The money raised benefits programs that serve kids, including Virginia Mason Memorial's neonatal intensive care unit, a regional facility serving the five-county region that is Central Washington.

Each high school student body nominates the contestants. The competition gets started in November and includes a tour of Children's Village, along with a number of fundraising events each contestant does on their own.

Each contestant dedicates a huge amount of time raising money and rehearsing for their pageant, a two-hour spectacle that combines dance, humorous skits, honoring special people in their lives, on-stage interview questions and the final crowning of the winner.