The Countdown Is On!

500 Contestants. Five Years. One Mission.

Miss Volunteer America Marks Major Milestone

BUILT ON SERVICE, POWERED BY PURPOSE: MISS VOLUNTEER AMERICA RETURNS TO JACKSON FOR ITS BIGGEST YEAR YET

Founder Allison DeMarcus brings the nation's fastest-growing scholarship pageant back to her hometown for a fifth year 51 young women from across the country converge on Jackson, Tennessee for a week of competition, community, and impact

JACKSON, Tennessee – The countdown is officially on as the Miss Volunteer America Pageant prepares to return to the historic Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee this June for its fifth national competition. One month from today, 51 state titleholders from across the country will compete for the title of Miss Volunteer America 2027, and for one young woman, life will be forever changed.

Founded in 2022 by Jackson, Tennessee native Allison DeMarcus, the organization was built on the premise that purpose should drive competition, not performance. Since its launch, the Miss Volunteer America organization has awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships at the local, state, and national levels, with more than $150,000 in scholarship opportunities available at each national competition.

This year’s competition also marks a major milestone for the organization. More than 450 young women have already competed on the national stage during the program’s first four years, and with 51 contestants competing this June, the organization will officially welcome its 500th national contestant during its fifth year.

“When I started this organization, the vision was simple but deeply intentional: to create a program where young women are celebrated not just for how they perform on stage, but for the impact they make in the world,” DeMarcus said. “And there was no other place to launch it than my hometown of Jackson. When a community gives so much to you, you don’t just remember it. You return the investment.”

“But what matters most isn’t the number,” DeMarcus continued. “It’s the young woman who realizes her voice matters. The one who chooses to lead. The one who discovers that service isn’t just something you do. It’s who you become.”

Contestants compete in interview, talent, evening gown, and fitness and wellness categories, but community service and public engagement remain central to the week’s experience.

Through its partnership with The Salvation Army, titleholders have contributed thousands of hours of service in communities across the country. Through its partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, contestants and supporters have raised more than $332,000 over the past two years, with every dollar going directly to support the children and families served by the hospital.

DeMarcus said the organization continues to challenge traditional assumptions surrounding pageantry.

“When people hear the word ‘pageant,’ they often picture gowns, lights, and stages and wonder if those moments still matter,” she said. “But what I see is something far greater. I see young women discovering their voice. I see leaders being formed. I see service in action.”

“That means real opportunity,” DeMarcus said. “That means doors opened. That means young women stepping into their future without the weight of financial burden.”

Tickets for the June competition are available here. A full schedule of events and additional information can be found at MissVolunteerAmerica.net.

Connect with Miss Volunteer America:
www.MissVolunteerAmerica.net
Instagram: @MissVolunteerAmericaPag

ABOUT MISS VOLUNTEER AMERICA:
Miss Volunteer America is a national scholarship pageant founded by Allison DeMarcus—entrepreneur, television personality, former Miss Tennessee, and wife of Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus. With a vision to uplift and empower young women, DeMarcus created the organization to champion academic excellence, servant leadership, and personal development through a values-driven competition platform. The pageant emphasizes the importance of education, integrity, character, and volunteerism, and provides significant scholarship opportunities to its participants. Titleholders and contestants dedicate countless hours to community service while preparing to become tomorrow’s leaders. Miss Volunteer America continues to grow as a meaningful movement for young women across the country. 

Learn more at www.missvolunteeramerica.net.

ABOUT ALLISON DEMARCUS:
Allison DeMarcus is a former Miss Tennessee Teen USA, Miss Tennessee America and Miss Tennessee USA and is the only woman in pageant history to represent the state of Tennessee at the Miss Teen USA, Miss America and Miss USA pageants. DeMarcus began working with Country Music Television in January 2007 when she co-hosted the Miss America Pageant with Mario Lopez and has worked as a television personality for Country Music Television for ten years.

Allison is married to Jay DeMarcus of the country music supergroup, Rascal Flatts. In 2020, Allison and Jay - along with their adorable children - warmed hearts in their own NETFLIX reality show, DeMarcus Family Rules.

Additionally, the couple has appeared together on The Chew, NASHVILLE, Good Morning America and Chrisley Knows Best.

When she is off camera, DeMarcus enjoys serving in her third year as President of the Board of Directors of Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and recently finished chairing an $18M Pediatric Cancer Campaign. She also enjoys serving as a Board Member for the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center’s Board of Overseers, Board member for the Memorial Foundation on the Grants Committee, as well as the Miss Tennessee Volunteer Pageant.

She formerly served on the Board of Directors for Cheekwood, The Women’s Fund, Sigma Epsilon Chi Omega Advisory Board at Vanderbilt, Chi Omega’s National Recruitment Team and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and has enjoyed volunteering for The Nashville Symphony, Sexual Assault Center, Swan Ball, Nashville Humane Association, Nashville Ballet, Second Harvest Food Bank, Nashville Alliance, Warner Parks, The Frist Center, Nashville Zoo and the Oasis Center.

Allison’s most important job is being a wife to Jay, and mother to Madeline and Dylan.

###