One Hot Mama!

This article about "My Mama" appeared in her local newspaper after her run for Ms. Senior Arizona. I think this officially makes her a celebrity :)


Local woman aims to shine light on volunteerism
By Lorin McLain, The Daily Courier


Monday, May 12, 2008


Kathleen Provence states a few reasons why she wanted the title of Miss Senior Arizona. Entering the 19th annual contest in Phoenix on May 3 was one way the 67-year-old Prescott Valley resident was able to convey her message of volunteerism, and the director of Casa Belles Dance Troupe put her up to it. "She was Miss Senior Arizona 2005, she's been after me since," Provence said, adding that joining the pageant entitles her to join the Cameo Club, which performs to raise money to fight Alzheimer's disease.

"This way if I join the pageant, she and I can do duets together," she said. Phoenix-based Randall Designs, who designs costumes for "Dancing with the Stars," volunteered to design Provence's costume for the Latin jazz routine she performed at the pageant. Provence said she came across the website for Randall Designs, and sent them an e-mail asking for sponsorship, thinking that the possibility was a long shot. Ken Heron, a partner with the company, agreed to design the outfit and loan it to her with the understanding that she would give it back at some point and he would sell it on the Internet, she said. "Four days later he called me, and after chatting for about five minutes, he said, 'You know, for a Latin number, that's going to require a lot of bling'," she recalled. Provence traces her dance career back to teaching at an Arthur Murray Dance Studio at the age of 17. Her record in helping those in need goes back as far. Provence grew up in Milwaukee and moved to Rockford, Ill., when she was 16 to live with her mother, and dropped out of school her junior year to help support her family, she said. Provence now volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in the Juvenile Division of the Arizona Supreme Court, of which she currently follows the cases of three children. Provence also serves as a volunteer on the Foster Care Review Board, and the Removal Review Board for foster children, that reviews cases of children within 72 hours of their effective removal from a foster home. Love for people in need drives her inspiration. "I don't care if it's an unborn child, a foster child, or a 90-year-old child, I've done a lot of work with elderly, it's just that I have my love for children," she said. Provence, who has three children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, retired in 1993 from her job as a communications consultant with Ameritech subsidiary Illinois Bell, where she worked for 27 years. Ameritech awarded her The Alexander Graham Bell Award for her volunteer work with teenage mothers. A 14-year cancer survivor, Provence said another reason for entering the pageant was to get her life's message across: "Don't take your love and wisdom to the grave with you. There are so many young people that need your love and your wisdom. And you can do that through volunteer work."


Such a nice article...