Lexington, SC 10/14/2024 - Vivienne Fonte, a 13-year-old resident of Lexington, South Carolina, and an 8th grade student at Gray Collegiate Academy, recently won the prestigious national title of 2024 American United Miss Preteen. Competing as Miss Clemson Preteen, Vivienne achieved tremendous success not only by earning the national crown, but also by securing several awards, including:
- Community Service Award
- Junior Division Spokesmodel Award
- Preteen Color Photogenic and Preteen Print Model
- 1st Runner-Up in Casual Wear
In addition to her pageant success, Vivienne spoke openly during her interview with the judges about her personal challenges and triumphs. She was diagnosed with Autism between her 2nd and 3rd birthday and spent years in social skills therapies and groups. In addition to sharing about her Autism diagnosis, she also shared her experience being bullied. Her journey has been a testament to perseverance and growth, and she hopes to inspire others by sharing her message that “progress over perfection” and “your quirks make you uniquely you.” Vivienne maintains social media pages to share her experiences and inspire others who face similar challenges.
Vivienne's dedication to service and leadership has always been a central part of her journey. Over the next year, she will proudly represent the American United Miss organization’s values of unity, compassion, and service. Having already volunteered more than 165 hours this year, she was honored with the Gold Presidential Service Award from the White House. Vivienne has been recognized by both the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate and will be recognized by Lexington County Council next week for her exceptional commitment to her community.
Some of her recent projects include regularly donating nonperishables to Local Blessing Boxes, stocking Little Free Libraries, donating pampering pouches to LMC Oncology in memory of her Meme, donating to Western North Carolina hurricane relief, and much more.
Vivienne founded her personal platform, "Have Faith," after tragically losing her cousin, Kimberly Faith Taylor, to child abuse in a well-known South Carolina case. Through this initiative, Vivienne provides hope and support to children in foster care, showing them that difficult times do not last forever.
Her efforts have included donation drives for hygiene items, clothing, and Christmas presents, as well as the creation of "Birthday in a Bag" kits for foster children. In May, she courageously delivered her victim impact statement during Kimberly's trial. Vivi often works with organizations like Midlands Orphan Relief, Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter, and Lexington County Foster Parent Association.
In addition to her platform, Vivienne organizes “Quarterly Queen Service Days”, bringing together other pageant titleholders to serve their communities. Recently, they hosted a Senior Citizen Spa Day, where they pampered elderly women, and organized a Back-to-School event that collected supplies for local Title 1 classrooms. The group also recorded reading videos to be shared in local schools. Vivienne is currently working on her goal of having a video from each of the 50 states.
Despite her busy schedule, Vivienne makes time to volunteer weekly on her Fridays off from school. Beyond pageantry and community service, she enjoys cheering for Gray Collegiate, baking, singing, fishing, volunteering as a Junior Volunteer with the Columbia Junior League, and spending time with family.
What a remarkable demonstration of selflessness and kindness! Not only do Vivienne's projects help individuals in need, but they also motivate others to do the same. Her charitable work, which includes preparing "Birthday in a Bag" kits and visiting elderly people in their homes, is extremely touching. Vivienne, never stop being an inspiration! gorilla tag