by Emily Buckley, editor-in-chief

When Miss Cache Valley Karlie Major was challenged by the Miss Utah organization to lead her community in collecting 1,000 pairs of shoes for Shoes for Love, a foundation that benefits the people of Ecuador, Africa and Haiti, she wondered how she would pull it off in just a few short weeks. She never imagined she would surpass that goal by more than 10 times, collecting in excess of 11,300 pairs. “This community is amazing,” she said.

When Miss Cache Valley Karlie Major was challenged by the Miss Utah organization to lead her community in collecting 1,000 pairs of shoes for Shoes for Love, a foundation that benefits the people of Ecuador, Africa and Haiti, she wondered how she would pull it off in just a few short weeks. She never imagined she would surpass that goal by more than 10 times, collecting in excess of 11,300 pairs. “This community is amazing,” she said.

Miss Cache Valley Karlie Major, who was crowned Miss Utah on June 21, never imagined what was in store for her when she made the last-minute decision to take her third try at the Miss Cache Valley scholarship pageant. 

“After two years as second runner up in the pageant I thought I was done. I am glad I made the decision to try once more.”

Since she did, and won the pageant, Karlie’s life has had an ongoing theme, SERVICE, which she was happy to report is her favorite part of the Miss America program when she was asked from the stage during the final round of the Miss Utah pageant. 

“It has been really special to see what this community is made of,” Karlie said of the support the shoe drive received from local businesses, elementary schools, neighborhoods and churches. “Amazing people came out of the woodwork to help us  make the biggest showing. I am a Cache Valley girl, born and raised, and I am very honored to represent this community.”

In total, the 48 Miss Utah pageant contestants collected more than 70,000 pairs of shoes for the people of Africa, Ecuador and Haiti. As the top collector Karlie, along with the other leading contestant Miss Draper Kelsey Blaser, will have the opportunity to deliver some of the shoes to Burkina Faso, Africa, later this summer. 

Now, as Miss Utah, Karlie will represent our state and community on a national level at the Miss America pageant in  Atlantic City in September, and she’ll also have the opportunity to use her title for more service and education as she works  as an ambassador for the pageant’s national platform, the Children’s Miracle Network, and promotes her personal platform, “Get Real: Embracing a Positive Body Image Through Media Smarts.”

The community project quickly became a family affair as Karlie’s brother, Jake, turned it into his Eagle Scout project, her sister Klaire suggested doing shoe drives in the elementary schools and her parents and grandparents spent countless hours collecting, tying and packing shoes.

The community project quickly became a family affair as Karlie’s brother, Jake, turned it into his Eagle Scout project, her sister Klaire suggested doing shoe drives in the elementary schools and her parents and grandparents spent countless hours collecting, tying and packing shoes.