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Blind Miss Teen Canada wants to open the public's eyes 3 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Continued from page 1 barrier to achievement. "I've accepted my vision loss and now I'm ready to share my story and I think this is the best way to share it all across Canada," said Burke. "This is amazing because I think this is going to open a lot of doors for a lot of girls who thought, `I'm disabled. I'm in a wheelchair. I can't see. I can't hear. I have a learning disability. I can't do it.'" Molly's win follows a gruelling nine-day pageant that saw her do everything from a scholastics test to a group dance number, which she was able to execute through lots of practice -- eight hours a day at one point. Not all the tests in the pageant were obvious. One day involved a trip to Horseshoe Valley where the 40 Miss Teen Canada hopefuls enjoyed zip lining, ATV driving and a variety of other activities. The girls also enjoyed trips to Marineland and Niagara Falls, but even here the testing continued. "They wanted us to get to know each other, so they could see what you were like in a regular setting," said Burke. "Every girl was so unique and special in their own way. Everybody just had such a unique story to share. It was really great to meet everyone and I know we'll stay in contact. I now have friends all across Canada." Despite hitting it off with the other contestants, Burke said she had a nagging fear in the back of her mind that if she won the other girls would believe it was only because she was blind. This fear was put to rest when the Miss Teen Canada International CEO Sylvia Stark informed her that sympathy is not a factor in the pageant. "She said that they've had a delegate who had cancer and she didn't win and they had two deaf delegates and they didn't win," said Burke. "So it's not the sympathy card. If you win, you win because of who you are and what you stand for and what you've done." What exactly Burke had done became clear during the final portion of the pageant, which was held at Toronto's Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Saturday, when she was awarded for making the biggest contribution to the Teddy Bears of Hope Project. As the contestants stood in their evening gowns before a panel of judges and a live audience, it was announced that Burke had galvanized her community to give the most with 4,900 teddy bears and $8,000 donated to the project. Burke noted the money raised will be used to put the bears in the hands of needy children in Uganda. With the award given out, the time came for the judges to reduce the number of finalists to six. "You're so nervous," said Burke. "I was the second name called, so at least I wasn't in suspense that long. You just never knew who would be called because everyone was just so unique and special." As each name was called, the contestant was asked a question by the judges, which was different for each of the six girls. Burke was asked about what motivates her to continue her work with the Foundation Fighting Blindness. "I told them that I had been working with the foundation since I was four when I was diagnosed with RP, and every time I go in there they always talk about how close they are to a cure," said Burke. "They always make you feel like you're not the only one going through it and it makes me feel that whenever I make a speech or go to a function that I'm not just sitting back and watching my vision go, I'm doing something to stop it and I'm raising awareness, which not many people can do." After this question-answer period, the judges reduced the number of contestants to three with Burke again making the cut along with Miss Ottawa and Miss British Columbia. This time, Burke was placed in a soundproof room so she could not hear the other girl's questions and answers. The experience was nerve-wracking to say the least. "It was so intense because your heart is beating so fast and you're like, `I just want to know the question,'" said Burke. "The girl that goes first gets to answer and then she gets to hear the other girl's answers, so she was lucky in that she got to kind of gauge her answer that way, but I was last." Finally, Burke was called out of the soundproof room and asked, `If you were chosen to be Miss Teen Canada International what would you want to be remembered for?' "My answer for that was that I want to be the girl who educates, motivates and inspires, the girl who travels across Canada all year raising thousands of teddy bears and who goes off to Uganda and hands them out personally," said Burke. "I want to be the girl who is the first disabled Miss Teen Canada International and I want to be remembered as the girl who can do anything and everything." As the judges prepared to make their deci- sion, Burke and the other two contestants grabbed each others' hands and began to squeeze, squeezing which only increased as one contestant was eliminated. After a few unimaginably intense moments, Burke was declared Miss Teen Canada International. "They called my name and I was like, `What?'" said Burke. "I was frozen in place and the previous Miss Teen Canada International came out and put the crown on my head and gave me the sash and handed me a big bouquet of flowers. I was in total shock and didn't know what to do and she says `Take your walk.' It was just unbelievable and I still don't believe it." This disbelief persisted even the next day with Burke feeling the need to touch the crown after she woke up to verify the whole thing was not some dream. Previous Miss Teen Canada International winners say the victory takes about a month to sink in, said Burke. With the pageant now behind her, Burke said she will be taking a brief vacation with her family to Ireland before she begins her duties as Miss Teen Canada International, which will involve her travelling to schools across Canada to discuss teen issues and the importance of the Teddy Bears of Hope Project. As a result of her win, Burke will receive a scholarship to the learning institution of her choice. Burke said she intends to take social work at Sheridan College and media at Ryerson. In time, she hopes to be able to combine these two disciplines into a career as a motivational speaker. Burke would like to extend a colossal thank you to all Oakville residents who donated teddy bears and money to the Teddy Bears of Hope Project. FACTORY TILE TOUCH! Elegance, Stylish, Sophisticated, or Sleek We can transform any space! We specialize in importing and distributing unique Ceramics, Porcelain, Travertine, Marble, Glass, Custom Medallions and mosiacs from Around the World. 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