Miss South Carolina’s Teen, Margaret Turner
About
Margaret “Margo” Turner is from Greenwood and is a 16-year-old sophomore at Greenwood High School. She performed a jazz dance to”I Feel The Earth Move” by Martika, and she previously won the Teen Evening Gown Award, and the Teen Rookie and Preliminary Talent Awards.
Margaret received a $10,000 scholarship and will compete for the title of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen!
Social impact initiative
Banking on Heroes – Unleash Your Inner Power to Save Lives
Blood donation is certainly a topic most everyone has heard about, but is it an issue
evervone truly cares about and understands? Every two seconds, someone is in desperate need of
blood. These circumstances and facts were things I never had to be aware of but came to live with at
the age of eight.
Since I can remember, my family’s life has revolved around test results, doctors, and blood.
Yes, you read that right, blood. One day while my younger sister Catherine and I were home
with our babysitter, Catherine fell and cut her lip open. While it did not seem like a big deal initially,
she began to bleed profusely. Catherine had an unknown blood disorder at the time
called Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) -a blood condition that does not allow her body to
clot or form a scab. Immediately we rushed her to the emergency room, where that was just
the beginning of a long journey. From there on, we spent countless nights in the hospital as a
family and traveled around the country, including New York City, where Catherine underwent
many procedures and tests. Being an older sister is never easy, but it’s even harder when your
younger sibling has a life-threatening blood condition.
From a young age, I have had to take responsibility and show leadership by watching out for my sister and being a third parent to her. As I matured and truly understood more about the field of hematology, I decided to create my community service initiative, Banking on Heroes. Through this platform, my mission has been to educate all ages on blood’s importance, function, and necessity. To date, I have created grade-level appropriate classroom presentations called “B-a-Hero,” reminding everyone that they can be a hero in someone’s story with a hands-on activity for grades Kindergarten-8th. According to the American Red Cross, blood is always in short supply.
More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day in our country, yet only 3% of the population donate. In a recent survey by the American Red Cross “never really thought about it” was the primary reason people do not donate. This needs to change. To do my part, in addition to helping host blood drives, I have partnered with the American Red Cross to become a Blood Donation Ambassador. Through their SleevesUp campaign, I have had the opportunity to host a #BankingOnHeroes virtual blood drive, which allows donors from across South Carolina and other states to join me on this lifesaving mission. Through social media, emails and text messages, I have been able to remind potential participants that by donating blood once, they can help save up to three lives! Through Instagram Lives, interactive stories, and various social media platforms, have promoted the mission and vision of the organization, and engaged with our state audience, while educating individuals on how they can unleash their inner power to save lives with blood donation. I am committed to my goal of turning blood donation into more than simply something we hear about and into something we care about and understand. In many ways, the importance of blood has significantly impacted my life, which is why it has influenced my career ambitions and how I want to inform my community.
The job of Miss South Carolina’s Teen allows me the opportunity to pursue my passion for improving lives, inspiring the next generation to explore community service, scholarship, and leadership opportunities and gives me a chance to lead with action.
Book Margaret for:
- Blood Drives
- Festivals and Parades
- K-12 school visits
- Talent Performance
Book Miss South Carolina’s Teen
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