which originally brought her to Make-A-Wish seven months ago.
“Little Miss Hero means you don’t have to be a fireman, police officer or super hero to be considered a hero to someone. With Vedia, fighting her illness is just another form of being a hero,” Pageant Director Jen Blake-Dosch said.
Vedia will have her hair done and will receive a free dress and shoes for the pageant.
Vedia and her family also will be treated to a trip to Six Flags Great America, a dinner at Anastasia’s Restaurant & Sports Lounge and a hotel room at Comfort Inn & Suites. All made possible by donations.
The pageant begins at 4 p.m. in the Antioch High School auditorium. Participants include six Miss contestants, seven Junior Miss contestants and 12 Little Miss contestants.
Vedia is scheduled to go to Disney World on Aug. 2-9 as part of Make-A-Wish’s wish granting program. She will be a Disney princess for a day and have an opportunity to meet other Disney princesses while in Florida.
The Antioch pageant is a surprise to Vedia and she won’t know about it until practice starts Thursday.
“She is excited and doesn’t know what’s going on, but she knows something is in the works. This will be a surprise for Vedia and we know she will just flip,” said her father, Henry Johnson. “To me this will put the reality into the princess thing. This will be more real than Disney World itself because she will be the princess, it will be reality for her.”
Johnson said being in the pageant and being a princess will be something his daughter will never forget.
“The idea of a princess will be instilled in her whole life. This year is the dream of a princess coming to reality. It’s like a dream come true and that’s why I didn’t want her to know what’s happening until the moment comes,” he said.