{"id":20746,"date":"2016-09-09T00:45:38","date_gmt":"2016-09-09T07:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=20746"},"modified":"2016-09-07T12:31:38","modified_gmt":"2016-09-07T19:31:38","slug":"more-than-a-pageant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2016\/09\/09\/more-than-a-pageant\/","title":{"rendered":"More than a pageant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vancouver Jewish community member Alicia Ohana is Miss Canada Petite 2016\/17. (photo from misscanada.tv<\/a>)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This August, self-described proud Jewish community member Alicia Ohana won the title of Miss Canada Petite 2016\/17.<\/p>\n

The mission of the national competition, which took place in Toronto, is to \u201chelp raise funds and bring public awareness to [competitors\u2019] charitable causes; promote multiculturalism, special events and nonprofit fundraisers throughout Canada. Be a symbol of today\u2019s modern woman!\u201d<\/p>\n

Born and raised in Vancouver, Ohana, 23, works at All Hair & Skin Care, a beauty salon owned and operated by her family. She had never competed in a pageant before, but was inspired to get involved because of the various opportunities this particular event provides.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Miss Canada Globe Pageant is a beauty pageant that offers girls all over Canada a chance to get involved in their community and represent a charity of their choice to help fundraise for improvements,\u201d she told the Independent<\/em> in an interview before the competition. \u201cI was modeling jewelry for a company and met another girl that previously participated in the same pageant. She said it was a life-changing experience that opened many doors for her community-wise and has, overall, made her a well-rounded person with more unique experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Excited by the prospects of meeting new people, making a difference and traveling, Ohana began the lengthy application process.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went through multiple interviews by application, phone and essay submission,\u201d she said. \u201cThey accept people who want to make a change, are looking for something new and exciting, and can handle pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the pressure was intense, as Ohana realized once she was accepted into the contest, for which she was sponsored by Pharmasave (Oak and 41st), After Five and the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo prepare, I have been working out everyday (thank you, JCC!), researching charities, fundraising to help cover costs of the pageant, and trying to find appropriate gowns, clothes and attire,\u201d she said. \u201cI have been educating myself on foreign events, I have been writing many essays on how I plan on helping my charity and community, and I\u2019ve also been designing and making my national costume.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ohana admitted that she was surprised by the time, work and commitment required.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s taken me months to prepare and it\u2019s honestly unbelievable,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought this was going to be about great hair, dresses and a trip to Toronto! But, it turns out, it\u2019s a whole lot of research about my community and becoming involved to make it a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ohana\u2019s road to the pageant had its obstacles. In April, mere months before the competition, she made the difficult decision to withdraw due to her father\u2019s battle with mental illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father unfortunately slipped into a huge depression, causing me to put more important things first,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

It was the time spent at her father\u2019s side while he was in hospital that opened her eyes to the needs of that facet of her Vancouver community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met other patients and saw how lovely and warm they were, and saw how grim the hospital was, and I realized I could help raise awareness about the conditions and actually make a change with the help of the pageant,\u201d said Ohana. \u201cThe patients inspired me to make changes for their sake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ohana jumped back into the competition in June with the hope of making those changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has actually set me back quite a bit,\u201d she admitted. \u201cI\u2019ve returned donations, let go of sponsors, and didn\u2019t have time to properly fundraise, which has caused me to work way harder, but I believe everything will work out fine!\u201d<\/p>\n

In light of her experiences, Ohana used the pageant platform to get involved with the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, specifically the fundraising unit for mental health care. But her commitment extends beyond the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of what my father went through, the conditions at the hospital really struck a chord with me and this is more of a personal goal, to make things better, rather than just for the sake of the pageant,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, her participation in the pageant was essential for her to make the impact she wanted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis pageant is helping me get involved with charities that have helped my family personally and is giving me more of a voice,\u201d she said. \u201cBefore I joined, I felt I could only help so much, but now it\u2019s given me the power to join the foundation and raise awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Ohana wishes to help instil a sense of hope and community in the hospital\u2019s mental health patients and their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope to organize a group of people affected by mental illness directly or indirectly to help patients, once discharged, become more involved in the community so they do not feel so lost,\u201d explained Ohana before the pageant. \u201cI want to provide support for the patients in terms of visitation and outings, as many of them do not have supportive families or visitors and are faced with loneliness, boredom and a tough environment both inside and outside the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

During her father\u2019s illness, Ohana saw firsthand the valuable difference being part of a strong, supportive community makes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs my family has experienced, a sense of community is everything,\u201d she said. \u201cWithout this wonderful Jewish community, things would have been a lot harder and we would not have been able to handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ohana \u2013 who won Miss Petite British Columbia and then took the national title \u2013 is following through on her pageant goals. Inspired by the 80 contestants of the event, she said, \u201cI created OHANA support circles right after the pageant to help people who have gone through rape, abuse, mental illness, homophobia, molestation, eating disorders and many other forms of trauma; for victims to share their stories with other victims who do not have a support system. I\u2019m hoping I can strengthen communities and destroy the fear that has been put in people. It has been lovingly received and I have had many men and women approach me to join. My pageant sisters across Canada are also taking on my challenge and starting circles in their communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group is accessible via facebook.com\/ohanasupportcircles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ohana is also collecting donations in the form of toys, art supplies and books in support of fundraising for mental health care, which can be dropped off at All Hair & Skin Care on Oak Street.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year,\u201d said Ohana, \u201cI promised myself to try everything new that comes my way \u2013 and my life has definitely changed since I have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brittni Jacobson<\/strong> is a freelance writer living in Toronto.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vancouver Jewish community member Alicia Ohana is Miss Canada Petite 2016\/17. (photo from misscanada.tv) This August, self-described proud Jewish community member Alicia Ohana won the title of Miss Canada Petite 2016\/17. The mission of the national competition, which took place in Toronto, is to \u201chelp raise funds and bring public awareness to [competitors\u2019] charitable causes; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1997,6271,6272,6270,1959,6273],"class_list":["post-20746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-mental-health","tag-miss-canada-petite","tag-ohana","tag-pageant","tag-tikkun-olam","tag-vgh"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}