3/20/2010 500 Festival Princess visits primary school
Submitted photo by Peggy Georgi
Rachel Demaree, a 2007 Hamilton Heights graduate and 2010 500 Festival Princess, reads “I is for Indy” to a class of kindergartners during her recent visit to Heights Primary School.
By Peggy Georgi For the Times
Hamilton Heights kindergarten students enjoyed a special visit by Rachel Demaree, a 2010 500 Festival Princess. During her visit with the students, Demaree, a 2007 Hamilton Heights graduate and sophomore at Purdue University, shared with them 500 Festival highlights, read the book "I is for Indy" and talked about her role as a 500 Festival Princess.
Demaree was among 33 young women (out of 245 who applied) from throughout the state selected to serve as a 500 Festival Princess this year. The women are serving as Ambassadors of the 500 Festival, the 2010 Indianapolis 500 and their hometowns. As part of the program, the women volunteer their time for 500 Festival events and specialty service and awareness projects throughout the month of May. One of the 33 princesses will be selected as the 2010 500 Festival Queen and receive a $2,500 scholarship. The 500 Festival Queen will be crowed at a special breakfast at the Brickyard on May 22.
Demaree said the honor was the culmination of a longstanding dream to be a 500 Festival Princess and a lot of hard work to make it possible," "It was seeing the 500 Festival princesses when I was in 8th grade that inspired me to begin to develop my leadership skills," said Demaree, who is majoring in youth development and agricultural education. "My friend Nina Dilley, who was a 500 Festival Princess in 2007, was a wonderful role model and mentor for me throughout the process." Demaree went on to say the 500 Festival Princess Program is a great Ambassador program that is designed toward developing leadership and involvement in young women.
Demaree has made appearances at several schools in northern Hamilton County, organized a "Girls Night Out" event to focus on the theme "Embrace, Empower and Impact" in Lafayette in cooperation with the Big Sisters program and she waitressed at Ginger's Cafe in Noblesville on Thursday and will again on Sunday to raise funds and awareness for the Hair Fairy Project! Her tips will be donated to the Hair Fairy Project, Inc., a program that brings encouragement, humor, and insight to children with cancer on the day that they lose their hair.
