Pageant Queens Collect 20,000 Items for Charity

When pageant contestants showed up with totes packed full of donations, organizers quickly realized their hotel rooms wouldn't be enough storage. What started as a simple community service project became the largest single donation Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentucky had ever received.

Over 100 contestants at the 2026 Kentucky County Fair in Bowling Green collected more than 20,000 items for families staying at Ronald McDonald House. The charity provides housing and support for families with seriously ill children receiving medical treatment.

Courtney Rager, the 2025 Ms. Kentucky County Fair Queen, organized the drive alongside 2025 Mrs. Kentucky County Fair winner Lindsey Haukom. Neither expected the overwhelming response from contestants.

"We just kind of planned that we would store the items in our small little hotel rooms because you didn't really expect to get 20,000," Rager said. Morning messages from contestants reporting thousands of items each made the organizers realize they needed a bigger plan.

One contestant alone brought over 6,000 items. The donations quickly piled up beyond anything the small organizing team had prepared for.

The Ripple Effect

Rager and Haukom wanted to establish a new tradition for the fair that went beyond crowns and competitions. They hoped to inspire future contestants to use their titles for community impact.

"The crown is great, but what you do with it matters more and the legacy that you leave behind and the people that you impact," Rager explained. She believes people may forget names and faces, but they remember actions and how someone made them feel.

The charity confirmed the donation will supply their facility for months. Families staying at Ronald McDonald House while their children receive medical care will benefit from essentials like toiletries, cleaning supplies, and household items collected by the contestants.

The Bowling Green community turned a pageant tradition into a powerful display of collective generosity that will comfort families during their most difficult moments.