Longtime Villager Ann Pelle has been on Cloud Nine all week after being honored in last weekend’s 11th annual “Beauties for the Cure” pageant in Kissimmee.
Pelle, perhaps most well known in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown for her role as captain of The Villages Twirlers and Drum Corps, was named the “Queen of Queens’ during the two-day event, which raises awareness for breast cancer and features “models on the hot pink runway!”
Pelle, who lives in the Village of Briar Meadow, was thrilled with the honor, which she called the “biggest” of her favorite community service pageants. She said being named “Queen of Queens” means she scored the most points of all of the contestants who competed in the event. And she added that she raised an “awesome” amount of money that will be given to “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” in Lakeland.
“Each and every year that I participate in this pageant, I do it for my survivors with love!” said Pelle, who also was Ms. Senior Florida second runner-up in 2014 and fourth runner-up in 2015.
This year, Pelle gave her crown to good friend and fellow Villager Marsha Peacock, whose husband, Jerry, is the drum captain for The Villages Twirlers and Drum Corps. And last year, after winning three crowns, she presented them to fellow breast cancer survivors on her twirling team.
Part of Pelle’s 2017 honor came thanks to the assistance The Villages Twirlers and Drum Corps provides to non-profit organizations, such as Honor Flight, Hope For The Warriors, Combat Veterans to Careers, March in Their Boots, Hospice, Salvation Army, Relay for Life, American Lung Association and Habitat for Humanity, to name a few.
Pelle also has participated in other pageants, taking home top honors last year in the American Natural Beauties for Central Florida and the World’s Outstanding Women award.
In 2010, Pele was honored with the prestigious Achievement Award from her high school after being chosen among all graduates from the school because of her community activism.
Pelle says her goals are to empower “senior” women so that they have the ability to do things after their careers and raising families – to shine in the second phase of their lives!
