High River's Chantel Bruins, formerly Wiebe, is competing next weekend in the Mrs. Calgary pageant.
Bruins has been competing in pageants since she was 16, but since she just recently got married, she's competing for the Mrs. Calgary crown and sash.
One of the driving forces for Bruins is her desire to help empower other women, and the Calgary pageant does that.
"The Calgary Pageants organization is so focused on building a sisterhood among the contestants and among other current and reigning queens, that is something I really, really want to be a part of."
One of the highlights for Bruins is the organization's support for struggling women and how they give back to help.
"The Gems for Gems organization in Calgary does a jewelry drive every year to collect gently used costume jewelry that can be easily fixed or cleaned up. They do that and then repackage it to gift to women and girls in domestic violence shelters throughout Canada. Last year, they partnered with the same organization, and I was able to bring in 30 pounds of jewelry for this incredible cause. This year, I have a couple of donation boxes around High River that are collecting. I have one at Tip Top Nails, right by Kimmer's, and then I also have one at Centred on Wellness."
The pageant runs Friday, June 6th and Saturday, June 7th.