Classic Plumbing PLUMBER of the Month: Mackenzie Bonham named Little Miss Illinois

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BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com

Mahomet’s Mackenzie Bonham just had the year of her life.

But it may be nothing compared this upcoming year.

Nine-year-old Mackenzie was named Little Miss Illinois for 2019-2020.

“I was about to cry,” she said.

“She’s been known through the (Little Miss Fisher Fair) for her community involvement,” Mackenzie’s mom Michelle said.

Michelle entered Mackenzie to be considered for the Little Miss Illinois title through American Pageants.

Applicants are required to have good grades, be involved in the community and to participate in extracurricular activities.

“She had all of that so they called and they offered her the title,” Michelle said.

The Lincoln Trail fourth-grader loves to play softball and basketball, and enjoys her time at school, but getting involved with the Shriners Hospital really got her excited about giving back.

Alongside her grandmother, Mackenzie began making blankets for patients. Because she has small hands and fingers, she was able to make the blankets pretty quickly.

In that year, they made about 90 blankets.

“Then I got invited to hand out stuff to the Shriners Hospital,” Mackenzie said. “So that was really fun. And I got to see some of the patients. It was really cool. I loved it.”

Michelle said that is when Mackenzie realized the impact that she could make.

She was also invited to help with the Shriners paper drive and the Shriners Circus in Springfield.

“She’s already been asked to help out with that again,” Michelle said.

As Little Miss Illinois, Mackenzie will continue to travel throughout the state, supporting other pageant participants as they seek their own crown.

“It’s just fun to go around the state and get to go to all the pageants and help,” Mackenzie said.

Then in June of 2020, she will compete for Little Miss America at the national American Pageant.

While how they perform at the pageant is important, some of the score each contestant gets comes from the work they do in the previous year.

“They definitely want the kids to be very involved in the community and have very good grades,” Michelle said.

Mackenzie is also excited to meet the Midwest Ambassador for the Shriners in the upcoming year.

“They’ve heard about each other because not a lot of kids that are not patients or previous patients help out,” Michelle said.

Instead of making blankets this year, Mackenzie is going to focus on making bracelets to sell.

“She already has her own money that she’s had from chores and whatnot,” Michelle said. “ So she’ll invest in that and hopefully be able to present a decent check to the Shriners at the end of the year.”

Mackenzie has agreed to submit an article to the Mahomet Daily each month, updating readers on her travels and sharing what she learns about the world as she continues to build relationships on her way to the national American Pageant.