Miss Teen Ocala USA is asking the public for help to reach her dream of competing and winning the Miss Florida Teen USA competition.
Sarai Marie Lopez, who was crowned Miss Ocala Teen USA earlier this year, is hoping residents from around the city will help her reach the upcoming pageant next month by contributing to a GoFundMe account that she set up recently.
“It is an honor for me to represent my city in the upcoming Miss Florida Teen USA Pageant,” reads the post. “It has been a dream of mine to compete in pageants but I always thought it was impossible.”
According to Lopez, the pageant comes with a long list of expenses that her parents are struggling to cover. Things like dresses, accessories, photoshoots, coaching and other expenses are not covered by the organization.
“My parents are doing what they can to supply what I need, but it’s hard since their income is very limited,” reads the post.
Lopez, who recently graduated from high school, believes participating in the competition will present additional “opportunities to achieve my life goals and dreams” To help her reach the competition, contribute to the Sarai Marie Lopez GoFundMe.