Former Miss Litchfield County vying to be next Miss America

WINSTED — Residents of Litchfield and Hartford counties, along with millions of other Americans, will have their eyes glued to their flatscreens next Saturday, Jan. 15, when Miss Connecticut Brittany Decker of Bristol competes in the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas, Nev. Local residents can be proud that she was Miss Litchfield County in 2009 before becoming Miss Hartford County in 2010 and most recently Miss Connecticut last June.

Decker, 21, said by phone Tuesday that she was taking things in stride as she prepared to fly out to Vegas Thursday.

“Actually, I’m really calm and relaxed,� she said. “I was really stressed out about a month ago, but everything came together really smoothly. I’ve been working out at the gym, nothing too strenuous, and my wardrobe has already been shipped out, so I’m just packing for the rehearsal.�

Decker has been all over creation during the past several months, making two visits to Haiti to assist with relief efforts at an orphanage, volunteering with Special Olympians, visiting Connecticut children at their schools, singing at sporting events and appearing at town functions across the state.

While doing that, Decker has maintained an active blog, created popular Facebook and Twitter pages,  and — oh yes, that’s right, scored a 4.0 grade-point average at Western New England College in Springfield, Mass.

Asked if she had any idea a year ago that she might have a chance to become Miss America, Decker said, “Absolutely not,� noting that she has only been competing in pageants for the past four years.

“I’ve always wanted to do this and imagined myself doing it,� she said. “I’ve watched Miss America with my mom since I was very young and I said, ‘One day I’ll be Miss America,’ but it’s not until you’re in this position that you step back and say, ‘Wow, this is really happening.’�

If Decker ends up winning the Miss America pageant with her stunning smile, girl-next-door friendliness and confident attitude, she will be the first woman from Connecticut to win since 1933, when Marian Bergeron of West Haven won the crown.

On her Facebook page, Decker updates friends and fans a few times each day, usually starting with an early-morning workout (“5 a.m. body pump — Happy Monday!�), followed by something like collecting 4,000 new sets of Crocs shoes to be boxed and shipped to children in Haiti.

Since being named Miss Connecticut in June, Decker has been the state’s qualified contestant in next week’s pageant, which will feature 53 young women from the United States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. With the honor has come responsibility to make appearances, connect with the community and develop a platform issue to present to judges in Las Vegas.

Decker’s platform, “One World: Global Awareness for Global Prosperity,� encourages others to become global citizens and recognize, particularly during the economic downturn in our own country, that there are people in developing countries who are experiencing much more difficult and painful circumstances.

Within that platform are two initiatives — to raise money for the Sok Sabay Medical Clinic in Cambodia (Decker serves on the board of directors) and to help fund the Christian Haitian Outreach Orphanage in Haiti, which she visited this year. Decker said she wants to carry on similar missions here in the United States, in communities where poverty exists, and that she has a particular fondness for the children of Haiti who are still suffering from the effects of the country’s major earthquake a year ago this month.

Decker said she was surprised and saddened by the state of affairs in Haiti when she first visited.

“The first time I went down in May, I really thought I’d be seeing a lot more being done,� she said. “We had a lot of money that had been raised in the United States and we expected to see supplies being handed out. There was absolutely nothing. I was driving around in Port au Prince and I didn’t see any construction being done.

“But you have to realize also that it’s going to take time. If I bring something directly down there, I know where it’s going, and I think if I was going to recommend anything, it would be to donate to an organization where you know where money is going.�

Decker said she fell in love with the children of Haiti and that she has a strong desire to resturn.

“The kids love the attention,� she said. “They have nobody there. There are very few adults, so when you come in, the children literally just attach on to you. They wouldn’t let go. I got really close to two little girls when I was there in May. I gave one of them a necklace and when I came back in September, she had that necklace on.�

Making connections like that is what Decker said she wants to continue to do, regardless of the outcome of next week’s contest.

“I think that’s what I would want my legacy to be,� she said. “Miss America may seem like an unreachable person, but I would want to be a visible Miss America. Whether it’s through a camera lens or face to face, I just want to make an impact on others. Very few people get to be a Miss America, so if someone meets one, it’s probably the first and last time they will have that opportunity, and I want to make it special.�

The Miss America pageant will be broadcast live on ABC on Saturday, Jan. 15, from 8 to 11 p.m.