By PHOEBE DONALD ROBINSON/For the Reporter

COLUMBIANA – The Miss Shelby County 2014 and Miss Shelby County Outstanding Teen 2014 pageants will be held Friday, July 19 at 7 p.m.

The pageants, which are sponsored by the Alabama Vignette Club of Shelby County, will be held consecutively at the Shelby County High School auditorium in Columbiana. This year’s theme is “Beaches.”

The newly crowned Miss Alabama 2013 Chandler Champion will emcee along with Miss Shelby County 2013 Jamie Brooks. This is the 26th annual Miss Shelby County pageant and the third Miss Shelby County Outstanding Teen pageant.

The pageants are part of the non-profit Miss Alabama/ Miss America Organization, the largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women in the world. Last year, more than $45 million in cash and scholarships were given to 12,000 young women in local, state and national pageants.

In 1994, the Miss America Organization instituted the platform system where each candidate chooses an issue that she cares about and supports it through her community service. The work was honored with the National Community Service Award.

At the Shelby County level, Marsha Lefkovits and husband Gen. Richard Quick established the Sonya Lefkovits Community Service Award in memory of Marsha’s mother Sonya Lefkovits (1923-2011), who worked for the betterment of Columbiana and Shelby County.

Sonya Lefkovits was a charter member, second president and 50-year member of the Vignette Club. She also was first ambassador of the South Shelby Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Columbiana Public Library Building Committee, founding member of the Columbiana Merchants and Professional Association, honorary member of the Shelby County Historical Society and owner with husband, Norman, of the Columbiana Leader.

Last year, the Miss Shelby County pageant offered $28,525 in cash, tuition grants, scholarships and gifts to the pageant winners. It also donated more than $4,250 back to the Columbiana community to its schools, Safe House, Shelby County Humane Society, Shelby County Arts Council and Owens House.

Members of the Vignette Club, which is led by President Barbara Robinson, spend a year preparing for the pageants. Vignette Pam Oliver is the chairman of the pageant and director of Misses SC/Teen.

Vignettes assisting Oliver in producing the pageant are: Carol Hill, scholarship coordinator; Whitney Mosley, assistant pageant coordinator; Alice Fox, Kristina Nix, Elizabeth Shelton, program; Diane Moore, recruitment; Marsha Parsons, Rachel Fowler, Barbara Robinson, Linda Whitley, tea party; Phyllis French and Hayden Jeffries, judges; Hailey Fant , Melody Byrne, script; Carol Hill, Linda Major, Beth Strickland, Dolores Jones, Lois Cooper, Mindy Hermecz, judges dinner; Helen Gibson, Carol Harrison, Sharon Rogers, Alana Ray, stage; Whitney Mosley, Jennifer Long, Ashley Venable, Lynn Cox, backstage moms; Chanda Jennings, Tresa House, Ann Handley, hospitality; Donna Morris, Fran Rushton, sales; and Samantha Rush, Nancy Drakos, Joyce Smith, Dolores Jones, Liberty Day committee.