Former Chatham woman seeks beauty crown

By Fallon Hewitt, Chatham This Week

Thursday, July 19, 2018 12:12:09 EDT PM

Roxanne Bilski, a Chatham native, will be representing the District of Toronto in the Miss World Canada Pageant next week in Toronto. Handout/Postmedia Network

A former Chatham resident is competing for the national title of Miss World Canada.

Roxanne Bilski will be representing both Toronto and her hometown as she competes for the national title of Miss World Canada from July 22-28 in Toronto.

If she wins, Bilski will have the opportunity to represent Canada in the Miss World pageant in Sanya, China on Dec. 8.

Even if she doesn’t win the crown, Bilski is going into the pageant with an open mind and a can-do attitude, treating the experience as an opportunity rather than a competition.

“No matter what the result of the competition on Saturday, I am happy knowing I gave it my all and was able to represent my hometown of Chatham-Kent, my current city of Toronto, and the Polish-Canadian community with dignity, grace, poise and elegance,” she said in an email.

Through the pageant, Bilski said she has had doors open for her that would not have been previously possible.

She has volunteered with the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada and SickKids hospital in Toronto, and has worked on her Beauty With a Purpose project, Project Equity, which she will present to the Miss World organization in hopes of receiving grant funding.

Bilski’s mission with the project is to shift the conversation around women’s rights and gender equity and further the visibility of everyday issues that women face day-to-day such as sexual harassment and underrepresentation in specific fields and senior-level positions.

“With Project Equity, I hope to educate and empower women and men through workshops, debates, and community awareness and involvement,” said Bilski.

Bilski, who graduated with a Masters degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy from the University of Guelph, said the pageant experience has also been a measurable experience, helping her to grow and develop as a person – providing the takeaway skills that will carry her further in her career.

“I have grown so much as a person and have gained a lot of very valuable skills, including public speaking, self-confidence, and leadership,” she said.

The Miss World Canada 2018 pageant will be hosted in Toronto with the crowning on July 28. For more information on the event and to vote for Bilski, visit http://missworldcanada.net/.

http://www.chathamthisweek.com/2018/07/19/former-chatham-woman-seeks-beauty-crown