👑💖 Family, Friends & Community Sponsorships:
Supporting Miss Shoreline 2026 – Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews 💖👑
Hello family, friends, neighbors, mentors, and members of Team Kelsey and Shoreline for CT!
I’m incredibly honored to share that I will be representing our community as Miss Shoreline 2026, promoting my community service initiative Phoenix Rising: Leaders Rising to New Heights, and preparing to take the Miss Connecticut stage this June.
This journey is deeply personal to me. It began on the Connecticut shoreline as an East Haven Native and Miss Shoreline’s Outstanding Teen 2015, followed me as I chased big dreams across the country in Las Vegas, and has now come beautifully full circle as I return home to serve, lead, and represent the place that shaped me.
I am especially honored to walk this path in memory of my mother, Tracey Matthews, and my grandmother, Vivian Matthews, whose strength, love, and belief in me continue to guide everything I do.
🌟 Why I’m Asking for Your Support
The Miss Connecticut competition comes with significant expenses, and I’ve been working tirelessly to fund as much of this journey on my own as possible. Because of the overwhelming encouragement and support I’ve already received from so many of you, I’m opening up a Family & Friends Sponsorship opportunity for those who wants to stand with me on this journey as I am working tirelessly toward taking home the Miss Connecticut crown and representing our state at Miss America.
💻 Business Ad Sponsorship Opportunity
If you are a business owner looking to gain local and statewide visibility for your business, you can do so by sponsoring an ad in the Miss Connecticut program book! This will not only spotlight your business during pageant week, but across multiple social media platforms leading up to the competition.
Full page ad: $250
Half page ad: $125
Business card: $50
💕 Family & Friends Sponsorship Opportunity
I am looking for 20 supporters who are willing to contribute $25 toward a Family & Friends Support Page in the official Miss Connecticut program book.
✨ Each sponsor’s name or family name will be proudly displayed on a dedicated ad page showing support for me at Miss Connecticut.
This is a beautiful way to be part of this journey, leave a visible mark of encouragement, and represent our Shoreline community on a statewide stage.
🎤 Where Your Support Goes
Your contribution directly helps cover:
• Professional headshots
• Wardrobe & alterations
• Travel & mileage
• Community engagement expenses
• Fitness & competition training
• Required fundraising costs
If you would like your donation to be applied to a specific area, please feel free to note that when donating— I’m more than happy to honor that.
This is especially important if you are wanting to be a part of the program book ad pages.
🌱 More Than a Title — A Platform Built on Real Work
Outside of pageantry, I am:
• A UConn MSW graduate student (Advanced Standing, Policy Practice)
• An advocate, having worked directly with survivors of domestic violence and individuals/families impacted by substance use
• A community educator, bringing leadership and resilience programming into schools and organizations
• The Founder & CEO of Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting, focused on leadership, emotional intelligence, and growth after adversity
My work— academically, professionally, and personally— is rooted in lived experience. I am a survivor of abuse, and my journey through trauma, healing, education, and leadership is what fuels everything I do today.
Through Phoenix Rising, I develop and deliver leadership workshops for youth, women, and community organizations, centered on:
• Rising after adversity
• Emotional intelligence
• Healthy leadership
• Confidence, voice, and self-worth
• Breaking cycles of harm and silence
This platform allows me to amplify that work, reach more people, and represent survivors and leaders who don’t often see themselves reflected on this stage.
❤️ The Bigger Impact You’re Supporting
Beyond the competition itself, your support allows me to continue creating real impact at both local and at national levels:
❤️ Raising $300+ for the American Heart Association
📚 Bringing leadership development workshops into local schools
🎓 Supporting college scholarship fundraising efforts
📘 Comfortably completing my UConn MSW graduate studies
👑 Helping offset Miss Connecticut competition expenses
🌟 Creating multi-generational leadership impact for youth, women, and seniors
🎤 Serving our shoreline community with purpose, kindness, and heart
🔥 Expanding the long-term mission of Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting,
The Phoenix Rising Scholars Program, and the upcoming Phoenix Rising Leadership Foundation
This isn’t just about a crown— it’s about service, leadership, and using this platform to lift others as I rise.
💌 How to Support
Donations can be made through:
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SpotFund (link below)
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Venmo: @kelsey-matthews-18
Every single contribution — big or small — means more than I can express. Your belief in me, my mission, and my future fuels my belief in what’s possible for our community.
Thank you for standing with me, supporting this journey, and helping me represent the Shoreline with pride. 💙
With endless gratitude,
Miss Shoreline 2026
Kelsey Elizabeth Matthews 👑✨
