Taylor Singleton is another example that Greer isn’t short on beautiful girls representing the city in this year’s Miss South Carolina pageants.
Taylor, the reigning Little Miss Greer, will represent the city in the Little Miss South Carolina Pageant next month in Hartsville. Singleton, 8, is the daughter of Chad and Angela Singleton and is an honor student and student council representative at Reidville Elementary School. She is also a competition dance team member at Rhythms Dance.
Lauren Cabaniss is 2012 Miss Greater Greer and Sydney Sill is 2012 Miss Greater Greer Teen. They will be representing Greer in the Miss South Carolina pageant in July.
During the past year, Taylor has volunteered for 16 organizations for over 40 projects, logging 417 hours collecting money and items valued at $10,674. She held a doll tea for her friends that helped $150 for the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital.
Taylor will be competing in an interview and beauty dress competition on the Friday night and compete in the dress category on Saturday. She will also enter the talent competition, as a dancer, photogenic, community service awards and others. She can earn individual honors for those categories. An overall Miss Little South Carolina will be crowned with the cumulative scores.
Some of the organizations Taylor has assisted are the American Cancer Society, Middle Tyger Community Center, Spartanburg Humane Society, American Childhood Cancer Organization, and Children's Miracle Network. She has collected canned food, pet and school supplies, paper goods, and travel items and serves as a teacher's assistant at her dance school and a member of the "Rocket Squad" leadership team at her school. She has also read to kids, painted faces, decorate luminary bags for Relay for Life, served as a greeter at events, and even wore pajamas to dance to raise money for kids with cancer.
After being selected Little Miss Greer, Taylor began creating projects to benefit the Children's Shelter of the Upstate. She visited some of the shelter’s children, which lead her to consider what she could do for them. "It made me really sad because most of the kids at the shelter don't have families and I wanted to do things to make them feel better so they wouldn't be lonely. I came up with a few projects just for them," Taylor said.
Taylor's Closet, Taylor's Toys, Christ Cards for Kids, Giving Tree, and a Paper Goods Drive invited other children to donate items and money. With their help, Taylor was able to donate over 2,000 clothing items, 50 toys, cupcakes and handmade cards, and paper goods to the shelter.
She also raised $270 to sponsor Christmas gifts for the little girl she met on her first visit to the shelter. "I liked asking my friends to help the other kids because they learned it is better to give than receive. A lady that helps run the Shelter sent me a note telling me they were so excited and thankful to have me caring for their kids. I had a great time helping them because I know I made them smile,” Taylor said.
Taylor has been invited to the Mayor’s office on Wednesday, May 9 for a visit.